What Should The Eagles Do in the First Round?

AUTHOR: NICK WILEY

With the NFL Draft moving closer and closer it is the time of the year that NFL fans are hopeful of what their teams' futures can be. This year's draft has an unprecedented amount of teams with more than one first-round pick. The Eagles being one of those teams have a lot of options in what they can do in the first round.

The Eagles have many issues on the team but you cannot address all of them in the first round, especially at linebacker, wide receiver, defensive line, and the secondary. You cannot address all these positions in the first round. Now let's begin with lineback, a big weakness of the team but one which the Eagles do not value particularly high so they will not be using one of their two first-round picks on. Another easy position to view is the defensive line because this is also a weakness for the Eagles and an area they value greatly so it goes without saying that the Eagles will address that with one of the picks. So for the second first-round pick that leaves the secondary and wide receivers that the Eagles will be deciding between. The way this will be decided is the way the board falls. If players LSU’s Derrick Stingley Jr. or Cinninatti’s Ahmed “Sauce” Gardner are available then they will address the secondary but if not they will probably go wide receiver. Most likely the way the board is most likely to fall I do not see either of those cornerbacks falling to pick fifteen or eighteen so I have them drafting a wide receiver. With all that being said now we can move on to the players the Eagles should pick.

With the 15th overall pick, the Eagles should take defensive tackle out of Georgia Jordan Davis. Davis is 6,6 and 341 pounds and was one of the best players in college football last season. Last season he had 2 sacks and 25 tackles which is great production but he is still a great player nonetheless because of the gravity he commands from the opposing team's offensive line because he has to be the double-teamed on every pass rush making everyone else on the defensive line have one on one matchups. Davis also has the second-best NFL combine grade ever, he is just behind Calvin Johnson. The Eagles have always valued the defensive line greatly and with Fletcher Cox and Javon Hargrave in the last years of their deals.

Davis would go a long way with ensuring the Eagles have great defensive tackles for the future that they can pair up with Milton Williams who showed flashes last year.

With the 18th overall pick, the Eagles should draft wide receiver Treylon Burks out of Arkansas. Burks had 66 receptions, 1,104 receiving yards, and eleven touchdowns. This would be the Eagles' third time in a row taking a receiver in the first round. While that may be easy to criticize, people should keep in mind that Jalen Reagor is a flat-out bust and that the team needs another wide receiver.

This is what the Eagles should do and has a realistic chance of happening. There are other options though that I feel like they could realistically go for as well if they are still there. For example, a player like Jermaine Johnson II, a defensive end out of Florida State, had a good season and was easily the best player in the Senior Bowl. With the way the Eagles value edge rushers they will not pass up Johnson II if he is still with the 18th pick. While I like Johnson he just does not have the ceiling a player like Davis or Burks has. The Eagles in this year’s draft should swing for the fences in this year’s draft instead of playing it safe.

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The Mets are Good But Could Be Better

AUTHOR: FRANK CAGGINO

The New York Mets have gotten off to a solid start this season, however, all of their losses have come from the bullpen faltering late. The Mets have two injuries to the starting rotation already and do not have much quality depth left. Ideally, the Mets should pick up multiple pitchers to improve their bullpen and overall pitching depth. Usually, the Mets would have to target a team that is not competitive and willing to move on from some of their good players. Luckily for the Mets, there is a rebuilding team that has a multitude of pitchers that can benefit the Mets.

After losing the series to the Mets, the Arizona Diamondbacks are on their way to another losing season. The D-Backs did not play well last season and have very low expectations, with the lack of significant moves they made this offseason. Arizona has right-handed and left-handed pitchers that can help the Mets both in the rotation and in the bullpen.

