Foster and McCaffrey showing up on a lot of Eagles MACH 10 ballots so far

Christian McCaffrey (5-11, 202, Stanford) is showing up on a lot of the MACH 10 ballots received so far. But former Eagles all-purpose back Brian Westbrook says we may be wasting a MACH pick there:

“I think the kid is going to be a good player, I just don’t know if I would draft him at 14 [when the Birds are scheduled to pick]. Matter of fact, I wouldn’t draft him at 14,” Westbrook said during a phone conversation with ESPN.

McCaffrey, who set an NCAA record for all-purpose yards as a sophomore (3,864), has been compared to Westbrook during the pre-draft process largely because of his versatility. He’s a threat in the passing game and as a returner, just as Westbrook was both at Villanova and during his highly-productive eight-year stint with the Eagles. Westbrook acknowledged those similarities while pointing out that it is tough to measure them side by side considering Westbrook played college ball at the Division 1-AA level.

“I think he’s OK”, Westbrook said. “He doesn’t have … there’s something missing. And I guess it’s hard to put a word on to it from my view, but there is a piece that may be missing that when you’re talking about the 14^th pick overall, that kind of scares me. But if you’re comparing me and him, I think we do a lot of things similar.”

Tim McManus of ESPN.com elaborates further:

“McCaffrey has been a focal point during the pre-draft process. Given his high level of production at Stanford and strong overall showing at the NFL combine, some believe he could be a top-10 pick. Another reason why Westbrook is opposed to that evaluation is because of the way that the game has evolved. When he was paired with Duce Staley and Correll Buckhalter in the backfield (they called it the “Pony” personnel), he explained, they got a favorable matchup just about every time Westbrook was motioned out. That’s because teams stayed in their base packages more, meaning Westbrook could be lined up across from a 240-pound linebacker who had no shot of keeping up. Now teams are in their sub-packages the bulk of the time, so there’s often an extra defensive back to account for a running back who shifts into receiver mode.”

Westbrook believes the team should focus on a more pure runner on Day 2.

“Do they have someone that can run the ball when they’re first-and-10 from the 15-yard line? Do they have somebody that can get you five, six yards when you need it? That’s the big question for me,” Westy said. “And I’m not saying McCaffrey can’t. What I’m saying is, if you don’t need that type of threat, that dual-threat type of guy, why wouldn’t you just go get somebody that you know can run the rock consistently?”

Okay, point taken. Check in with our Florida correspondent Palmy—big running back, thick ankles, please.

Then there’s the increasing drama surrounding Alabama linebacker Reuben Foster, who many MACH 10 balloteers so far would love to have fall to the Eagles, something that seemed almost impossible just a week ago sans a trade-up scenario.

Foster’s urine sample at the NFL combine came back diluted, which, by NFL rules, means it is treated like a specimen that has tested positive for a banned substance, according to NFL.com.

Foster says that a case of food poisoning is to blame for the diluted test. To get better before the combine, Foster was on IV fluids and claims he “drank and ate as much as I could without throwing up.”

“I couldn’t eat much, but I had to drink water and Gatorade,” he said. “Then a few coaches said something about me being too light… so I drank and ate as much as I could without throwing up. Then I went in there, drinking and drinking water, trying to flush out my system from whatever was making me sick and trying to keep my weight up and took the test.”

Regardless of the reasoning, every team in the league was notified of the positive test. So now you have to wonder if (a) he is telling the whole truth, and if the Eagles think he is telling the truth, (b) will Foster actually fall down the draft board far enough for the Eagles to have a shot at getting him at #14 overall or even later in the draft?

Before this, the only possible concern I had about Foster was a lingering achy right shoulder, which may require preseason surgery or not. Oh, and there was that tiff he had with the staff member at the Combine over a long waiting  time at the medical clinic…but that could now be explained away by the physical difficulties he was having with overcoming food poisoning.

The plot thickens!

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P.S.—You thought you had a bad day? Check out this report on the University of Maryland’s annual Spring football game from this past weekend: