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Crosswalk

This post is part of The Crosswalk, Crossing Broad’s reader submitted section. While checked for basic quality and readability, it is not edited by Crossing Broad, and all opinions expressed are those of the author, for better or worse. If you’re interested in having your work appear on Crossing Broad, fill out the short sign up form here.

It goes without saying, every team misses from time to time when making their selections during the NFL draft. From 2007 until his final draft in 2012, Andy Reid managed to find a way not only to miss out on Pro-Bowler after Pro-Bowler, but continuously select players that would find their way off of his roster before he could burn his final timeout in the third quarter of Week 1. That may be overstating to some extent, however, the fact is that during the end of the “Reid Era” it became common for players selected in the first 3 rounds to find their way out of town—in most cases the NFL—in just a few short years.

By the way, this was originally posted to my site in July of 2014

This is Part 1 in a series that will look back at the final 6 drafts dictated by Andy Reid. The focus is not to just scrutinize the player selected, but rather take a look at some of the 15 players who were selected after each of Reid’s picks. It’s silly to say, “Todd Pinkston was a bust! We should have taken Brady there!” The entire league made that mistake. Instead, let’s take a realistic look at some of the ups and downs of the “Gold Standard.”

2007

The Worst: 2nd Round – Quarterback Kevin Kolb (36th overall). Reid passed up on All Pro Safety Eric Weddle (37th overall) and All Pro Linebacker Lamar Woodley (46th overall). Adding further frustration to the 2nd Round, Defensive End Victor Abiamiri (57th overall) was selected while 4 time Pro Bowl Center Ryan Kalil (59th overall) was available. After years of injury plagued seasons, Abiamiri’s time in the NFL came to an end, when in 2011 he ruptured his Achilles tendon during training camp.

The draft started with a bang as the Eagles traded out of the first round, giving up their 1st round (26th overall) pick to Dallas. In return the Eagles received the Cowboys 2nd (Kevin Kolb), 3rd (Stewart Bradley), and 5th (C.J. Gaddis) round picks of the 2007 draft. Dallas used the Eagles’ pick to select Pro Bowl Linebacker Anthony Spencer, while two picks later San Francisco selected All Pro Offensive Tackle Joe Staley. Kolb was eventually traded to Arizona, and last played with Buffalo in 2013. His time in the NFL may be over due to serious injuries, but he still pops up in the news from time to time.

Honorable Mention: 5th Round – Cornerback C.J. Gaddis (159th overall). Gaddis was seen as a better option than eventual Pro Bowl Cornerback Corey Graham (168th overall). Gaddis was cut before the 2007 season and never played a game in the NFL. Graham went on to intercept Peyton Manning twice in the 2012 divisional round of the playoffs. One went for a pick-six, and the other occurred in overtime preceding the Ravens game winning field goal—and eventual win in Super Bowl 47.

Also Worth Mentioning: It would be hard for anyone to foresee this, but I still thought it deserved a mention. Maybe just to show that luck was rarely on Reid’s side. Prior to the 2006 season, the Eagles traded their 2007 4th Round pick (125th overall) to New Orleans for Wide Receiver Donte Stallworth. New Orleans used that pick to select Pro Bowl Offensive Tackle Jermon Bushrod. One pick later, San Francisco selected All Pro Free Safety Dashon Goldson (126th overall). Stallworth played one season with the Eagles before leaving for New England in 2007.

The Best: The one bright spot of the 2007 draft has been Brent Celek. Being taken in the 5th Round (162nd overall), Celek has been the Eagles starting Tight End since the 2008 playoffs, when during the NFC Championship he caught 10 passes for 83 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Take a look at part 2 of this series which covers the 2008 draft under Reid.

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