fairmont with the pick...
The Philadelphia Eagles have the strangest curse of all the NFL franchises: A horrible quarterback who, as a starter, has only led them to a second place or higher division finish in eight out of ten years, five measly division championships, only five NFC Championship Games, and just one Super Bowl berth. You really gotta feel sorry for those poor Eagles fans. No wonder they are ready to run that McNabb bum out of town on a rail!
The Eagles ranked 5th in pts/ game, 11th in yds/game and had a top 10 passing game last season. Weather McNabb or Kolb is under center, an Andy Reid team is probably going to pass the ball pretty well with receivers DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin catching the ball. With the release of Brian Westbrook, running back appeared to be an area of need but rookie LeSean McCoy filled in well last season and appears to be ready to take the helm. Depth and leadership has been added with the signing of Super Bowl vet, Mike Bell.Of course to have any degree of success, offensively, you have to protect the QB and open holes for the RBs. Which leads me to the biggest concern for the Eagles offense: their paper thin, and seemingly just as frail, offensive line. Starting RT, Shawn Andrews ended last season on the IR. Starting LG, Todd Herremans missed 6 weeks with a foot injury. Starting C, Jamaal Jackson tore his ACL in their playoff loss to Dallas. The healthy linemen they did have underachieved and the fact the Eagles offense did as well as it did in 2009 is a testament to just how good that terrible QB of theirs is.
With the uncertainty that plagues this O-line the pick is a no brainer: Mike Iupati, G, Idaho.
At 6'5" and 331 Lbs, this kid is a bruiser. A consensus 1st Team All-American and 1st Team all-WAC in 2009, Iupati, is versatile, having played both guard and tackle, and did not allow a single sack his senior season. To go along with his great size and footwork is great intensity, playing with a mean streak and the fact that he is still raw and learning the game means he has huge up-side. With this pick the Eagles may very well have landed the offensive line's cornerstone for the next decade. Of course, the future of the QB?
If I were truly the GM of the Eagles I'd "dance with the one that brung me" and do whatever it takes for McNabb to remain and retire a Philadelphia Eagle.