Needs Addressed by the Birds on Day 2
The Eagles entered the 2nd day of the NFL Draft with a few needs left over to be filled after day 1. The Birds took a DT, OT, and a DE/LB on the first day. To start off the day, the Eagles traded DT Hollis Thomas and the 109th pick to move up to the 99th spot. With the 99th pick (the 2nd pick of the 4th round), the Eagles selected Max Jean-Gilles who is an OG from Georgia. This was another very good pick for the Eagles, who can always use added depth on the inside of the offensive line. Jean-Gilles was an All-American guard who was projected as a 2nd round pick. The Eagles took advantage of Jean-Gilles’ unexpected slide into the 4th round. As for trading Hollis, it was a good move for both Hollis and the Eagles because Thomas wanted out of town and the Eagles have a very deep squad on the D-line.
Their next selection was at number 127, but the Eagles made 2 trades to move up in the 4th round. The first trade involved sending OG Artis Hicks and the 127 pick to Minnesota for the 115 pick and 185th pick. Then the Eagles sent those 2 picks to Green Bay for the 109th pick in the 4th round. With that 109 spot, the Eagles selected WR Jason Avant from Michigan. I like the pick of Avant but I’m not sure if he was the best WR available at that point. Demeterius Williams of Oregon was taken 2 picks after Avant and I think he might have been the better choice. Jason Avant’s problem is his speed, which was evidenced by his 4.7 40 speed which is quite bad for a wideout. Even though his speed isn’t up to par, I don’t think taking a WR with a great career at Michigan will end up hurting the Birds.
The Eagles’ next selection came at number 147 when they drafted WR Jeremy Bloom. Bloom is well known for his talent on the special teams, specifically returning punts. I believe this was a great value pick in the 5th round because I think Bloom will really help this Eagles on special teams. He can really make plays and this could mean the end of Reno Mahe’s tenure in Philadelphia, which isn’t exactly a bad thing in my opinion.
With their last 2 picks, the Birds drafted an OLB and a DT. Later on in the 5th round, they took Omar Gaither from the University of Tennessee. I don’t know much about Gaither but I think he could surprise some people come training camp time. With the final pick of their draft, the Eagles took DT Lajuan Ramsey from USC with the 204th pick. Ramsey had an okay career at USC and was a fellow teammate of Mike Patterson but he might not be able to make this team with all the DTs and DEs vying for jobs. Overall, I was very happy with the picks Andy Reid and Tom Heckert made since I think all these young players should be able to contribute to the team within a year or two.
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Posted on April 30, 2006 by Kyle Garis | Filed Under Eagles, Philadelphia
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