For weeks, fans have been hearing speculation about the Eagles moving up in the draft. I mean, why not, the Birds came into round 1 loaded with all the ammunition necessary to do just that. Lions at 10, Broncos at 11, Miami at 12 were all potential trading spots for the Eagles. Denver traded out of 11 and slid back to pick 13. Automatically, I got worried. The player I wanted, that most Eagles fans wanted, Texas safety Earl Thomas was still on the board. Lo and behold, it happens, all of the sudden the Eagles have struck a deal with Denver for the 13th pick. We got him! Mr Commisioner, "with the 13th pick in the 2010 NFL draft the Philadelphia Eagles select...DE from the university of Michigan, Brandon Graham.
To be honest, since I was feverishly tracking rumors via twitter and other media outlets, before Roger Goodell even opened his mouth I knew the Eagles were taking Graham. That might explain why reality and logic set in so quick for me on this one. I like the pick. The birds didnt take the guy I wanted, but I am ok with that and here is why...
The biggest deficency on this team was its pass rush. The front four were unable to get to the QB consistently enough without Defensive coordinator Sean Mcdermott dialing up a blitz. Football has always started with the offensive and defensive lines so we should not be surprised that Graham was the pick. The guy is a disruptive force having recorded 26 tackles behind the line of scrimmage as a senior in the big ten. Whether his skill set translates to success in the NFL remains to be seen but then again so is the case with everyone else drafted this evening.
A great pass rush will help make your secondary better. The less time your DBs have to cover the more aggressive they can be. The Eagles still have 6 picks left in this draft to address other needs including 2 2nd rd picks at #37 and #55.
A few names to consider on day 2
1) Nate Allen, safety from south Florida
2) Dexter McCluster, RB/WR from Ole' Miss
3) Akwasi Owusu-Ansah, CB from Indiana(pa)
4) Morgan Burnett, Safety from Georgia Tech
5) Darryl Washington, OLB from TCU
6) Taylor Mays, Safety from USC
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