Class of 2009 can be judged a success

You're supposed to wait at least three years before evaluating an NFL draft class.

With the Eagles' Class of 2009, there's no reason to wait.

Based on the top two picks alone, this class is going to be considered a success and possibly the best of coach Andy Reid's tenure.

That's how valuable wide receiver Jeremy Maclin and running back LeSean McCoy have already been for the Eagles during their rookie season.

In a year when Kevin Curtis and Brian Westbrook have all but disappeared because of injuries, Maclin and McCoy have become productive starters with a chance to set rookie franchise records.

Maclin, who has started every game except the season opener, enters today's game against the Atlanta Falcons with 42 catches for 540 yards and four touchdowns. His receiving yards already rank ninth in franchise history for a rookie, and with five games remaining, he has a chance to break the mark of 912 put up by teammate DeSean Jackson last season.

With Jackson out of today's lineup, Maclin assumes the role of No. 1 receiver after opening the year fourth on the depth chart. Minnesota's Percy Harvin has received considerably more attention than Maclin, but the Eagles' rookie has been only slightly less productive.

Harvin, the 22d overall pick in the first round, has 602 receiving yards and five touchdown receptions. Maclin, taken three picks ahead of Harvin, is second among NFL rookies with those 540 receiving yards and is tied for second with four touchdowns. Both players have 42 receptions.

The only thing that has made Harvin significantly more valuable is his ability to return kickoffs. His 29.8-yard average and two touchdowns are the best in the NFC.

For some reason, Maclin has not done well returning kicks or punts, even though he had three punt returns for touchdowns and two kickoff returns for TDs during his two college seasons at Missouri.

Special teams coordinator Ted Daisher said return duty in the NFL isn't the same as it is in college.

"It's night and day," Daisher said. "The athletes that are coming down the field at you, there's not as much space, but I think [Maclin] will adjust and adapt, and I'm confident that he'll do fine this week."

Maclin will get his first extended chance to return punts today because of Jackson's absence.

While Maclin has lived up to the expectations of a first-round draft pick, McCoy would have to be considered the Eagles' rookie of the year as the season heads into its final full month.

McCoy goes into today's game with 528 yards rushing. He needs 59 yards to surpass the franchise rookie record established by Correll Buckhalter in 2001. Only Denver's Knowshon Moreno, the 12th pick in the draft, with 688 rushing yards has more than McCoy, who was selected 53d overall in the second round.

"It's always big to set a franchise record," said McCoy, whose 36 touchdowns at Pitt were two more than Larry Fitzgerald had in his two seasons for the Panthers.

The fact that Moreno has more rushing yards is a bit deceiving because he also has had 38 more attempts. Both players are averaging 4.3 yards per carry. As proven by Westbrook over the last half decade, the better indicator for the value of an Eagles running back is yards from scrimmage. Moreno has just 50 more yards – 784 to 734 - than McCoy in that department despite 27 more attempts. McCoy is averaging 4.9 yards per touch to 4.4 yards for Moreno.

McCoy has been so good that it's fair to wonder if the Eagles will bring back Westbrook next season when the veteran running back is slated to make $7.25 million. That's a story for another time.

The Eagles' rookie story, meanwhile, will continue to unfold today against the Falcons.

There is no offense in the NFL that has relied more heavily on contributions from rookie skill players than the Eagles this season, unless you count the Detroit Lions and New York Jets, who have rookie quarterbacks and a combined seven wins between them.

The last time the Eagles received this kind of contribution from their first two picks as rookies was 1988, when first-round pick Keith Jackson, a tight end, caught 81 passes for 869 yards and second-round pick Eric Allen, a cornerback, came up with five interceptions.

There is no time in the team's history when a rookie wide receiver and a rookie running back have provided more offense than Maclin and McCoy, and that's why the Eagles' rookie Class of 2009 can already be considered a success.

Read The Inquirer's Eagles blog, Birds' Eye View, by Bob Brookover and Jeff McLane, at http://go.philly.com/sports.

Subject: Michael Vick's return to Atlanta

Posted by: The Manager, 3:14 p.m. Wednesday

What he did was absolutely appalling. I love dogs, cats and all animals, so I can't in any way condone what he did. However, we've all sinned and screwed up somewhere down the line. Should we all be condemned forever? Don't be haters. Let him play football and do whatever he can now to raise awareness of cruel treatment to animals however he can or is willing to.EndText