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| Andy Reid made a number of great draft picks during his tenure as Eagles head coach. (US Presswire) |
This is part of a series that looks back on Andy Reid’s career as coach of the Philadelphia Eagles and the best and the worst of his 14 years in Philadelphia.
Andy Reid’s five best draft picks, in descending order:
5. CB Lito Sheppard, first round, 2002: People wondered why Reid took him in the first round since he already had Pro Bowl CBs Troy Vincent and Bobby Taylor. But they were at the ends of their careers and Sheppard stepped right in when they left and made two Pro Bowls.
4. DE Trent Cole, fifth round, 2005: He came in as an undersized DE who was projected as a standup, pass-rushing LB. But Cole made an immediate impression with his quickness and non-stop motor and he’s been a mainstay of the Eagles defense for seven years and a two-time Pro Bowl selection – not bad for a fifth-round pick.
3. RB LeSean McCoy, second round, 2009: He sat and watched and learned for a year behind Brian Westbrook, and then he and his career took off. He was dogged by a concussion this season, but McCoy is one of the best in the NFL and a cornerstone of any franchise -- if teams knew then what they know now, McCoy would have been a top 5 draft pick in ’09 instead of a second-rounder.
2. RB Brian Westbrook, third round, 2002: There were plenty of doubters when Reid took this small player from a small school (Villanova) in the third round. Westbrook went on to have a Pro Bowl career and play in a Super Bowl and he’s now regarded as one of the top five RBs in Eagles history.
1. QB Donovan McNabb, first round, 1999. Sure, Reid had the No. 2 overall pick and he should have hit a home run with it. But he took McNabb instead of Akili Smith or Daunte Culpepper or Cade McNown or any of the other big-name QBs available that year. His decision proved to be a wise one and McNabb and Reid became the architects of perhaps the most successful era in Eagles history.
For more up-to-the-minute news and analysis on the Philadelphia Eagles from blogger Kevin Noonan, follow @CBSEagles.
Andy Reid’s five best draft picks, in descending order:
5. CB Lito Sheppard, first round, 2002: People wondered why Reid took him in the first round since he already had Pro Bowl CBs Troy Vincent and Bobby Taylor. But they were at the ends of their careers and Sheppard stepped right in when they left and made two Pro Bowls.
4. DE Trent Cole, fifth round, 2005: He came in as an undersized DE who was projected as a standup, pass-rushing LB. But Cole made an immediate impression with his quickness and non-stop motor and he’s been a mainstay of the Eagles defense for seven years and a two-time Pro Bowl selection – not bad for a fifth-round pick.
3. RB LeSean McCoy, second round, 2009: He sat and watched and learned for a year behind Brian Westbrook, and then he and his career took off. He was dogged by a concussion this season, but McCoy is one of the best in the NFL and a cornerstone of any franchise -- if teams knew then what they know now, McCoy would have been a top 5 draft pick in ’09 instead of a second-rounder.
2. RB Brian Westbrook, third round, 2002: There were plenty of doubters when Reid took this small player from a small school (Villanova) in the third round. Westbrook went on to have a Pro Bowl career and play in a Super Bowl and he’s now regarded as one of the top five RBs in Eagles history.
1. QB Donovan McNabb, first round, 1999. Sure, Reid had the No. 2 overall pick and he should have hit a home run with it. But he took McNabb instead of Akili Smith or Daunte Culpepper or Cade McNown or any of the other big-name QBs available that year. His decision proved to be a wise one and McNabb and Reid became the architects of perhaps the most successful era in Eagles history.
For more up-to-the-minute news and analysis on the Philadelphia Eagles from blogger Kevin Noonan, follow @CBSEagles.
