Well, now that my mock draft has been put in the shredder (just like almost everyone else's), I'll talk about the pick that the Eagles made in the first round of the NFL Draft tonight.
I think a lot of people expected the Eagles to move up in the first round to get the player that they wanted. They worked out Eric Berry, but there was little chance that they could move ahead of the Chiefs, so he went to Kansas City. However, once the Eagles got to the Broncos and Dolphins, people were making noise about Philadelphia moving up. Sure enough, the Broncos traded down to pick 13, then moved all the way down to the 24th pick as the Eagles made a deal with Denver, giving up both third round picks to move up 11 spots.
With the 13th overall pick, the Philadelphia Eagles selected Brandon Graham, a defensive end from Michigan. Now, I'm not going to lie. When I first heard the pick, I wasn't that thrilled with it, because I wanted to see the Eagles get Earl Thomas or Derrick Morgan, who just about everyone had as the best defensive end on the board. However, the more that I've thought about this pick, the better I feel.
Graham is a solid rushing defensive end, which is something that the Eagles need, considering they got rid of just about every defensive lineman not named Trent Cole. Yes, they brought in Daryl Tapp from Seattle, but to be honest, he's not going to be an every down kind of defensive end. What Graham brings to the table is someone with a huge motor that can get to the quarterback and bring them down with authority. It kind of sounds like he's another Trent Cole, and that works just fine for me.
Now, Graham isn't the biggest defensive end that was taken in the first round. He's only 6'1", but he weighs in at about 270 pounds and is very strong. Plus, he does have good takeoff speed when he's rushing, which is going to be useful against slower offensive tackles. Last year, Trent Cole was all that the Eagles had when it came to getting pressure on the quarterback. Darren Howard wasn't enough, Chris Clemons wasn't enough and Victor Abiamiri certainly wasn't enough. Juqua Thomas is solid, but there has to be more of a steady rush on the quarterback. Last year against the Cowboys, Tony Romo had all day to throw against the Eagles, and that exposed the secondary even more than anyone could have expected. To get a good defense again, the Eagles have to start in the trenches, and defensive end was a big need. Not only that, but Graham can stand up and play linebacker, which is something that the Eagles look for as well. Most hybrid defensive end/linebackers haven't done that well with the Eagles, however, but Graham seems a bit different than the rest.
There's no way that the Eagles are done yet, though. They have the fifth overall pick in the second round tomorrow night, and I'm willing to bet that either Taylor Mays or Nate Allen is going to coming to Philadelphia as the new starting safety with that pick. Plus, they also have the 55th pick in the second round again, meaning that they can still take a cornerback with that selection. So far, the Eagles have had to address their defense, and they did that with the first pick that they made. Would I have liked it to have been Earl Thomas? Yes, but I'm happy with Brandon Graham as well. I said in my season wrap-up that the Eagles needed to look for a defensive line prospect in the first round, and that's what they've got. Pressure up front means more hurried throws, which leads to quicker possessions by the opposing offense. Plus, Ernie Sims and Stewart Bradley will both be playing linebacker next year for the Eagles. That works out well.
Not having to give up either second round pick was nice as well. I do sort of wish that the Eagles had been able to hold on to one of their two third round picks, but to move up 11 spots, they did what they thought they would have to do. I'm not super excited about the pick, but I like it.
Brandon Graham grade: B
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