The Eagles have had a pretty solid track record in the second round since 1999, with a longtime started like Michael Lewis and a starting-caliber quarterback in Kevin Kolb both missing out of the top three. So who did make the cut? Let's start with a recent draft pick who, in time, could make his way higher up the charts.
3. Running back LeSean McCoy, 2009
McCoy was absurdly snubbed of a Pro Bowl appearance this season, but the second-year running back emerged as one the game's best backs in 2010, proving along the way that he's versatile enough to carry the load. After a strong rookie season of 637 yards rushing (while sharing carries with his predecessor Brian Westbrook and Leonard Weaver) and 4.1 yards-per-carry average, McCoy was given the reins as the team's feature back in the 2010 offseason. He responded with a monster year, topping 1,000 rushing yards, pacing NFC running backs with a 5.2 yards-per-carry average and leading all NFL running backs with 78 receptions. In his first two seasons, McCoy has amassed 1,717 rushing yards and 2,617 yards from scrimmage, both of which are the best such marks for the first two seasons in an Eagles career. McCoy possessed seemingly unlimited potential, and it figures to be a joy to watch his further development over the next few seasons. After all, he's only 22 years old.
2. Cornerback Sheldon Brown, 2002
Brown was actually the second cornerback the Eagles drafted in 2002, behind first-round pick Lito Sheppard, but he would go on to have one of the steadier careers of any cornerback in Eagles history. The 5-10, 196-pound Brown was a fan favorite because of his physical nature and his proclivity for playing through pain to leave it on the field for his teammates and the city. After two years of on-the-job learning from players like Troy Vincent and Bobby Taylor, Brown took over as a starter in 2004. From Week 1 of that season through Week 17 of 2009, Brown started 95 of 96 games. In fact, in his eight-year tenure with the Eagles, Brown's number of missed games was the same number as the amount of Pro Bowls which, criminally, he was named to – zero. In his first year outside of Philadelphia, Brown, 31, still started all 16 games for the Cleveland Browns. Gone but certainly not forgotten, he remains one of the more beloved Eagles of the Andy Reid era.
1. Wide receiver DeSean Jackson, 2008
Undersized. Big ego. Doesn't play as fast on the field as he times in drills. All of those reasons, and more, contributed to Jackson falling to the 49th overall pick of the 2008 draft, and boy are the Eagles thankful now. As you know, Jackson has since become perhaps the league's most dynamic weapon, capable of scoring a touchdown any time he touches the ball. In only three seasons, Jackson has broken all kinds of records. He became the only player in NFL history to be voted to the Pro Bowl at two different positions (wide receiver and return specialist) in 2009. That season he also tied the record for most touchdowns of 50 yards or more (eight). And, of course, he became the first player in NFL history to notch a game-ending, walkoff punt return touchdown when he authored the Miracle At The New Meadowlands on December 10, 2010. The highlights haven't stopped since Jackson entered the league, and they don't figure to slow down any time soon for the 24-year-old. He's already grabbed the mantle of best second-round pick of the Reid era, but at some point in the future, he may join the conversation as one of Reid's best picks in any round.
