Linebacker Jamar Chaney gets to welcome fellow Mississippi State Bulldog Fletcher Cox to Philadelphia.

"I'm pretty sure the fans in Philadelphia, once he gets on the field and starts showing the things he can do, they're going to love him," said Chaney, who played with Cox during Cox's freshman season .

Chaney was surprised Cox was available for the Eagles and said he was pleased they were able to move up three spots to No. 12 overall to select him. He praised Cox's work ethic and improvement during the year they spent together at Mississippi State. Chaney said Cox's athletic ability always stood out. He said Cox has been able to put on about 50 pounds since his freshman year while retaining his speed and athleticism.

"Anytime you have the athletic ability he has, if you put that along with hard work, you have a pretty good player," Chaney said.

While defensive line coach Jim Washburn is known to be tough on his players, Chaney said that there should be no worries about Cox having thin skin after playing under Mississippi State's coaches. He said Mississippi State defensive coordinator Chris Wilson and Washburn have similar coaching styles and that Cox would have no trouble adjusting.

"The defensive linemen go really hard in practice, but he already knows that," Chaney said, noting that he and Washburn had several conversations about the Eagles' newest addition leading up to the draft.

While he said he doesn't follow the draft very closely, Chaney praised Mississippi State prospects Charles Mitchell, a strong safety, and running back Vick Ballard.

Chaney, who suffered a neck injury in the final game of the 2011 season, said his recovery is going well. He and other Eagles have been in the weight room preparing for the upcoming season.

"All the players are very excited to get back to work, and making sure we do everything possible to make sure we're ready to go for the season."

Chaney said he hasn't been told anything about moving to strongside linebacker for the upcoming season, but the coaching staff is making sure the entire linebacking corps is prepared to step into any role should they be needed. The Eagles acquired Pro Bowl middle linebacker DeMeco Ryans from the Houston Texans earlier this offseason.

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