And with the 19th pick in the 2008 Arrowhead Pride Community Mock Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles select:
Miami FS Kenny Phillips
styg50 with the pick:
Since calming down after the Texans stole my thunder (re. OG Branden Albert) I knew it was time to start looking for a backup safety, and it doesn't get much better than Kenny Phillips this year. Now, I am not looking for a replacement for Brian Dawkins, though he is getting along in years and had a less than productive 2007, after struggling through serious family problems and never getting into the swing of the season before faltering down the stretch with injury. Simply put, Brian Dawkins can never be replaced.
But what Phillips can do, is bring a no-nonsense nose for the ball up into the box for blitz-mestro Jim Johnson, and he can do it situationally at first, being ready to step up when duty calls. He has size and strength, and while many will say he is a late first rounder at best, due to "unrealized potential", I'm here to tell you that he is a top 15 talent in this years draft, and the Eagles won't make the mistake of passing on him if he is there at #19. I think Phillip's tumble down the draft boards is an excellent example of the nature of the draft: potential. He is being bumped down the board not because he has suddenly started failing at his job, but because scouts are getting new information about other prospects who are more surprising.
Yes, Phillips never seemed to play like the #1 highschool recruit in the nation, and yes, he doesn't seem like the typical #1 safety in a draft. But safeties who spend a lot of the time in the box hardly ever do. He isn't a ballhawk through the air, but he can be part of a heavy pressure package and stellar in run support, and a team that isn't desperate for either of these elements will be able to exercise patience and bring out his overlooked and oft-misused range. And a year behind Brian Dawkins can only help.
1. Miami Dolphins - QB Matt Ryan
2. St. Louis Rams - OT Jake Long
3. Atlanta Falcons - DT Glenn Dorsey
4. Oakland Raiders - DE Chris Long
5. Kansas City Chiefs - DT Sedrick Ellis
6. New York Jets - RB Darren McFadden
7. New England Patriots - DL Vernon Gholston
8. Baltimore Ravens - OT Ryan Clady
9. Cincinnati Bengals - OLB Keith Rivers
10. New Orleans Saints - CB Mike Jenkins
11. Buffalo Bills - CB Leodis McKelvin
12. Denver Broncos - OT Chris Williams
13. Carolina Panthers - DE Derrick Harvey
14. Chicago Bears - RB Rashard Mendenhall
15. Detroit Lions - OT Jeff Otah
16. Arizona Cardinals - CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie
17. Minnesota Vikings - DE Philip Merling
18. Houston Texans - OG Branden Albert
19. Philadelphia Eagles - FS Kenny Phillips
On the clock: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (arrowheadaddict - I already have the pick. Will post close to lunch time)