Welcome to the first edition of PSN’s weekly mailbag for the Eagles! I’m your host Chris Infante, also known as Flippin’ The Birds better looking co-host.
I asked on my twitter (Infante54) and some of you answered. Let’s get down to your questions!
If you could choose one player in free agency and one player in the 2020 NFL Draft that Howie Roseman should go all-in for, who would they be?
There are so many options in both places that it’s going to be hard to stick to one.
In the draft, there are the obvious two names: Jerry Jeudy and CeeDee Lamb. Both players could be instant stars and would elevate Wentz’s game to the next level. In Doug’s screen happy play calling, Lamb and Jeudy have the tools to get the screen pass and take it all the way to the house. They’re that good.
Do I think the Eagles can get up there for either? Yes. It’s always hard to pinpoint where a receiver will go in the draft, no matter the skill. Here are the 2010s drafts and where the first WR was taken:
- 2019 – Marquise Brown – 25th
- 2018 – D.J. Moore – 24th
- 2017 – Mike Williams – 7th
- 2016 – Corey Coleman – 15th
- 2015 – Amari Cooper – 4th
- 2014 – Sammy Watkins 4th
- 2013 – Tavon Austin – 8th
- 2012 – Justin Blackmon – 5th
- 2011 – A.J. Green – 4th
- 2010 – Demaryius Thomas – 22nd
Out of those ten years, only four have seen wide receivers picked first outside the top ten. However, of those six top ten selections, only two were worth it.
I do believe Lamb goes top ten, probably to the Cardinals at eight so Kyler Murray can be reunited with his favorite target. Then things get interesting. The Jets could go WR at 11, so could the Raiders at 12. The Raiders have two picks in the top 20 at 12 and 19. So to ensure Jeudy to the Eagles, Howie would probably have to trade with the Browns at 10. Who’s the new GM of the Browns? Former Eagles employee Andrew Berry.
There’s a guide that shows how each pick is valued and it’s used to balance out trade packages. The Browns pick at 10 is valued at 1300, while the Eagles pick at 21 is valued at 870. That’s 430 points to make up. Howie can package the second round pick (370) and a fourth (48) to bring it to 1288. This could be enough to get it done, and it’s worth it in my opinion. That leaves two thirds, two fourths, a fifth, and a sixth to fill out the rest of the roster through the draft and that’s enough for me.
As far as free agency goes, it’s Byron Jones and Joe Schobert for me. Jones is the perfect corner for Jim Schwartz. He’s lack of turnovers shouldn’t shy people away. He’s able to drape wide receivers with ease and cause many incompletions.
Schobert is a tackling machine. He’s had 408 tackles in his first four years of his career, more than any Eagles linebacker had in their first four years. That’s any Eagles linebacker in team history. The team hasn’t had a linebacker even remotely like him since DeMeco Ryans.
Is Laviska Shenault worth it at 21?
Simply put, maybe. Ok, that wasn’t a simple answer.
Shenault has all the tools to be a dynamic wide receiver in the NFL. However, the injuries. He’s already had surgeries on a torn labrum and turf toe. He had a core muscle injury that held him out of a game in 2019. There’s also a nagging groin injury, “osteitis pubis” which is inflammation of the pubic bone, but he won’t need surgery.
If his medicals check out at the combine and pro day, then I’d feel more comfortable. But if he’s there at 21 after the other top WRs are taken then I’d rather the team go after a DB and target WR later in the draft.
Gut feeling, which WR are the Eagles going to sign in FA?
Robby Anderson is kind of the automatic answer, right? Could he be referring to Wentz in his cryptic “11” tweets such as the one below?
I swear me seein 11.11 this often really making me wonder somethin
— Chosen Anderson (@chosen1ra) January 25, 2020
Eagles fans, including myself, have taken this to mean he’s hinting at a future deal with the Eagles. He wore #11 with the Jets and Wentz obviously wears that number.
It might also mean he’s looking to get $11 million annually. He’s played 16 games three out of his four years and played 14 in the other. His YPC averages each year were 14.0, 14.9, 15.0, and 15.0. Adding him to Wentz’s arsenal would greatly improve the offense.
However, I think Howie allocates most of the free agency focus to the defense. Wide receivers will be the focus of the draft, by free agency might just be depth pieces. I’m looking at names like Phillip Dorsett, Breshad Perriman, and newly released Paul Richardson. Demarcus Robinson is a name being floated around, and I suggested him in my free agency scenarios article, so he’s also someone to watch.
Why is a swan the only bird with a phallus?
There is a theory that female birds were more willing to mate with males with no phallus, because they wouldn’t get any “unwanted advances” from males with a phallus. So bird species just evolved where most don’t have one, but the swan isn’t the only bird with one. Ducks also have one, and it’s swirly.
Who wins in a bird fight? Eagle, Raven, Seahawk, Cardinal, or Falcon?
Let’s look at the stats:
- Falcons are 13 – 23 inches tall, weigh 18.8 – 56.5 oz (1.175 – 3.53 lb), and have a wingspan of 3.3 – 3.6 ft. Can fly up to 200 MPH
- Ravens are 22.1 – 27.2 inches tall, weigh 24.3 – 57.3 oz (1.525 – 3.58 lb) and have a wingspan of 3.8 – 3.875 ft. One of the smartest birds.
- Cardinals are 8.3 – 9.1 inches tall, weigh 1.5 – 1.7 oz, and have a wingspan of 9.8 – 12.2 inches. If a cardinal sees itself in the mirror, it’ll try to attack it because it’s stupid.
- Seahawks are nonexistent.
- Eagles are 27.9 – 37.8 inches tall, weigh 6.6 – 13.88 lb, and have a wingspan of 7.4 feet. They can fly up to 30 MPH but can dive at 100 MPH.
The cardinals are out. They wouldn’t even make it to this fight because the males would be too busy trying to fight themselves in the mirror.
Ravens have a slight advantage because of how smart they are. But in a battle to the death, smarts can only get you so far.
Falcons have a pleasant character to them, usually not very aggressive. Whereas the eagle, the national bird of the United States, is extremely aggressive and have powerful talons.
Once in an Eagles’ hold, the Falcon is dunzo.
Eagles win.
Stay tuned for next week’s edition! Get your questions to me on Twitter or in the comments below!
Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
