Not only will people argue they should’ve drafted a different player with this pick, Smallwood has some interesting red flags off of the field that many people will talk about. For better or for worse – they seem to be history too. Trading up to the No. 2 slot, everyone expected something major from this organization and they certainly delivered, selecting quarterback Carson Wentz out of North Dakota State. He’s a 320-pound tackle from TCU and of Tongan descent.
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The fifth round presented the Eagles drafting a running back from West Virginia University in Wendell Smallwood and Halapoulivaati Vaitai, who adds depth at tackle behind the young and experienced Johnson.
“The past is the past, history is history, that’s why they call it history”, coach Doug Pederson said. Sure, he deleted his account once he realized there could be a problem, but we can accept that he has learned a lot in the last five years and just wants to move onto the next phase of his life.
“It starts with myself and the assistant coaches can help in that process”.
“We didn’t have a pick from 79 to 153”.
The addition of players with checkered pasts isn’t a philosophical change, de facto general manager Howie Roseman said. On Saturday night, he used Michael Vick, Terrell Owens and DeSean Jackson as examples.
He said West Virginia could adjust during a game, lining up Smallwood in the slot if needed and trusting him to figure out the coverage, even in weeks when he hadn’t done anything in practice but run the ball.
Seider said given the case’s quick resolution, the Mountaineers were glad they hadn’t dismissed him from their team. The charges were dropped when Smallwood’s friend pleaded guilty to the murder. A witness never came forward and said I ever intimidated anyone.
That’s not all with Smallwood. He was 17 and still in high school. “It was 2011 or 2010”. He came clean about it to reporters yesterday and I believe him. “I’ve definitely grown from that, since that stuff was sent out…”
“I’m sorry if I offended anybody. That’s not the kind of person I am and hopefully I can show it through these years in the professional league”.
The trouble with Mills is that he was arrested for second-degree battery of a woman. Those charges were reduced to a misdemeanor and were eventually dropped.
“Since his arrest, Wendell Smallwood has been fully cooperative with the Department of Justice and Wilmington police, including giving a full statement regarding his involvement in witness intimidation”, prosecution spokesman Jason Miller said. “But we don’t feel like we brought any bad people in here”. Their on-field potential is high, and if they build on it, you can get middle-round talent late, which is a necessity when you’re as deprived of mid-round picks as the Birds were.
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This should always be remembered as the Wentz draft.
