2010 CSC Community Mock Draft: The Philadelphia Eagles Select...

Moving along in our second annual community mock draft here at Canal Street Chronicls, were up to the twenty-fourth selection. Representing the Philadelphia Eagles with this pick is CSC member, saintsdevotee. Make the jump to find out who he selected.

Thanks goes out to saintsdevotee for his participation.

With the twenty-fourth pick in the 2010 CSC community mock draft, the Philadelphia Eagles select...

Earl Thomas, SS, Texas

When I was assigned the Eagles for our mock draft I had a clean slate to work with. I didn't know too much about their needs, so I started from scratch. I looked at their roster to identify needs.

Special Teams

This is often overlooked by mockers, but a good kick/punt returner goes in the first round every year. The kickers themselves have no shot of going this early. Anyway, the Eagles have DeSean Jackson, who is "explosive" personified. No needs here

Offense

• Quarterback - With McNabb and Kolb on the roster the Eagles have more than enough depth at QB. Add Vick in as a back-up and you get the idea that they have too much talent at QB and that they will be trading away a QB before the draft. As the representative of Philly in the exercise I am going to think about what I am going to do at QB this year, but adding another to the mix isn't an option.
• Skill Players - McCoy is a young talent and Bell, as we well know, is a very solid back-up. Weaver is a good fullback, so they look good at RB. With young receivers in Jackson and Macklin and Celek at TE, their receiving corp is good and getting better as they gain experience. This is the best set of receivers Philly has had in many years, I don't see them adding more depth here.
• O-line - With the departure of Stacey Andrews they are thin up front. This is something they will have to address in the draft. Mark 'em down for a lineman.

Defense

• D-Line - Bunkley and Patterson are young starters inside and they do a decent job. They combined for 70 tackles last year. Our starting DTs combined for 44. (Their starters started 16 games each - Ours both missed time, but that only underscores their dependability.) At DE they have the powerful Trent Cole who racked up 12.5 sacks last season. Opposite him they have.... nothing.

The Eagles defense is at its best when the pass rush is wreaking havoc on opponents. (A DE) would give the team a young rusher with star potential to use opposite Trent Cole

-Bucky Brooks - NFL.com

The Eagles need another elite edge rusher to complement Trent Cole (notes).

-Doug Farrer - Yahoo sports

It looks like they need a DE badly.

• Linebackers - They cut Whitherspoon, Trotter's a free agent (and past his prime), and they don't have a lot of talent left in this position. Looks like a need here.
• Defensive Back - Samuels and Brown and good corners, and they added Marlin Jackson (who may be shifted to safety). Not bad. The lost their starting Free Safety in free agency. Maybe Marlin Jackson will take this spot, but I think they need to add talent here.

My needs list includes:

• Offensive line
• Defensive End
• Linebacker
• Free safety

Let's look at talent at these positions:

O-line: Okung, Bulaga, Iupati, and Williams are all first round talent but they're off the board.

DE: Pierre-Paul and Morgan are gone but Graham, Griffen, Dunlap and Odrick are still on the board.

LB: McClain, Weatherspoon, and Kindle are gone. We could stretch a bit and get Hughes

Safety: Berry and Mays are gone, but Thomas is still here.

Without reaching for another position it looks like my choice is between a defensive end and the safety Thomas.

The Eagles need a good pass-rushing DE badly, but there is still depth at this position. As the GM, I am planning on trading McNabb for a high second round pick, and I'll use that to get a DE. At least one of the four will still be on the board when that happens.

Thomas is the only safety left on the board that projects to be a game changer. Mike Mayock rates him as the 7th best player in the draft. Getting him at the 24th pick is insane value.

via static.nfl.com

Thomas is a ball-hawking safety with very good straight-line speed. Elite athlete with fluid hips who follows the quarterback's eyes and consistently jumps routes. Has the elusiveness to make people miss in space and can take an interception back to the house. Tough competitor who will fill in the running game and does not shy away from contact. Good tackler

-NFL.com

We've seen what a difference a safety that can intercept the ball and threaten to take it to the house can do for a defense. Philly saw it too. Is Thomas the next Sharper? We don't know for sure but we are going for it. A sack ends the play, maybe the drive, but a pick-6 is next level. Turning opponent’s drives into our points is too big to pass up. Ask Baltimore how much value Ed Reed adds to their defense. How'd Pittsburg due when Polamalu was out of the line-up? Not well. The NFL has become a pass happy league and you need defenders who capitalize on that. Earl Thomas is that guy.