Chip Kelly & Howie Missed Guards O’Plenty in 2014
Holy Good Guards Chipman!
Nobody knows for sure who was in control of the 2014 Philadelphia Eagles draft. What we do know is that Todd Herremans was 31 years old with good mileage and that Evan Mathis was not happy with his contract status. The Eagles did not need a soothsayer to predict that guard was going to be a glaring need in the immediate future.
Was there any quality guards in the 2014? HELL YEAH there were!
With the 26th pick in the 2014 draft, your Philadelphia Eagles selected Marcus Smith, who has yet to do anything.
With the 35th selection, the Cleveland Browns selected Joel Bitonio from Nevada. Bitonio has started at guard for the Browns since day one. Pro Football Focus named Bitonio to their 2014 All-Pro Team and 2014 All Rookie Team.
The Eagles then selected Jordan Matthews with the 42nd pick.
With the 43rd pick, the Giants selected Weston Richburg from Colorado State. Richburg didn’t make any all-anything teams, but he’s started 17 of 18 possible games for the Giants.
With the 81st pick, the Oakland Raiders used their 3rd round selection on Gabe Jackson from Mississippi State. Gabe Jackson is only being talked about in Oakland as a franchise player along with Derek Carr and Amari Cooper. Jackson gave up one sack in 2014. He was rated the 2nd best Guard in the AFC West by Pro Football Focus behind only Orlando Franklin.
The Eagles then selected Josh Huff with the 86th pick in the draft.
6 picks later, the Carolina Panthers selected Trai Turner from LSU with the 92nd pick. Turner has started since day one and allowed ZERO SACKS in 2014. Sports Illustrated named Turner to their 2014 All Rookie Team.
With the very next pick, the Jacksonville Jaguars used their 3rd round pick to select Brandon Linder from the University of Miami with the 93rd pick overall. Linder was selected as a reserve to Pro Football Focus’ 2014 Pro Bowl team. PFF rated Linder as the 6th best pass-blocking guard and the 4th best guard overall in the NFL.
Those are some legit guards.
So, let’s recap.
The Eagles could’ve taken Joel Bitonio instead of Marcus Smith and found themselves with A Pro Bowl quality guard. They could’ve still drafted Jordan Matthews in the 2nd round.
Or...
The Eagles could’ve taken Jordan Matthews in the first round, as Chip is reported to have wanted, and taken Westin Richburg or, more importantly, stud Gabe Jackson. Jackson is another elite level guard.
Or…
The Eagles could’ve taken Marcus Smith, Jordan Matthews, and then either Trai Turner or Brandon Linder instead of Josh Huff, both of which have excelled.
The eagles had 5 chances to solidify at least one of the guard positions with an anchor for years to come. For some reason, a guard never seemed to come up on their draft board radar. If it did, there were plenty of above-average options. This was a complete and costly oversight by the organization.
Let’s hope they can find a way to recover.
E-A-G-L-E-S!