By Joshua Mason
Daily Bruin Reporter
Freddie Mitchell didn’t have to wait long for the
Philadelphia Eagles to select him with the 25th overall pick in
Saturday’s NFL draft.
In fact, the Eagles spent only three of their allotted 15
minutes to make the selection, the fastest pick of the first round.
The decision was a relatively easy one for the Eagles, who wanted
to draft a top wide receiver to complement Pro Bowl quarterback
Donovan McNabb. After passing on trading up for Rod Gardner
(Clemson) or Santana Moss (Miami) because it would cost them a
second round pick, Mitchell seemed the obvious choice for the
Eagles at No. 25.
Mitchell’s selection was openly cheered by the Eagles fans
in attendance at the New York draft headquarters, a significant
accomplishment considering critical Philly fans booed Donovan
McNabb’s selection just two years ago after Philadelphia
passed on Ricky Williams to fill a need at quarterback.
Mitchell, who for sometime has said he was the best receiver in
the draft, made use of his moment in the draft-day spotlight to
explain why four receivers had been chosen before him, including
Gardner, Moss, Michigan’s David Terrell and North Carolina
State’s Koren Robinson.
“All the teams that passed on me did so for one reason
““ they weren’t good enough to make the playoffs,”
Mitchell told the Orange County Register from his home in Lakeland,
Fla., on Saturday before boarding a plane for Philadelphia.
“With Philadelphia, it won’t be hard for me to achieve
my goal, which is the Super Bowl. I’ll be playing with the
best quarterback in the NFL.”
There will definitely be opportunity knocking for Mitchell with
the Eagles, a young playoff contender with little to show in the
wide receiver department. Last season, their top receivers were
Chad Lewis (69 catches for 735 yards) and Charles Johnson (56 for
642), neither of whom possess the big-play potential that Mitchell
could someday have in the NFL.
Though some experts like ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. believe
Mitchell is a blue-chip prospect ready to start right away,
Philadelphia Head Coach Andy Reid may take a more cautious approach
in working the former Bruin flanker into his West Coast-style
offense.
“It’s hard to come right in and start in this
league,” Reid told the Los Angeles Times. “We’ll
expect him to come in and learn and contribute. We’ll do it
similar to the way we did it with Todd (Pinkston).” Pinkston
was last year’s second-round pick who was limited to 10
receptions last season.
After drafting Mitchell, Philadelphia focused the rest of its
first day picks on defensive players, opting for Arkansas
linebacker Quinton Caver in the second round and Mississippi
defensive end Derrick Burgess in the third round.