While big names quarterbacks dominated the top of the draft for the second year in a row, the Philadelphia Eagles quietly selected Nick Foles in the third round, perhaps finding not only a quality backup for Michael Vick, but a player with the potential to be the heir to the 31-year-old Vick down the road. Pro Player Insiders caught up with Foles at the NFLPA Rookie Premiere and spoke to him about getting acclimated to life in the NFL.
Coming out of the University of Arizona, Foles made a name for himself as the signal caller capable of running Arizona’s pass happy offense. Passing for 4,334 yards, 28 TDs and fourteen INTs in his senior campaign, Foles showed great decision making and footwork that can easily be translated into a starting job in the NFL someday.
Going to the Eagles, he will learn from Michael Vick, and compete for the job of backing up the Eagles All Pro quarterback. Foles recently completed his first NFL rookie mini-camp last weekend, and was surprised at some of the changes he saw at the NFL level, but eager to learn a different offensive system.
“The biggest thing was how fast the guys were,” Foles said. “Everything was so fast and also picking up the playbook. There were no huddles at Arizona and now I’m in the huddle and that is exciting for me. There are so many things to learn.”
The transition to the NFL can be very difficult for some rookies and the Eagles have a history of developing young players into good pros. Foles was excited about the learning an NFL system in Philly under Andy Reid, who did well with Michael Vick’s resurgence in addition to Kevin Kolb and Donovan McNabb.
“I couldn’t be more excited,” Foles said. “This was one of those teams I was hoping that would pick me. As I was talking to Coach Reid, Coach Peterson…. I was thrilled, those guys are great people first off and great coaches. They know what they are talking about.”
Playing with Vick, and hopefully earning the slot as Vick’s back up, provides a great experience for Foles since Vick is not only a great football player; he also is a great team leader. Asked about his thoughts playing with Vick, Foles said, “I am excited. I have already been working with him a little bit. I am really excited to learn from him, what he has gone through, how he works, and how he approaches things. So it is a great honor to be with him and learning from him.”
By Melissa Mahler and Jameel Shareef
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