Third round disaster

Even though Derek Hagan was still available...even though Jon Alston was avialable...even though Maurice Stovall, Jason Spitz, and James Anderson were all still on the board, and all would have filled major needs, the Eagles chose instead to draft Chris Gocong.

No offense to Mr. Gocong, who could surely stuff me into my computer monitor for typing this, if he wanted to...but this was an awful pick. If the Eagles would have drafted him in the fifth round (and he still would have been available), I'd have called it a 'reach'. But instead they snapped up this "player" in the third round. He has the upside to maybe develop into a N.D. Kalu someday, which basically means he'll bounce around the league struggling to find work as a fourth DE for 5-6 years, then never be heard from again...and that's if he maxes out his potential.

I'm not sure what happened. My best guess is that the Eagles' football people were so pleased to find Winston Justice available in round two, that they started to do tequila shots in the draft room to celebrate, and the janitor's son was the only person who hadn't passed out before the third round. He was forced to make the pick. Since his a sister was dating a guy whose dad works for someone who graduated from Cal Poly, he decided to take the best player from this 1-AA football powerhouse, and thus...I give you the newest Philadelphia Eagle, Chris Gocong.

The Eagles' defensive ends played badly last year. They struggled to get pressure on the QB, and were complete non-factors against the run. Still, I can't think of a single one on the roster that could be replaced by someone as limited as Gocong. I'd say he's 50/50 to even make the team, let alone play...and that's only because Andy Reid might keep him on the roster for a year out of sheer embarrassment (Quentin Caver, where are you?)

Derek Hagan was taken by Miami, and within 2-3 years he'll be starting. Maurice Stovall should be a solid #3 WR in Tampa for many years. By the time these two are coming into their prime as NFL players, Chris Gocong won't even be an Eagle anymore. He may not even be in the NFL at all.

Great pick.