Chip Wanted Matthews First….

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Oh no…without Howie Roseman in the war room Chip Kelly may take players earlier than needed! Chip doesn’t understand the draft value system! Case in point, Jordan Matthews. Chip need someone to put his draft board in order!

Stories are circulating about how Chip Kelly wanted to take Jordan Matthews in the first round of last year’s NFL draft, but Roseman convinced him that Matthews could be gotten in the second round. Howie was right. Chip was able to get Matthews in the second round, by trading the Eagles 2nd Round pick and a 4th Rounder to the Titans so they could move up and grab Matthews. Phew, thank god Roseman was there to save Chip from such a debacle.

Could you imagine if Chip had selected Jordan Matthews in the first round? With only 8 TDs and barely over 800 yards in his first season, (sarcastic tone)I’m sure us Eagles fans would be relentless in our criticism of such a reach.

I mean, come on. Matthews is a great 2nd round pick, but would’ve have been a solid 1st rounder, too. Sure, we could bust his stones for not taking Kelvin Benjamin over Jordan Matthews. Benjamin ended the season with 136 yards and one TD more than Matthews. That was with no other legit receiver on the Panthers. On the Eagles, with Maclin on the field grabbing receptions and yards, it’s feasible that Benjamin doesn’t hit 1,000 yards. Benjamin might have had a larger impact than Matthews in the red zone, based on his sheer size.

I called into Howie’s GM radio show a couple of times to complain about the Eagles not selecting Benjamin in the first round, but that’s in comparison to the actual first round pick, Marcus Smith, not Jordan Matthews.

Are Eagles fans supposed to be worried that Chip may take players too early? Maybe he will, but who cares if Chip is right and the players can play. Jordan Matthews can play so no one would’ve cared.

What might have happened if Chip was left to draft Matthews in the first round?

For starters, that pick would’ve contributed to the 2014 season unlike Marcus Smith.

Secondly, there was good talent available in the second round had the Eagles taken Matthews and stayed at the 54th spot.  G Jack Mewhort (59th) is starting at left guard for the Colts. A selection like that would have been quite useful with the injuries on the Eagles Offensive Line. DE Kony Ealy (60th) is contributing to Carolina’s 10th ranked defense with 4 sacks this year. Obviously, the Eagles thought pass rushing was a need and Ealy looks to be a better pick than Smith. Good RB depth was still available in the likes of Jeremy Hill and Carlos Hyde.

Thirdly, the Titans ended up taking DB Marqueston Huff with the pick the Eagles traded to get up and grab Matthews. Marqueston isn’t a stud, but he was second on the Titans in special teams tackles and got on the field in the secondary, where he had a pick six. He might have been able to help an Eagles secondary in need.

The one caveat is that reports also say that Chip wanted to take Taylor Hart from Oregon in the 3rd round, but Howie convinced him that Taylor could be taken later in the draft. Howie was right again. The Eagles got Hart in the 5th round and he failed to dress for a game this year. The Eagles were then able to take Josh Huff in the 3rd. Phew, thanks to Roseman for saving the day again.

Theoretically, let’s take a look at what the first four rounds of the draft could’ve looked like if Chip overvalued players and was left alone.

1st Round: Jordan Matthews (instead of Marcus Smith)
2nd Round: Possibly: G Jack Mewhort, DE Kony Ealy, RB Jeremy Hill, RB Carlos Hyde
3rd Round: Taylor Hart (instead of Josh Huff)
4th Round: Jaylen Watkins
4th Round: DB Marqueston Huff

I’m okay with that. And, this article isn’t mean to rip Howie Roseman. He was right on his calls. I’m just saying that the rumors/stories that Chip wanted to draft guys earlier than he needed, which could be an issue forward, shouldn’t scare or concern Eagles fans too much.

Perhaps the only rule in the Eagles draft war room should be that Chip rules, unless he’s trying to draft an Oregon player. Then, he might need an advisor. But, in reality, taking Taylor Hart instead of Josh Huff in the 3rd round isn’t the kind of mistake that is going to have any real lasting impact on the team. Taking someone in the first round who can’t get on the field, on the other hand….