With nine draft picks, including four in the fourth round, the Eagles hold considerable power in today's third day of the NFL draft. Big opportunity. A lot of talent on the board. The Eagles are on the lookout for players who love the game, who have been productive on the field and who are going to come in and provide energy here.
How have they done so far? They are very, very happy. They have immediate-impact possibilities with Brandon Graham and Nate Allen -- Graham will get a look at left defensive end right off the bat and Allen could play, truthfully, safety or cornerback. It is going to be interesting to see where he lines up next week in the post-draft mini-camp.
Third-round pick Daniel Te'o-Nesheim is a hard-working, productive defensive lineman who can help on the edge or at tackle in pass-rushing situations. He is going to push right away, because the Eagles have to be concerned with Victor Abiamiri's knee injury. Abiamiri is a good football player who has been plagued by injury in his career. Can he ever stay healthy?
The Eagles wanted to re-build their end corps, and they've done that in the off-season. They wanted a ball hawk in the secondary and they hopefully added one with Allen.
There is more work to be done today. Are you concerned with cornerback? It's a natural position to worry about. Understood. The Eagles have passed on a lot of them in this draft, but there are still more on the board. Is there one out there who walks right in and starts here? Maybe not. But the Eagles truly do think they'll be OK with Ellis Hobbs and some of the depth players they have in place already. And there could be more to come. And Marlin Jackson is going to fit into this defensive secondary picture, one way or the other.
I'm not going to rush into any kind of judgment. The Eagles planned on this approach before the draft began. They wanted to stock up on draft picks and then go attack the meat of the draft -- the fourth and fifth rounds. So here we are.
Sit back and enjoy the craziness. On day three of the draft, the puzzle becomes more complete and we have a chance to evaluate more accurately the strengths and weaknesses of this roster.