The New York Mets finished the weekend and have starting pitchers that are in the top five for ERA (earned run average). Furthermore, Mets Starter Tylor Megill was tied for first place in ERA and the pitcher he was tied with is Merrill Kelly of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Kelly has been a solid but not great pitcher in his career. Nobody would predict that Kelly would even be top 20 in ERA. One of the most intriguing aspects of Merrill Kelly is his contract. Earlier this month, Kelly agreed to a two-year contract extension that only has an average annual value of 8 million. If the Mets were to acquire him and he pitches well, he also has a club option for 2025. This is a much more palatable contract than other pitchers such as Madison Bumgarner, who is also on the Diamondbacks but is being paid 23 million dollars a year. Another compelling aspect of the Diamondbacks is Kelly and Bumgarner are not the only starting pitchers the Mets can target. Luke Weaver is a pitcher to consider since he is only 28 and has shown some good signs. Weaver is currently on the injured list, but the injury is not anything significant. If the Mets want to make a significant addition to their pitching staff, they can inquire about the availability of Zac Gallen. Gallen is the best pitcher in Arizona, is 26 years old, and for the most part has been a good pitcher his whole career. Even though the pitchers mentioned are starting pitchers, if the Mets were to acquire any of them, it can also improve their bullpen.

David Peterson has done a solid job filling into the rotation, if the Mets acquired Merrill Kelly, Peterson can go to the bullpen. Peterson would be able to take over instead of Joely Rodriguez. Having a pitcher such as Kelly would also help the Mets in case there is another injury to the rotation. Peterson can go back to being a starter instead of using a pitcher from the minor leagues. There is also one reliever Arizona has that can benefit the Mets.

Mark Melancon has been a solid reliever his entire career and even though he is 37, he was an All-Star last season. Melancon is off to a good start this season and is a very likely trade candidate for a team that is not going to have a winning record. Melancon would be a quality addition, especially if Seth Lugo continues to struggle or if they are any injuries in the bullpen.

Depth is extremely important, we have already seen the Mets have to deal with COVID-19 cases and doubleheaders in the first month of the season. It is smart to be prepared for any scenario, and adding a pitcher or multiple pitchers from Arizona would allow the Mets to always have a quality pitcher for every start. Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer, Carlos Carrasco, and Taijuan Walker all have injury concerns, having an eventual six-man rotation could help keep the Mets healthy throughout the season. In order for the Mets to make the playoffs and be successful in the postseason, their pitching has to be healthy. Being proactive now can help the Mets because the division could be decided by a game or two. Making a move now to help the team win an extra game or two can be the difference maker of the season.

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Benches Clear on Day 2 of Opening Weekend

AUTHOR: SPENCER REYES

Opening Day excitement was present at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. The New York Mets looked to former National ace, and two-time Cy Young, Max Scherzer to pitch for game two of their season.

Fast forward to the 5th inning of the April 8th contest. Brandon Nimmo will hit a triple to left field on a 2-2 count, and fellow outfielder, Starling Marte will hit for a double, bringing home Nimmo, to make the score 4 to 3 in favor of the Mets.

One ball and one strike go by, but on the third pitch, Nationals submariner, Steve Cishek hit Francisco Lindor on the C-flap of his helmet. Almost immediately, both benches and bullpens cleared as this was the fourth time in 14 innings that a Mets batter was hit by a pitch.

Buck Showalter’s reaction to Lindor being hit has gone viral and been used by most New York media outlets. He was enraged by the Nationals pitching staff’s actions, “Times like that when it’s the fourth one, I don’t want to really hear about intent. Those things can’t happen”.

Showalter suggested that managers should only let pitchers play who can control the ball regardless of the environmental conditions. He argued that after that many times, the intent isn’t a card to deal with.

This situation seemed to put a spring in the bats of the wounded, as both Pete Alonso and Lindor went yard with a home run apiece. The “Polar Bear” hit his first career grand slam, within his four-year career with the Mets.

The New York Mets ended up losing the last game of the away series against the Nationals, but baseball fans should keep their eyes peeled for more interactions this year due to different grips on the baseballs and how the environment affects the pitchers.

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