The hole at weakside linebacker could now change things on draft day. I know a lot of Eagles fans like Sean Weatherspoon from Missouri. He's a very good player and could be of interest. I'm just not sure the team will spend a first-round pick on a linebacker with problems on the line and in the secondary. Penn State has a couple of players who could be of interest. Junior Navorro Bowman and senior Sean Lee could both play the weakside spot in our scheme. Bowman had a terrific season. He's more athletic, but is also a bit smaller. Lee is the more skilled player. He can shed blocks and cover. He's tough and a natural leader. He did have an ACL injury in 2008 and missed some time this past season with knee issues. Bowman is a second-round target. Lee could be second or third. I like both players quite a bit.
• Safety Chad Jones of LSU is a player I've gotten a few questions on. He is a real intriguing prospect. He is big at 6-2 and 221 pounds. He runs well. Jones is a terrific natural athlete. He is a star for the LSU baseball team. He was a great star in high school on offense. Jones is one of those kids who just make things look easy. I thought he had a very good workout at the Scouting Combine. I was very impressed. I re-watched some game tape and my biggest concern is that he's not as instinctive as I like. He seems a little slow when diagnosing plays. That's not a major problem at LSU, but it can be when you face Drew Brees or Peyton Manning.
• I haven't talked much about cornerback Brandon Ghee. He had a quiet career at Wake Forest, only picking off one pass in three years as a starter. Ghee had the fastest official 40-yard dash time of any corner at the Combine. He has good size at 6-0 and 192 pounds. He has good man-to-man cover skills. Ghee played well at the Senior Bowl. I thought he showed pretty good ball skills in the drills at the Combine. I don't know how a guy with his size and ability only picks off one pass. He could definitely be of interest to the Eagles in the second round. They may be looking for a corner with some size and speed.
• I know USC star Taylor Mays ran a great 40-yard dash at the Combine, but I still don't like him. He doesn't have great feet. He's a bit stiff. He also doesn't have great instincts, something I put a lot of focus on at safety.
Check out my look at the Eagles' approach to free agency in my weekly Fan-Demonium column.
-- Posted by Tommy Lawlor, 9:30 a.m., March 9
