It has been a while since the draft. That made me think it might be interesting to talk about some of the rookies a bit. We’ll start with the top pick, DT Fletcher Cox. PE.com has a video piece up that combines an interview and some highlights. The exciting thing about Fletch is that he’ll be put in a good position this year.

The Eagles are deep at DT. There is no pressure on him to deliver right away. Jim Washburn believes in a rotation so that means that there will be reps if Fletch earns them. That’s about as ideal a situation as a rookie could ask for. You get the chance to play, but you don’t have the pressure to be a star right off the bat.

Fletch also gets to learn from some good veterans. Mike Patterson knows how to get the job done. He’s talented, but also knows the tricks of the trade. He’s not the biggest guy or greatest athlete. Those are the kind of veterans you want to learn from. Cullen Jenkins can offer advice from the perspective of an athletic DT. And of course Derek Landri can teach him about awesomeness.

It doesn’t hurt that Fletch will have the best DL coach in the NFL teaching him. Jim Washburn has a terrific track record. The system he’ll be teaching Fletch is a perfect fit for his game.

I don’t know how good Fletcher Cox will be this year, but he’s in the right situation. If he stays healthy, I think he’ll be a solid contributor, at the very least.

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WR Marvin McNutt did not have a good spring. He is a big (6-3, 216) receiver with natural skills and solid athletic ability. The non-contact mini-camps are not the ideal setting for a guy like him. The guy who flashed was Damaris Johnson. He’s a tiny WR with excellent quickness and agility. He is tailor made for mini-camps.

McNutt is built for contact. Take a look at his highlights and notice how many times he fights through contact:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzFm2FweXHE

You see that McNutt isn’t a super-physical player, but he uses his natural size and strength to play through contact when trying to make catches and then to run through tackles once he does have the ball. He’s still learning how to play WR. As he gets stronger and learns the subtleties of the postion, he’ll become a more physical player.

What he’s got to show the Eagles is that he’s ready to play at the NFL level. McNutt had some issues this year when teams put top CBs against him. I’m not sure what to make of that in regard to the NFL. No team at this level will make him the focus of anything. At the same time, he’ll be facing top talent on a regular basis. The one thing that should help him is that NFL corners aren’t allowed to be as physical. There is no illegal contact rule in college. DBs are allowed to stay all over receivers. Pass interference only comes into play when the ball is in the air.

McNutt was a late pick so he is guaranteed nothing. He’ll need to show up to Lehigh ready to fight for a job. McNutt got better each year at Iowa so that would lead you to believe he understands what needs to be done. You must learn. You must practice well. You must work hard and get better. Of course, knowing that and then doing it at the NFL level is a whole other story. I’m really interested to see if McNutt rises to the challenge or if he’s in over his head. We’ll start to get some answers in just about a week.

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