Seventh-round draft picks aren't going to get the hype of the first-day selections. They are not going to be heralded as future cornerstones of the franchise.
However, guard Paul Fanaika
and linebacker Moise Fokou are in as good a situation as seventh-round draft picks can be in with the Eagles.
Fanaika, a 6-4, 314-pound guard from Arizona State, will get to work with one-on-one with offensive line coach Juan Castillo, whom he met at the Scouting Combine. Castillo is one of the coaches who puts the prospects through the drills. That gives Castillo an up-close look at the players. So when Castillo paid Fanaika a compliment at the Combine, the two-time All-Pac 10 honorable mention honoree knew he meant it.
"I could really feel how sincere Coach Juan was about this," Fanaika said. "Anytime a guy looks you in his eye and tells you he speaks highly of you as a player, it really means a lot to you. For Coach Juan to do that, being at the Combine with all of these great players, it meant a lot to me."
Castillo is respected as one of the top offensive line coaches in the league. He's turned first-round draft picks into Pro Bowl selections, like Tra Thomas. He's also, however, turned rookie free agents like Jamaal Jackson into quality starters.
"I was very impressed by Coach Juan," Fanaika said. "It was both an honor and a pleasure to get to meet Coach Juan and keep in contact with him throughout this whole process. I'm very excited and ready to go."
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