Philly scores a Baskett

By Os Davis  |   Monday, May 22, 2006  |  Comments( 0 )

Philadelphia Eagles
Got something to say?

Sign Up and be the first to comment on this article!
The deal of late last week was more than just a swap of receivers; that's what the Philadelphia Eagles management would like us to believe, anyway, as Billy McMullen has gone to Minnesota in exchange for rookie free agent Hank Baskett.

McMullen was drafted in the third round of the 2003 draft out of the University of Virginia and quite simply never fit in with the Philly offense. In a three-year stint with the Eagles, McMullen caught just twenty-two passes (eighteen last year) and was no doubt pleased to hear he'd be joining a squad that might put him to more use.

In return, the Eagles got themselves a bit of an enigma. Baskett is a wideout from the University of New Mexico and, despite his relatively unheralded alma mater (highly-notable alum Brian Urlacher aside), got lots of great press before the draft. ESPN lead draftologist Mel Kiper, Jr. ranked the 6'4", 220 pound Baskett as number 2 senior wide receiver and among the top 25 college performers in 2006.

Yet somehow, Baskett made it through seven rounds with hearing his name called. The biggest problem facing the new Eagle is his speed. At 4.55 in the 40-yarder he ran during the combine probably worked against him, but scouts acknowledged that speed was Baskett's clearest bit of downside.

Regardless, the positives on Baskett are high. He has been credited with being "faster on the field than he times" and with playing extremely smart - in fact, he grabbed a nod for the academic All-Mountain West Conference four years straight. Decidedly non-abstract in the Baskett scouting report, though, is the double-duty he served in 2004. In that year, Baskett brought his New Mexico Lobos a gold medal in the Mountain West Conference track-and-field championship as a high jumper; three times Baskett was named all-conference in track; not bad for a guy who can squat 435 pounds and bench press 315.

And the hard stats don't lie. On a team that accentuated passing, Baskett broke the 100-yard mark in five games, including a ridiculous performance at Missouri in which he bagged ten receptions for 209 yards. (This game marked the first instance of a New Mexico receiver breaking the 200-yard mark in a game since 1989.) His name is now all over the Lobo record books, and he ranks third all time in receiving yards and receptions there.

On paper, the passing on Baskett in the draft is no less than bizarre. And once integrated into the Eagles attack, the Lobo might still remain unnoticed for a while, as he'll be used in blocking a heck of a lot more than in pure catching. It seems unlikely, however, that Baskett will remain an unknown enigma for long.

Get more Philadelphia Eagles insights at Realfootball365.com
Got something to say?

Sign Up and be the first to comment on this article! (0)

About Os Davis

Os Davis has taken a twisted route to get to RealFootball365.com in his nearly 17 years in professional writing, working in any number of capacities in the sportswriting, news reporting and film criticism worlds. In print media, Os has served as editor at a few publications, including Albuquerque's...
read more
Article Tools Share!   |  RSS  |  Bleacher Report About Bleacher Report