I wanted more than Barnett for the Eagles in Round 1

I don’t really get how we let guys like Reuben Foster and O.J. Howard slide away from us in this draft…maybe it was the team doctors who were speaking louder than Howie Roseman wanted to hear. I don’t know what I don’t know. But there you have it.

The only thing I have to go on to defend the choice of pass rusher Derek Barnett as our 1st Round pick at a true #14 overall is the fact that I know the Ravens’ GM Ozzie Newsome made a phone call to Howie Roseman and tried to trade up from #16 overall to get Barnett. Howie said NO.

So maybe Barnett is that special… but like many of you, I have my doubts. Maybe it’s just me, but I have long arms which make buying dress shirts a real pain…Barnett has the opposite problem.

Is it wrong to want long arms on my edge rusher?

I wish the kid all the good luck in the world. I just wish I were extending those congratulatory feelings to a guy like O. J. Howard or Reuben Foster, who were right there for the taking ahead of Barnett.

Bah humbug…

Tim McManus of ESPN.com tries to straighten me out on Barnett:

“Defensive end was a big-time need for the Eagles. Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz relies on the front four generating a pass rush on its own and simply didn’t get enough of that in 2016. Brandon Graham is the best option at the moment but has yet to establish himself as a top-end sack artist. The Eagles parted ways with starting end Connor Barwin and, while they paid Vinny Curry handsomely last offseason, he has yet to prove that he can be relied upon consistently. Derek Barnett was projected to go right in this range if not earlier, so it’s a situation where need meets best available.”

Athleticism vs. production: “With 32 career sacks, Barnett broke former Eagles great Reggie White’s Tennessee record; he also posted 13 sacks and 19 tackles for loss this past season. That’s some eye-popping output. There is some question, though, about whether he has the type of elite athleticism that is often associated with many of the league’s best pass-rushers. His less-than-stellar combine numbers did little to alleviate those concerns. Barnett was apparently ill during the testing, Eagles brass said, which helps to add context to the evaluation.”

The next Suggs? “Eagles vice president of player personnel Joe Douglas was schooled under Ozzie Newsome in Baltimore. He likened Barnett’s situation to that of Terrell Suggs, who tested somewhat poorly during the 2003 pre-draft process following a highly productive stint at Arizona State. With Douglas, on-field production and character makeup seem to far outweigh measurables.”

What’s next: “The Eagles got their pass-rusher, and now they need corners. This is considered one of the deepest cornerback classes in recent memory, but executive vice president of football operations Howie Roseman says he thinks they’ll fly off the board. It might be wise to secure one in the second round.”

This is one of those cases where you may one day wonder, “What if I had gone out with that pretty girl behind the bar at Mahoney’s?”— instead of looking at the engagement ring on my left hand and politely telling the big-busted corn-fed Iowa sociology major girl behind the bar, “Sorry, I’ve got an appointment to keep with my fiance…”