The draft room is a whirlwind of activity. It is, truly, business as usual as the Eagles prepare for the draft on April 28. They have arranged their draft board, grouped their players and have run through scenarios as they prepare for the stretch run of the draft prep phase of the offseason. What is on the agenda? Knowing how the Eagles think, here are some thoughts on what the Eagles are thinking.

•  Nothing is out of bounds for Andy Reid and Howie Roseman. Yes, the defense needs to be addressed and it will be addressed. But the Eagles have to cover all of their bases. Two years ago, they had wide receiver Jeremy Maclin fall to within their grasp, a total shock. The Eagles couldn't let Maclin slip past their pick, and they didn't. Now Maclin is a Pro Bowl-level wide receiver. But had the Eagles not done their homework on Maclin, they very might have passed on him for another player. And that other player certainly could have been a quality player. The Eagles, though, got their guy with their selection of Maclin.
• April 6 is the day in court, as we know, the day everyone is pointing to and wondering what is going to happen with the work stoppage. Internally, there is not a lot of talk. The football people are in the midst of information gathering and evaluation. The business side is working on the business of the 2011 season. Everyone is watching, though. Watching and waiting and wondering what happens next here.
• Interesting to see all the different perspectives on what is going to happen at the top of the draft. Will Carolina take a quarterback? There are a lot of questions about the group at that position, but then again there are a lot of questions about the defensive tackle prospects in this draft, too. There is as much uncertainty about the very top of the draft as I can remember. Who is the best player in this draft? Is it cornerback Patrick Peterson, from LSU? If so, the Panthers should take him. I see no way Peterson gets past the first handful of picks, and as much as Eagles fans want the Eagles to go out and get him, I don't see any way they can.
• Running back is not exactly a position of need for the Eagles, but what happens if Alabama's Mark Ingram is still on the board at 23? Would the Eagles? Could the Eagles? I love LeSean McCoy and think he is one of the best in the league, but does it make sense to ignore the best running back in the draft?
• One of the fallouts from this work stoppage is not having the chance to see second-year players like Austin Howard and Co. work in the weight room and get stronger and better. Again, another thing to consider when you have so many young players: The most improvement comes from year one to year two in this league. So for all of the Howards and Kurt Colemans and the rookie class of last year, well, you wonder how they are making out working out on their own.
• Very, very sad news about the death of Jason Avant's father, Jerry, last week. Everyone within the Eagles organization expresses the deepest sympathies to Avant and his family through his difficult times.
• A message to all of the great fans here: We know there are some glitches within the new web site. We are working through those glitches. The Message Boards are a priority right now, and we are exploring all possibilities. We appreciate your patience. Trust me on this, gang. We will get it right and have the vibrant Message Board community up and rolling and rocking very, very soon.
• The tickets to the 2011 draft party went quickly on Monday, so we're all gearing up for that draft celebration starting on April 28. We are live on PhiladelphiaEagles.com on Wednesday, April 27 starting at 11 a.m., and then we go live at 8 p.m. on April 28 for the first round. We are live all weekend. We hope you join us all weekend here.