PE.com’s staff writer Bo Wulf deserves more credit than he gets…too often his articles are buried beneath the spotlight that usually goes to Dave Spadaro, Tommy Lawlor and Chris McPherson…
Bo has a nice blurb on the “Best Undrafted Free Agent Rookies in the Andy Reid era…” which fits nicely with today’s topic of discussion.
Bo Wulf ranks cornerback Rod Hood as the third-best undrafted rookie free agent signed by the Eagles in the Reid era…Hood signed with the Eagles in 2003 as an undrafted free agent out of Auburn. He enjoyed some success as a nickel and part-time starter for the Birds through 2006. When he hit the unrestricted free agent market in 2007, the Eagles made little effort to re-sign him and he subsequently inked a 5 year, $15 million deal with the Arizona Cardinals…
I would never characterize Rod Hood as a “core player” essential to the Eagles success of the 2003-2006 seasons… but Bo Wulf does make a point that the undrafted free agent rookie pool of talent does matter… and that valuable players can and should come from it.
Whom does Bo Wulf rank ahead of Rod Hood? It should come as no surprise:
2. Center Jamaal Jackson, 2003
“As difficult as the decision was for the third spot, so too was the deliberation over who would get the No. 1 slot. Jackson just barely falls to No. 2, but not for lack of success or impact. The Delaware State product has been a mainstay in the Eagles’ lineup since he filled in for an injured Hank Fraley midway through the 2005 season. Jackson impressed enough in that run to earn a training camp battle with Fraley the following summer – a battle he would win. In fact, it took a torn ACL in late 2009 to keep Jackson out of the lineup after an impressive 72 consecutive starts. After battling back to start at center in Week 1 of the 2010 season, Jackson’s season was cruelly ended when he tore his triceps. Now fully recovered, Jackson is expected to be back in his role as the team’s starting center in 2011.”
1. Safety Quintin Mikell, 2003
“Mikell gets the top spot by virtue of the breadth of his impact and his tie-breaking Pro Bowl appearance. While it took Jackson two years to begin to make his impact, Mikell impressed as a special teams standout in his rookie season, and would go on to lead the way for his teammates as a special teams maven from 2003-2006. It wasn’t until 2007 that Mikell took over as a full-time starter in the secondary, but he’s started 58 games since then and earned his first Pro Bowl nod in 2009. Mikell is set to be a free agent when the work stoppage ends, but even if he ends up elsewhere, he’s been the Andy Reid’s best rookie free agent signing.”
You could argue with Bo Wulf about his rankings…and even Bo admits you could make a case for Artis Hicks, Nick Cole, Akeem Jordan and Greg Lewis…
But he makes his point… UDFA signings are relevant to overall team depth and success.
Too bad for us the SAGE JB99, who knows UDFA talent like the back of his hand, is out riding fences on his family estate this week, because this topic is right up his alley…
Luckily for us, there is a source on the current subject which is available to us at Eagles Eye due to an in-house relationship…
One of the great advantages of working for this blog is we have access to a network scouting resource…
And that source paid for by our host server at Bloguin.com is Optimum Scouting.com, a site run by college scout Eric Galko… who does the scouting so that we don’t have to..
Here’s the instant 2011 scouting report from Optimum Scouting on whom the Eagles should be looking at to sign in the upcoming abbreviated FA season:
“After another (and hopefully final) week of the NFL Lockout and still not much in the college football world., there still are a few things to break down in this week’s Scouting Notebook.”
“Kind of a sneak peak at two soon-to-be coming articles at Optimum Scouting, I’ll break down the most highly coveted Undrafted Free Agents for when the Lockout does end. Also, I’ll tackle some of the top 2012 NFL Draft prospects that will be transfering and playing right away at their new schools. And finally, a scouting report on Keith Pough, junior and very productive outside linebacker from Howard University.”
Highly Coveted Undrafted Free Agents
So, now that the Lockout seems to be on the cusp of being over with, it’s time to get back to a process in the off-season that should have been taken care of just hours after the draft was completed back in late April: the signing of undrafted free agents.
“Now, I happen to agree with my friend Greg Linton when he said on Twitter the other day that the NFL should let NFL Free Agents sign for the first few days, then UDFA’s afterwards, to help both sets of free agents out a little… but regardless, some NFL free agents and rookie free agents will be highly coveted.”
“While I really do like Kendric Burney, former cornerback from North Carolina, as the best undrafted free agent, because he’s not a fit for every team, he won’t be the most coveted of the undrafted players. I think Derrick Locke of Kentucky and Chad Spann of Northern Illinois will be two running backs that will be targeted early, Locke for being explosive and Spann for being NFL ready with his vision and second gear. Both could get playing time early, both could have been 4th-5th rounders. Also, Lester Jean, receiver from Florida Atlantic, has sleeper receiver written all over him if he gets a good shot, and has long term starting potential.”
