National Football League

Brian Billick's thoughts for March 28

Published Mar. 28, 2011 1:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

Billick examines the Philadelphia Eagles' draft needs and offensive lineman prospects Anthony Castonzo, Tyron Smith and Nate Solder.

Philadelphia Eagles | Anthony Castonzo | TyronSmith | Nate Solder

Eagles have needs in secondary, offensive lineman

What many thought to be a rebuilding year for the Philadelphia Eagles, 2010 proved the Eagles to be legitimate Super Bowl contenders, mostly on the back of Michael Vick.

Now that Andy Reid is the league's longest tenured coach and the heat is on to translate last year's 10-6 record into the only thing missing from Reid’s resume: a Super Bowl championship.

The Eagles were one of the leagues most explosive offensive units, but they were in the league's bottom third for giving up big plays on defense.

Philadelphia's secondary could use some attention along with an edge rusher to work opposite Trent Cole.

Offensively, they might address the right side of their line seeing that 2006 second-round draft pick tackle Winston Justice struggled mightily against Green Bay’s Clay Matthews. Picking at No. 23, the Eagles will have some options and will most likely take the best available talent at any of the aforementioned positions.

That part of the draft may be exactly when we start to see of run of offensive lineman come off the board. I think they jump on the chance to get a top-three tackle prospect and address the secondary with another of their five picks in the first four rounds.

Philly catches a break in scheduling as they pick up the NFC West, but will have to face both Chicago and Atlanta as well as the AFC East.

Castonzo can be immediate starter

Anthony Castonzo is still viewed by many as the best tackle in this draft class, but Tyron Smith is closing the gap quickly. Castonzo is similar to Joe Thomas when he was coming out as a prospect as both are good athletes for their size and are smooth in their movements.

At the NFL Scouting Combine last month, Castonzo measured in at 6-foot-7, 311 pounds and completed 28 repetitions in the bench press. Those 28 reps don't equate to dominating strength, but on tape that movement is explosive off the snap to engage the defender quickly. By shooting his hands inside on the chest of the defender, he is able to control his movement much more easily than if his hands were out of the shoulder pads. Once engaged, he uses those long arms to keep the defender off his body and shuffles his feet well to stay between his man and the quarterback.

At this stage in his career, he proves to be a better run blocker than he is pro protector, but shows the potential to be dominant in both. In addition to being a four-year starter at Boston College, Castonzo was a Rhodes Scholar nominee. Having a gifted athlete who shows the aptitude to absorb and retain a lot of information in a short period will be an asset to whatever team pulls the trigger on Castonzo.

I look for him to be an immediate starter on the right side, and eventually transition to the left as he matures as an NFL tackle.

Weight gain key for Smith

Twenty-year-old Tyron Smith opened a lot of eyes at the combine when he weighed 307 pounds. For most tackles, that wouldn't be all that surprising, but Smith's playing weight at USC was a slender 285 pounds.

Most NFL clubs were looking at Smith to be somewhere around the fifth best tackle prospect in the draft, but now weighing in at 307, he is pushing Anthony Castonzo to be the first tackle taken.

As you would imagine, Smith is a very athletic offensive lineman who has excellent balance and very quick choppy feet. He shuffles well and stays in front of the defender to stop the initial forward progress in pass protection.

He has a quick burst off the ball and explodes into blocks in the rushing game. After that initial pop, he would serve himself well by further developing his strength in his lower half to drive defenders off the line of scrimmage. He appears to be most comfortable in a zone blocking scheme and has above average field awareness. Smith also will give his team an advantage in the screen game as he is fast enough to get out front and clear some of the traffic in the defensive secondary.

Finally, Smith had the second longest arms at the NFL Scouting Combine measuring 36 3/8 inches and still put up 29 bench press reps. While putting up a huge number in the bench press is impressive to me, having longer arms is more critical for an NFL tackle. Smith apparently has both!

Solder has great potential

Nate Solder out of Colorado is a huge athlete who has a ton of athletic potential. He looks like a character best suited for professional wrestling with his 6-foot-8, 319 pound solid-muscle frame. He will also make for a heck of a football player.

Solder is a former tight end and it shows in his nimble feet and quick pass sets. While he could gain more consistent leverage and hand placement when drive blocking, he is a technician in pass protection. From his sophomore season on, he only allowed his man to get pressure on the quarterback 1.8 percent of the time (21 out of 1,400 passing plays) and just allowed five sacks during that period. When he does allow pressure, it is typically because he over sets and opens up an inside lane.

While Solder's overall size is impressive, it also may be his biggest detriment. He struggles to bend at the knees and often leans, getting top heavy and unbalanced. He also struggles to really get under a defender and drive him off the ball in the run game.

As it stands today, I have Nate Solder as my fourth best tackle in the draft. If Solder can learn how to use his long arms and knees to dominate defenders, he will make a team sitting with a mid-to-late first round selection very happy.