2010 Pride of Detroit Community Mock Draft: Pick No. 24

Rd. # Player Pos. College 1 24 Maurkice Pouncey C/OG Florida General Manager: n4ry4

With the 24th pick of the 2010 Pride of Detroit Community Mock Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles select Florida center/offensive guard Maurkice Pouncey.

Here is n4ry4's reasoning for the pick:

I was pretty sure this would be my pick if Pouncey was there and no unexpected elite players slid to #24.

The Eagles value versatility on their O-Line. Their center, Jamaal Jackson, was injured last year and may not be 100% to start the season. Nick Cole, who filled in for Jackson, is likely a better fit at guard. Pouncey can play any position on the interior. Todd Herremans and Stacy Andrews, both currently guards, can play tackle if needed (though the team is hopefully set with Jason Peters and Winston Justice), which would also likely open a need on the inside. It's far better to have too many quality linemen than too few, and I think somebody of Maurkice Pouncey's talent will certainly make a big contribution before too long.

Pouncey seems to be exactly the kind of player you'd like in the middle of the O-Line. He has good size, good agility, very good blocking and hand technique, plenty of experience having started since his freshman year, solid smarts and awareness, and a good work ethic.

Continued after the jump...

There were some positions of arguably greater need than interior OL, but I think Pouncey is the best fit and gives the best value here. Especially after acquiring a high second-round pick from Washington in the McNabb trade, Philadelphia can afford to take an interior lineman here and really solidify the C/G position, while still having the opportunity to address other needs in the second round.

Lions fans know well the trouble an offense can have trying to be effective if it's shaky and lacks depth in the interior O-Line. The Eagles have a new starting QB; one of the best moves they can make in the draft is to make sure they're strong & deep at the point of attack.

Check out the 2010 Pride of Detroit Community Mock Draft tracker for a look at all of the picks.