So Who in the World is Marcus Smith?

Oh...?! That guy...?! Yeah, still don't recognize him.

Well that was... underwhelming, to say the least. Eagles went into the draft rumored to potentially make a big splash and ended up with a guy that was projected to go in the late 2nd/3rd round. Not exactly tsunami level waves being produced there, Birds. The Eagles did make a trade, they moved back from 22nd overall to 26th overall; swiping an extra 3rd round pick from the Browns in the process. Now they'll be able to pick/trade/reach for another prospect tonight! Hurray!

Anyway, the team did make a selection at 26 as referred to above. His name is Marcus Smith (which is at least not common at all and very easy to remember) and he is an outside linebacker from the University of Louisville. Now assuming you're not some college football junkie getting high off Manziel TD passes or toking up on old Tim Tebow reruns, you've probably never heard of the guy. That's okay, because neither had I before last night. Here's some physical stats about Philadelphia's newest 1st round pick:

Height: 6'3"
Weight: 251
40 Yard Dash: 4.68 secs
Arm Length: almost irrelevent, 34"
Hand Length: definitely irrelevant.

Obligatory highlight reel where you can watch Marcus Smith beating up on assorted quarterbacks and looking like the second coming of Reggie White located here:


So how does he fit in, if at all? Well it appears he could actually be a perfect fit for the Eagles scheme. The Eagles were in desperate need of someone who can rush the passer off the edge and Smith's biggest core strength is his pass rushing ability! Further, he fits in well as a hybrid guy who can potentially play OLB and DE for the Eagles unique 3-4, 4-3 combo defense. The other saving grace for this guy in Philadelphia is his huge upside. The man was recruited out of high school as a quarterback so WE HAVE to be patient with him. He's been playing the defensive side of the ball for only 3 years but has pure athleticism and length that can help him succeed in the NFL. That being said, I doubt anyone in Philly is willing to give a first round pick 2, 3 or even 4 years to develop. I'm not saying it's a bad pick by the Eagles, I'm just saying I'm... underwhelmed. 

Chip Kelly did go on to state in his post-draft press conference that the team had SIX top-tier players that they were willing to take at 22 if they were there. Unfortunately it seems all of those players were gone by that time. Have to think that our man "HaHa" being picked at 21 to the Packers had to factor into that process. Those cheese-loving bastards.

We'll just have to learn to love our new man Marcus I guess. Or we can just boo him out of town... we'll see what happens.

Still trusting Chip though, until further notice.