With recent reports from Philadelphia claiming that the Eagles have a “man-crush” on second-round running back LeSean McCoy and that McCoy has been one of the stars of training camp thus far despite being drafted as just a third-year sophomore, I figured I’d take a look at the one rookie who could have the biggest impact on the NFL this season.

Coming into the 2009 draft, on my website draftheadquarters.com, I had McCoy ranked ahead of Connecticut running back Donald Brown, even when many in the media had Brown rated ahead of Knowshon Moreno and Chris Wells. There was one thing that I noticed in McCoy that I hadn’t seen in many other running backs that I’ve scouted for the NFL: He was arguably the most “natural” runner in the draft, meaning he did it with fluidity and he didn’t have to try as hard as some of the other running backs to make a play. McCoy was also one of the most complete backs this year, having caught the ball out of the backfield as well as had experience as a blocker in the passing game while at Pitt. Here’s what I added at the end of my scouting report on McCoy back in March:

“Between his competitive nature on the field and his strong work ethic off of it, McCoy is a player that I really like. I love his running style and I think that in a zone-blocking scheme where he could take advantage of his terrific cutback ability, he could be a very good player. McCoy has the potential to be one of the better running backs in the league if he lands with the right team.”

The right team for McCoy is the Eagles. In addition to being able to play in the same state that he grew up in in both college and now in the pros, McCoy’s style of play mirrors that of Pro Bowl running back Brian Westbrook. With Westbrook hitting that dreaded age of 30 on September 2nd, it seems like it’d make sense to see McCoy take over for him in 2010 after splitting carries this year. In any league, this player is a “must-get”. Re-draft leagues can find him late, while he should be coveted in keeper and dynasty leagues.

McCoy, along with the receiving combination of DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin are the future of the Philadelphia Eagles. Like it or not, they’re going to be an exciting and extremely productive offense for quite a few years to come…which is music to the ears of fantasy owners!

While my expertise lies in the NFL Draft (www.draftheadquarters.com), I am as much a fantasy owner as those that subscribe to this site. This year I have an interesting situation that I thought I would bring to the blog.

I am currently in a keeper league with ten teams, and we keep four players. (1 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE, 1 K, 1 DEF). My three players that I am for sure keeping from last season are Chris Johnson, Steve Slaton, and Andre Johnson. The rest of my team is Jay Cutler, Brandon Marshall, and Tony Gonzalez. Between Cutler landing with a poor offense and the amount of good quarterbacks that are expected to be available for me to pick (Donovan McNabb), I’ve decided to choose from Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall and Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez.

When you look at the names themselves, this choice may seem to be easier than it actually is. However, each player has things that you like and don’t like.

Marshall enters this season without his elite quarterback, coming off of an injury that forced offseason surgery, and has also been in trouble with the law and could very easily be suspended. Brandon caught 104 passes for 1,265 yards and six touchdowns. However, with Kyle Orton now at the helm, you’d have to think that he’ll be lucky to crack 1,000 yards. That also doesn’t include the risk that he could be injured again and/or get suspended.

Now, with Tony Gonzalez, I would assure myself of landing one of the top tight ends, he would be consistent and reliable, and I would know exactly what I’m getting. Last season with Kansas City, Gonzalez caught 96 passes for 1,058 yards and 10 touchdowns. With his move to Atlanta, some think that his numbers could take a dip while others think that he could flourish.

At Boston College, quarterback Matt Ryan relied on his tight end more than one would think. His tight end Ryan Purvis caught 54 passes for 553 yards and four touchdowns in 2007 when Ryan was a senior. However, when Ryan left and Purvis caught passes from Chris Crane, Purvis only hauled in 24 receptions for 176 yards and did not record a touchdown pass. Purvis was thought of as an average tight end who had good, but not great hands. Now, imagine bringing in one of the top tight ends in NFL history for Ryan to work with. While the Falcons do have Roddy White on the outside, you have to think that Gonzalez is going to draw plenty of targets as the safety net for the second-year quarterback.

One other note, it’s easier to find receivers than it is tight ends. I can very easily fill my No. 2 and No. 3 receiver roles, whereas the tight ends may be harder to find.

Now my question is this. Who would you keep? Would you roll the dice and take Marshall, or would you go the easier route and keep Gonzalez?