“Also on offense, Pat Devlin, formerly of Delaware, Josh Portis of California PA, and Adam Froman, formerly of Louisville, are the three best quarterbacks left in this pool, and while each one isn’t a fit for every team, I wouldn’t doubt at least 6-7 teams to be jostling for each of these rookies, depending on their system. Finally, David Mims of Virginia Union at left tackle marks probably the first time I’ve ever seen a guy who I felt could be a left tackle in the league go undrafted. Despite his shortcomings, he has the length, frame, lateral movement, and consistency to be a left tackle, and teams in need could view him higher than some proven NFL tackles.”
“On defense, two safeties in DeAndre McDaniel of Clemson and Brian Lainhart of Kent State both could be outstanding special teamers at the very least, with McDaniel potentially realizing and hitting his high potential, and Lainhart being a more than capable ball-hawk at safety down the road.”
Keith Pough Scouting Report
Must give credit to Damond Talbot (@drockstheparty on Twitter) who did this “Prospect of the Week” report for our clients. Great work, and here’s a partial of the report on Keith Pough, junior outside linebacker for Howard University:
“Pough probably has the best first step in the MEAC, he anticipates the snap especially well. He gets up to top speed in a flash, and while he’s still raw, Pough is beginning to develop some nice pass rush moves. Unless he adds an additional 15 pounds he will never be able to bull-rush an Offensive lineman. Pough is an extremely disruptive pass rusher, is great at collapsing the pocket and forcing quarterbacks to step into pressure, forcing bad decisions. He plays with a lot of energy, and is an inspirational leader for the Bison’s. He never quits on a play and is always working hard on the field and in the film room. Pough will chase down the ball carrier all over the field and is getting a better understanding of the game.”
“If he has another season like 2010, he could be in the running for the Buck Buchanan award where he was a semi-finalist last season. Pough had an offer from LSU, a partial offer from Clemson, Vanderbilt and New Mexico State and all the teams in the MEAC were scouting him, but he chose Howard because his mother’s influence.”
“He is a gym rat and is always working on building his core muscles, If Keith can ad
d additional weight without taking away from his first step, he could be something special. He needs to work on pass coverage this season and being able to read the Offense better on slant plays. Due to the lack of success the Howard Bison’s had last year, Pough hopes to guide the defense in a better position this year and get some more wins. If he can learn these few things, he could be a solid pick for someone at the next level. In addition to leading or tying the MEAC in three statistical categories, Pough led the entire nation in tackles for losses, was sixth nationally in forced fumbles, tied for 8th in sacks and tied for 23rd in total tackles. He now has a chance to break the school record for tackles for loss.”
“Pough has one thing on his mind beside the injury and the ineligibility issue and this is ‘restoring the Howard Bison’s back to their 1980’s form’. If Pough keeps it up it shouldn’t be too hard of a task for the R-JR from SC.”
Top Draft Eligible Transfers
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Just about every year, some big name transfers hit the field finally and get a second (sometimes last) chance at performing at the level they were expected to/hoped they would be at. Last year, a few transfers had a fairly big impact, including one by the name of Cam Newton. While it’s highly, highly unlikely that’ll happen at the magnitude it did a year ago, finding an NFL Draft prospect transfer can either be risky business (because many transfer for off-the field issues) or a bargain barn of potential success.”
“This year, I have 13 draft eligible 2011 playing transfers as draftable. Headlining that list are five players that should be picked in rounds 6 or higher. Two are going to Kansas State, junior brothers Bryce (running back) and Arthur (inside linebacker) Brown. Bryce Brown as of now is rated higher and viewed to me as a potential 3rd round prospect if he declares, while his brother is more around the 5th round area, but both have the elite skill set to rise up quickly. Two other prospects are going to North Alabama, in cornerback Janoris Jenkins (formerly of Florida) and linebacker Marcus Dowtin (formerly of Georgia). Jenkins has Top 10 talent but a questionable attitude and off the field issues, while Dowtin as of now is a 5th or 6th round linebacker, with the athleticism to play across the linebacker positions and to emerge, if possible at a small school, to a mid round level. Finally, this year’s most notable prize is Russell Wilson, who got a 6th round grade from us as he moves from NC State to Wisconsin.”
“The other draft potential transfers are Blake Ayles (tight end, now at Miami), Brandon Maye (inside linebacker now at Mississippi State), Demetrius Goode (running back, now at North Alabama), Malik Jackson (defensive tackle, now at Tennessee), junior Dan Buckner (wide receiver, now at Arizona), junior Washaun Ealey (running back, now at Jacksonville State, and Rishaw Johnson (offensive guard, now at California PA).”
Thank you, Eric. Basically you have given Eagles fans a crib sheet to begin looking at the top prospects across the UDFA spectrum… It’s a lot to digest within the very limited time frame given us this season. There are probably as many as 200 legitimate prospects still in play for making an NFL roster. Eric’s capsule summary gives us a bit of an edge in understanding what Andy Reid and his scouting staff are looking at this week…
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