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MVN writers mock draft: 19. Philadelphia Eagles - WR Limas Sweed, Texas

NFL

By Justin Harris

With the nineteenth pick in the MVN writers’ mock draft, the Philadelphia Eagles select Limas Sweed, wide receiver from Texas.

Analysis: Sweed came into the 2007-2008 NCAA season as the top WR prospect in, possibly, all of college football. Then the injury bug struck him and it didn’t leave him all season, ravaging his entire Senior campaign. Fortunately, there’s no reason to believe that the injury bug will follow him to the NFL, especially with his body frame which should be able to withstand NFL hits. Sweed has all the things you would look for in a #1 Wideout in the NFL, especially after posting a 4.48 40 time at the Combine. Couple that 40 time with a 37 1/2″ vertical at his Pro Day and there is absolutely no reason to believe Sweed can’t be an impact player right from the start in the NFL.

The Eagles’ Take: Jeff Otah, of Pittsburgh, was a possibility here before being taken by Houston, especially considering the aptitude of Andy Reid to take men who are similar to his body frame. Our concern with that, because of the deep class at OT, it should be possible to grab a more than competent one in the 2nd round. The Eagles fans have been begging for a premier Wide Receiver since the TO debacle, so it’s about the time the Front Office stepped up and gave them what they want. Devin Thomas is also a possibility here, but we believe he is much more of a project than Sweed and would require much more patience. Instead Sweed was our man at #19, he was arguably the best athlete left on the board, and couple that along with the Eagles need at the position and it was an obvious choice.

Trade?: Trading down or up is also a very serious possibility with this pick. We all know how much the Eagles front office likes to trade up, down, in and around in their drafts, and we have no inclination to believe that will change. Trading up to the #11 pick would probably be the likeliest “trade up” here. Buffalo has several needs and wouldn’t necessarily be able to fill them at the #11 pick, so trading down and getting more picks would make sense. This would allow Andy to take one of his boys, meaning Chris Williams, Jeff Otah or Ryan Clady. There has also been talking of them swapping picks, and Lito Sheppard, with the New England Patriots in order to grab Vernon Gholston. This is much less likely, especially considering the Eagles don’t necessarily have a need at the Defensive End position. There’s also the endless trade talk surrounding the disgruntled Chad Johnson in Cincinnati, and it would be logical possibility for the Eagles to trade away their first pick and possibly Lito Sheppard, or other players and picks for Ocho Cinco.

Justin Harris is a columnist for MVN’s Philadelphia Eagles site, Eagles Eye.

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 17th, 2008 at 9:24 pm and is filed under Limas Sweed, Mock Drafts 2008, 2008 NFL Draft. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.