by Michael DeLuca
The Philadelphia Eagles held pick #152 overall, a fifth round selection in the 2008 draft. Prior to the draft, I tabbed this the perfect spot to select WVU fullback Owen Schmitt. Schmitt, at 6′3 and 250 pounds, was most well known for his physical play with ten broken facemasks throughout his college career. The former Mountaineer is a sensational blocker, an excellent short yardage runner, and has very good hands for a man of his stature. Add to this that Schmitt could be a beast on special teams and he would seem to be the perfect fit for this squad. The Eagles, in usual Eagles fashion, engaged in a number of trades on draft day and in the process, this selection was moved to the Minnesota Vikings. Nonetheless, the Birds could have easily moved back into the bottom of round 5, but chose not to. Instead, Schmitt was selected with pick #163 overall by the Seattle Seahawks. The Eagles left the draft with a gaping hole at the fullback position.
Jason Davis, Luke Lawton, Dan Klecko, and Jed Collins failed to impress the Philadelphia Eagles brass enough to wrap up a full time position as the Eagles starting fullback in the following months. So, in the final weeks of the preseason, Tony Hunt was shifted from tailback to fullback and managed to win the job (by default). Sure, in this offense the fullback sees the field just a couple more times than the waterboy, but that doesn’t mean just anybody can fill this role. It’s a very strange decision, especially in light of the fact that Hunt saw minimal carries in his rookie season due to the fact he was unable to pick up his blocks from the tailback position.
Though the often tight lipped Bird’s brass will have you believe they are comfortable with Hunt going into the season as the starting fullback, I can guarantee that at this very moment they are scouring the waiver wire. Here’s what they might find…
Fullback/Tight End Sean McHugh- At 6′5 and 265 pounds, McHugh seems to be a good fit for the Eagles’ West Coast Offense. He has good hands and is primarily known as a pass catcher but is also an adequate run blocker. At Penn State, McHugh started at fullback for both his junior and senior seasons totaling 322 yards and 6 touchdowns on 82 carries as well as 297 yards and one touchdown on 44 receptions. McHugh is only 26 years of age and still has some upside. Update – McHugh has been signed to the Pittsburgh Steelers
Fullback Reagan Mauia - Weak pass catcher. 6th round pick in 2007 out of Hawaii. He started nine games in 2007 and amassed just 10 yards from scrimmage on six touches. Mauia is a pure blocker who can drive back linebackers and open up big holes for his tailback. He has brutal hands and would most likely not fit into an Andy Reid offense.
Fullback Lousaka Polite – At 6′0 and 242 pounds Polite is a fairly weak offensive player who is fairly average in every aspect of his game but can be a contributor on special teams.
So that’s the list. Not very impressive in my opinion, though I think McHugh is worth a look. Mauia is probably the best available, but I don’t think Reid will give him a shot. There is, of course, the potential for a trade but with less than a week until the start of the regular season I see that as a long shot. Sure would have liked to have seen Schmitt drafted! What do you think?
Unless you get a guy with the potential talent of an Owen Schmitt it’s almost all for naught, as the Eagles (like most teams) rarely use the FB anymore.