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5 Comments (2 conversations)
Todd Blake
Thanks for all your work, Fran. Your coverage was always insightful and interesting.
The recent discussions about Kvon Wallace being not a fit for the new DC and then Sydney Brown going through the same questions, it occurred to me that maybe that is why the safety position is so difficult to evaluate. Safeties, perhaps more than any other position, should be evaluated based on a specific scheme.
Comparing safeties to a general big board might lead to false positives and false negatives, regardless of overall rank, simply because the scheme fits one player better than another.
So while I do understand that Mukuba might be a slight reach based on consensus, would it be the same reach if the safeties were re-ranked based on the Vic Fangio scheme specifically?
Samuel Becker
Todd
That is a thoughtful comment and I thought the same thing listening to Tuesday’s pod. A player that slips to the 6th round even if there is no immediate path to starting is a “Love It”, while Mukuba clearly liked by the Eagles more than the consensus and who has a clear path to contributing in 2025 is an ” I can see the vision” I think I trust Vic on this one.
Sam
Todd Blake
Thanks, Sam.
I just want to be careful about comparing safeties because it appears they are so scheme specific. Watts may end up being a better safety but that doesn’t mean he would be good in Vic’s system.
Would it be better to spend less on a player that doesn’t fit or a bit more for a player that does? Getting a player that is cheaper is still a waste of pick it he doesn’t fit in the system he is drafted into.
Christopher Lovett
Interesting take and a worthwhile endeavor perhaps. I would be interested to see how that safety ranking would shake out.
Robert Polilli
I absolutely am floored by how great this article is! Fran’s evaluations are real, not just repeats of what the crowd is saying. The evaluation system was perfect andI hope to read it again next year for all 13 picks (really 13?).
The defensive backs the Eagles selected seem to be quite small. Can they stand up to the pounding of NFL players?
I looked back at past Eagles drafts, only a handful of starters have come from day 3 picks. Actually 3 of them came in one year; in 2018 Maddox, Sweat and Mailata. That is amazing in one year. Other than that Jordan Poyer (mostly with the Bills), Jalen Mills, and Jason Kelce. So 6 in 10 years. Plus Kelee Ringo?
So what that means if we get one starter out of the last 8 picks that’d be doing good. Go Ty!