Fear Of Unknown Causes Negative Reaction To Eagles' 1st Round Draft Pick

Going into the draft, fans tabbed several players as perspective Eagles. Jimmy Smith, Gabe Carimi, and once he began to fall, Prince Amukamara. Going into the draft, I admit, I had not even heard of Danny Watkins before today. Not many did.

But with the 23rd overall pick in the NFL Draft, with Jimmy Smith and Gabe Carimi still on the boards, the Eagles drafted a 26-year old offensive lineman out of Baylor. The fact that no one had this guy on their radar combined with the fact that he was 26-years old made people angry. Most rookies sign 5-year contracts and when that contract expires he is going to be 32-years old (his birthday is in November).

At first I really did not like this pick because most had Watkins in the 2nd round, then I just did not like it, and now I think I sort of do like it for the Eagles. For starters, he will be able to start immediately and replace the dreadful Max Jean-Gillies/Nick Cole combo. Secondly, while people get worked up about age, when it comes to offensive linemen, age is secondary to amount of time played. And Danny Watkins has not played a whole lot of football. That may seem like a bad thing, but really, when it comes to offensive linemen, the wear and tear over time is what ends their career, not aging. The Eagles are a team that want to contend now. Offensive line was a huge concern for the Eagles last season (secondary was as well, and despite the star potential Jimmy Smith has, Andy Reid strays away from bad character guys like Smith). Danny Watkins will be able to step in and play immediately (all the scouts and experts label him as NFL ready now) and be an instant upgrade over the trash they have protecting Vick's blindside. Reports indicate that Howard Mudd loves the guy. Lastly, the guy has quite possibly the best story in this year's draft and one scout is comparing him to Logan Mankins.

The fact of the matter is this was the Eagles' guy and they got their guy. Many projected him in the 2nd round, some had Watkins late first, but that is irrelevant now. While we can only hope the lack of past wear and tear somewhat offsets the fact he is 26-years old, the Eagles filled a need and got a draft pick who can come in, be an upgrade, and play right away on a team that can contend for a championship. Isn't that all you can really ask for?