Eagles Make the Prudent Choice in Douglas

PHILADELPHIA (973espn.com) - Instead of the typical letter grades that are virtually meaningless until three years down the line we are going to take a stab at critiquing the Eagles draft by looking at what Howie Roseman and Joe Douglas did and what they actually should have done giving the lay of the draft board at the time of Philadelphia’s selections.

This will continuously be updated through Days 2 and 3 of the draft.

Round 3, No. 99 overall – Rasul Douglas, West Virginia – Sidney Jones is a nice pick for the future in a Philadelphia 76ers kind of way but with recently-signed veteran Patrick Robinson and second-year man Jalen Mills headlining the depth chart Doug Pederson and Jim Schwartz needed a body they could plug-and-play come September.

They make have gotten that in the lengthy Douglas, a ballhawk who could flourish in the zone coverages Schwartz is so adept at using.

"A lot of our scheme is a little bit of zone, as well, and this guy, his reaction to the ball -- Howie mentioned his ‘10 Time’. His reaction and quickness are unbelievable," Pederson and it's just a matter of getting him in here and getting him comfortable with the system, getting him around the guys and plugging him in this spring," Pederson said late Friday night after the team selected the North Jersey product.

Should have taken: Butler - There was no bigger need on this team than CB coming into the draft and they addressed it in a meaningful way, taking two in the first three rounds for the first time since 2002 when Lito Sheppard was No. 26 overall and Sheldon Brown followed at No. 59.

It certainly worked out well then and the Eagles are ultimately hoping lightning strikes again 15 years later.

"It just so happened (Butler) fit a need, and we were fortunate there," Pederson claimed. "But that's a good player. He’s a good player coming in here and a good player that we get a chance to put our hands on and get him in the mix."

-John McMullen covers the Eagles and the NFL for 973espn.com. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen