Eagles coach Andy Reid on drafting Jaiquawn Jarrett: 'I goofed'

A day after the Eagles released Jaiquawn Jarrett, their 2011 second-round draft pick, coach Andy Reid admitted that he reached in selecting the safety.

"That's my responsibility. I misevaluated that," Reid told two reporters after his Wednesday press conference. "I think one of the key things is when you make a mistake for your system that you correct it and you can't let your ego get in the way of that. You just can't do it."

Jarrett was chosen 54^th overall and was viewed by some at the time to be more of a third- or fourth-round talent because of his relatively slow (4.62 seconds) 40-yard dash at the combine. The only player drafted higher than Jarrett to be released has been Colts guard Ben Ijalana, selected 49^th overall, who was waived-injured after he tore his ACL twice.

When the Eagles selected Jarrett out of Temple they said they were getting a sound tackler who could be a feared hitter in the NFL. Reid compared him to Brian Dawkins. Safeties that play the game like Dawkins did are becoming obsolete, however, as the league cracks down on big hits to improve player safety.

Jarrett never seemed to be even close to making such a hit. He lacked NFL foot speed and the Eagles' scheme had him playing as much in centerfield than in the box where he thrived in college.

"I have final say on all the picks," Reid said. "You're going to find ones that fit into your system and some that don't. You're going to be right sometimes, you're going to be wrong sometimes. That doesn't mean that the kid can't play in this league for somebody."

In January, general manager Howie Roseman said that the Eagles had altered their philosophy and were committed to sticking to their draft board. Roseman, whose first draft class as GM came in 2010, and Reid have since said that the 2012 class reflected this change.

Of the Eagles' 24 picks from the drafts of 2010-11, 14 were defensive players. Eight remain on the roster. Safeties Nate Allen and Kurt Coleman are the only starters in the group. Defensive end Brandon Graham, the Eagles' top pick in 2010, played only four snaps Sunday.

Jarrett wasn't the only high draft pick on defense the Eagles recently gave up on rather quickly. Defensive end Daniel Te'o-Nesheim – a 2010 third-round pick that many also said was a stretch – was signed by Tampa off the Eagles practice squad last year.

"That's my fault. Both those guys are my fault, absolutely my fault," Reid said. "It you want to bolster the defense, which we were trying to do, sometimes you put yourself in a position where maybe you stretch it. I goofed on that."

The release of Jarrett, a game into the season, was the earliest Reid has cut the cord on one of his second-round picks. In Oct. 2002, the Eagles waived linebacker Quinton Caver a year and a half after he was taken with the 55^th overall pick.

Earlier during his press conference, when he was reluctant to talk about Jarrett's departure, Reid was asked in general terms what it took to move on from a second-round pick after so little time.

"I think you have to be honest with yourselves," Reid said. "If it's working then it worked. If it doesn't, then it doesn't. I think that's the important thing there. And then you give the kid an opportunity to make a living."

With Jarrett out of the picture, the Eagles now have four safeties on the roster. David Sims and Colt Anderson are the backups to Allen and Coleman. Reid said Wednesday that Anderson, who tore his ACL last December and did not dress for the opener, would be back for Sunday's game against the Ravens.

The Eagles traded for Sims, a 2011 undrafted rookie who has yet to play an NFL down, on Aug. 31. The team sent the Browns a 2013 conditional draft pick for the 5-foot-9, 204-pound Sims. He said he's ready to play on either special teams or on defense if needed.

The Eagles have "the same defense as Cleveland," Sims said. "It's pretty [much] the same. All I have to do is transfer the terminology and I'll be fine."