Philadelphia Eagles: Stop the Brandon Graham to Earl Thomas Comparison
It’s time for the “what if’s” about if the Philadelphia Eagles had drafted Earl Thomas over Brandon Graham to end.
As most readers are aware, the Philadelphia Eagles drafted Brandon Graham number thirteen overall in the 2010 NFL Draft one spot ahead of the Probowl Seattle Seahawks safety, Earl Thomas. This decision from the Philadelphia front office lead to five years of unfair comparison between the two players.
That said, why are we still playing this game? Yes, Earl Thomas is arguably the best safety in football and yes, Brandon Graham barely contributed anything in his first three years in Philly. Yes, Earl Thomas has made the Pro Bowl (5 times) while Brandon Graham has not. Comparing the two players will do nothing but cause grief for Philadelphia fans.
Comparing Thomas to Graham is comparing apples to oranges. At the time Brandon Graham was drafted the Philadelphia Eagles defense was in need of a tune up. Adding a stud pass rusher or the heir to the Brian Dawkins throne would have been excellent moves from the front office. Joe Banner and Howie Roseman decided to go with the former.
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Brandon Graham still fit a position of need, he just didn’t contribute as early as Earl Thomas. This was partially because he had Eagles great and fan favorite, Trent Cole, and Juqua Parker in front of him on the depth chart. This is compared to Earl Thomas who had no one in front of him on the depth chart, allowing him to start playing and gaining experience sooner.
With the 37th overall selection in the very same draft the Eagles addressed the need at safety by targeting, dare I say his name, Nate Allen. Commonly viewed as that guy who chased receivers down after being beat deep. On paper the Philadelphia Eagles made the right move. They picked up the senior bowl MVP and the only big ten player who made Mel Kiper’s Top 25 Big Board alongside someone who was projected to be one of the top safeties in the 2010 draft. Things just didn’t pan out for the Birds, at least not right away.
Brandon Graham’s lack of early production could also be chalked up to the fact that he played for four different defensive coordinators in his first four years. He played under Sean McDermott, Juan Castillo (aka the offensive line coach), Todd Bowles (after the Juan Castillo experiment failed in week six of the 2012 season), and Billy Davis. The past three years under Billy Davis sad excuse for a 3-4 defense were detrimental to a player like Graham who, judging by his success in Jim Schwartz attacking 4-3 defense, plays a hell of a lot better with his hand in the dirt.
Brandon Graham loves his critics. He has said to the media
"“They’re still there. Don’t try to switch it now. They’re still there. I need them.” He has been using his critics as fuel. Well that and his desire to win a Super Bowl. I know what you’re thinking, “What player doesn’t want to win a Super Bowl?” Well, thank you for your insight, but it means more to Graham."
He went on to say,
"“I just want us to win and I want this” *points to ring finger* “I don’t have one. Not even a city championship back in high school. No ring other than the ‘M’ right from Michigan because I was there during the horrible years. The first two years was good, we were one game short of winning the Big Ten championship and then one game short of winning the National Championship. The next year we beat Tim Tebow for the Capital One Bowl, but that doesn’t matter. You don’t get a ring for that.”"
Six full years after that 2010 draft, where do we stand? The Philadelphia Eagles have found a formidable safety duo in Malcolm Jenkins and Rodney McLeod, one that rivals the one in Seattle with Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor.
The Eagles have one of the best defensive lines in football starring Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham, Bennie Logan, Connor Barwin, and on occasion Vinny Curry. It’s safe to say that the Eagles trending upward after what was once viewed as a massive screw up by the front office. We have a hungry defensive end who has been eating opposing offensive lineman alive for the first three weeks of this season.
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That said, Eagles fans, it is time to stop the “What if we drafted Earl Thomas scenario”. We have Jenkins and McLeod leading the secondary now, just as competent as Earl Thomas would be. We have Brandon Graham who is off to a career year and ready to show his critics what he’s made of. He wants to bring a championship to Philly. He is here and we should embrace the player he has become and stop thinking about the past. This team is going to be something special, the first three games are evidence. We are all witnesses.