PHILADELPHIA -- The 2012 NFL draft was a pivotal one for a number of franchises. The Indianapolis Colts got Andrew Luck, while Washington made the franchise-altering trade to acquire Robert Griffin III. Those were the obvious, top-of-the-first-round game-changers.
The Seattle Seahawks and Philadelphia Eagles had significant drafts, too. They were oddly similar and delivered mixed results. The ramifications of that draft will continue to be felt Sunday, when Seattle and Philadelphia meet for the first time since 2011.
The most significant events occurred in the third round, but it’s worth following along chronologically. In the first round, both teams went for front-line defensive players. The Eagles took defensive lineman Fletcher Cox from Mississippi State with the 12th pick. Seattle took West Virginia defensive end Bruce Irvin at No. 15.
Both teams got starters who have had to adjust to new positions. Cox is now an end in the Eagles' 3-4 scheme, while Irvin is an outside linebacker in Seattle's 4-3 defense. Cox has three sacks this season. Irvin has four.
In the second round, the Eagles and Seahawks had consecutive picks. At No. 46, the Eagles took California linebacker Mychal Kendricks. At No. 47, Seattle took Utah State linebacker Bobby Wagner.
“That’s my friend,” Kendricks said. “We trained together down at API [in Texas]. We were very close in a lot of the numbers they collect during the combine. We were very close in numbers.”
Kendricks said “there was some talk” about Seattle possibly drafting him, but the Eagles got to him before the Seahawks showed their hand. They took Wagner and can’t be too disappointed. He’s the starting middle linebacker. Kendricks is a starting inside linebacker in the Eagles' 3-4 scheme and is having a very good season since returning from a calf injury.
The Eagles could have taken Wisconsin quarterback Russell Wilson in the second round. They liked him in the third round. According to former Eagles scout Daniel Jeremiah, Wilson sent him text messages promising that, if the Eagles took him, he would win championships in Philadelphia.
The Eagles had the 13th pick of the third round, the 76th pick overall. Seattle had the 12th pick, No. 75 overall. The Seahawks took Wilson and the Eagles traded the No. 76 pick to the Houston Texans for linebacker DeMeco Ryans and the No. 88 pick of the draft. The Eagles used that third-round pick on Arizona quarterback Nick Foles.
In the first three rounds, the Seahawks took an edge defender, an inside linebacker and a quarterback. The Eagles took a defensive end, an inside linebacker and a quarterback.
By winning the Super Bowl last season, Seattle settled any debates about which team fared better. The Eagles are happy with Cox, Kendricks and Foles, all of whom have played significant roles in the team’s success so far under head coach Chip Kelly.
Would they have been better off getting Wilson instead of Foles? It’s hard to argue otherwise as Wilson has fulfilled his promise to Jeremiah and won a championship in just his second season. Had the Eagles drafted Wilson, there’s a good chance Andy Reid would still be their head coach. Chip Kelly might still be at Oregon, talking about the time he met young Russell Wilson.
“I spent a day with Russell when he played baseball,” Kelly said. Wilson’s baseball team was playing in Eugene, Ore. “He stopped by the football offices. I had a chance to sit down and meet him as a person. You can’t meet a better person. I knew right then whether he was a football player or a baseball player, he was going to be successful in everything he did. There’s a maturity about him, an air about him that he’s going to be a successful guy.”