Philadelphia Eagles Select Luke Kuechly in Rant Sports 2012 NFL Mock Draft

(This article was written several weeks ago before the Eagles traded for DeMeco Ryans.)

With the 15th pick in the Rant Sports 2012 NFL Mock Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles will select Luke Kuechly, linebacker, out of Boston College. Kuechly was the nation’s top defensive player during his junior season, winning the Lombardi Award, the Butkus Award, and the Bronko Nagurski Trophy. Just 20 years old, he will forego his senior season of college to join the NFL, where he will help an Eagles’ linebacking corps that has been highly criticized for, well, the entire Andy Reid era.

It reached rock bottom during the 2011 season, as rookie Casey Matthews failed to fulfill expectations as the team’s defensive leader at middle linebacker, until he was benched for another rookie, Brian Rolle. Second-year Jamar Chaney regressed from a phenomenal stretch late in his rookie season, and the combination of Akeem Jordan and Moise Fokou was significantly below average.

The linebackers were so bad, in fact, that on the first play of the season Rams running back Steven Jackson darted 47 yards for a touchdown, untouched, up the middle. It was a play reminiscent of the way the entire season would go for the linebacking corps, with the low moment(s) coming against Marshawn Lynch and the Seattle Seahawks in week 13.

Put Kuechly in as a starter for the 2012 Eagles and the entire defense is different. No offense to underachieving cornerbacks Nnamdi Asomugha and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, as well as Pro Bowl defensive ends Jason Babin and Trent Cole, but Kuechly would become the face of the defense for Philadelphia. Expectations would be tremendous that the former Boston College Eagle could turn into the next Jeremiah Trotter, Bill Bergey, or Chuck Bednarik, and yeah, things would definitely get ugly if he didn’t come through. But after such a dominant college career, I would have faith that the 6’3, 237-pound linebacker could turn around the dreadful Eagles’ linebacking corps.

The addition of Kuechly could be just what the Eagles need to jump from an underachieving team during the 2011 season to a Super Bowl contender in the 2012 season.

Buy Philadelphia Eagles Tickets | Buy Philadelphia Eagles Apparel

Leave a Rant