This draft could mark the beginning of the end for Andy Reid. I personally did not believe that Kolb was worthy of a first day pick, much less 36th overall. A decent number of scouts do feel that he has starter potential, so I'll throw my assessment of him as a player aside for a moment. But how do you make a quarterback you first selection when Donovan McNabb is entrenched as your franchise QB? That was, without a doubt, the worst pick in the entire draft. Abiamiri had good value at the end of the 2nd round, but again, why draft a defensive end when you have Trent Cole, Jevon Kearse and Darren Howard. It wasn't a pressing need, and there were impact players still available at other positions where the Eagles needed help. Stewart Bradley was finally a pick that made sense. They needed depth at linebacker and Bradley may even compete for the starting strong side linebacker position. Tony Hunt was a decent pickup; he's a big back and should be able to take some carries away from Westbrook. C.J Gaddis wasn't a reach, but its disappointing to see them select a cornerback so late when they really needed an impact guy earlier on in the draft. Celek has very little upside. He may struggle to make the final roster. Same goes for Barksdale, who was a major reach, even at the 201st pick in the draft. Nate Ilona was worth taking a risk on. He's a big back, like Hunt, but has more athletic ability and can be a threat in the passing game. He'll be given a chance to see if he can win a backup job. Overall, they got very little immediate help, which is disappointing for a team that seems to have a closing window of opportunity to win with their current stars.
Grade: D+

Bunkley is a great pickup for the Eagles with the 14th pick. Although it does say something when a franchise has to select the same position in the draft two years in a row. In my final mock draft I had the Eagles selecting Justice in the 1st round. He may be the steal of the draft in the 2nd round, as long as he straightens out his personal issues. It was interesting that he fell that far, because by all accounts he seemed to have progressed tremendously the past year at USC after being suspended for the entire 2005 season. You have to wonder if there are more serious issues that teams are finding out about this young man. Gocong is a tremendous athlete, although I felt he became a little overrated in the weeks leading up to the draft as he climbed the draft boards. He is a one dimensional pass rusher, and an undersized one at that. Jean-Gilles is equally as great a steal as Justice. I felt he could easily be a 2nd rounder. There are concerns about his ability to keep his weight in check, but everything else about his game reminds you of Larry Allen (even the weight issues). Avant is a possession receiver at best. He is too slow to be a game breaker, but was worth the 4th round selection. Bloom doesn't have much of a future as a receiver, but he could have as much an impact as anyone in this draft class as a return man. Gaither is a great athlete at linebacker and should see the field for the Eagles in '06. The pick of Ramsey just shows the Eagles desperation for help on the interior of their line.
Grade: A-