While it takes a few years to truly evaluate a draft class, one of the post-draft traditions is the day-after handing out of the grades. The Eagles hauled in a league-high 13 draft picks despite trading three of them to move up in the first round to net defensive end Brandon Graham. The Eagles stockpiled picks for Day 3 and came away with 10 players on that day alone. Nine of the 13 selections went to shoring up the defense. The Eagles wheeled and dealed making six trades so that they had at least one selection in each round including four in the fourth the three in the seventh.
Here is a look at some of the opinions on how the Eagles did in the draft - of course, only 24 hours removed instead of 26,297 (three years).
ESPN's Mel Kiper - Grade: B (4th-best in NFL): The Eagles were positioned well to take advantage of a deep draft, and they did, piling up seven productive picks between the third and fifth rounds. But Philly started well too. In Brandon Graham they have a potential Rookie of the Year on defense. They filled a need at safety with Nate Allen, and I like Trevard Lindley in the fourth. He has second-round ability. Ricky Sapp may be a tweener, but getting a guy who can get to the quarterback like he can in the fifth round is good value. He could be a solid situational pass-rusher early in his career. Riley Cooper is quicker than many people think to go with above-average size.
ESPN's Matt Mosley - Impressed with GM Howie Roseman's performance: Maybe I haven't been fair enough to Eagles general manager Howie Roseman. On the second day of the draft, I was really impressed by the way he moved all over the board and kept acquiring extra picks. I'd heard from both Eagles and Cowboys sources that the fourth round was going to contain a ton of "value," and Roseman apparently took that to heart. ... I guess the "surprising" aspect of all this is how comfortable Roseman looked while running his first draft. Even the stoic Andy Reid admitted that he was entertained by watching Roseman at work.
ESPN's Mike Reiss - Can't wait to see Eagles' D: I'm interested to see the Philadelphia Eagles' defense in 2010. The Eagles made an NFL-high 13 draft picks, nine of which came on defense. There was a heavy emphasis on pass-rushers.
Sports Illustrated's Tony Pauline - Eagles net two of the biggest steals: (Ricky) Sapp was mentioned in conversations as a potential top-45 pick by some teams. Injuries and marginal production in college pushed him down a number of boards. Sapp showed the ability to create constant pressure up the field in college and could be the steal of the draft. ... The Mississippi State senior (Jamar Chaney) was rated as a third-rounder by a number of franchises, yet a severe ankle injury from 2008 sent up red flags. If he stays healthy, Cheney will be a terrific nickel linebacker that will help out on special teams.
Ross Tucker, Sports Illustrated - Terrific fourth-round value: (I liked them) getting quarterback Mike Kafka and tight end Clay Harbor in the fourth round. Both of those players had been rising up the draft charts and could pay dividends down the line for the Birds.
Rob Rang, CBSSports.com - Grade B: While the 6-2, 270-pound Graham is a proven pass rusher who led the country in tackles for loss and won the Senior Bowl Defensive MVP honors, his selection was a surprise for the Eagles, considering the team had previously traded for another undersized pass rusher in former Seattle Seahawk Darryl Tapp. The Eagles had 10 picks on Saturday, most prominently addressing the need for depth at quarterback (Mike Kafka), linebacker (Ricky Sapp, Jamar Chaney). For a team that some believe is as deep as any in the league, however, wouldn't packaging some of those lower round picks for top-tier talent have been a better use of them?
FOXSports.com - Grade B-: The Eagles gave up a lot to move up in the first round to take Michigan pass rusher Brandon Graham (pictured), who was a dominant performer in the Big Ten. Andy Reid is hoping that second-round pick Nate Allen of South Florida can shore up the safety position, but he's not an intimidator like Brian Dawkins was for this franchise.
Dennis Dillon, Sporting News - Eagles one of most-improved teams: These teams (Eagles and Patriots) went into the draft armed with double-digit numbers of picks, and they emerged with both quality and quantity. The Eagles selected 13 players, and the Patriots took 11. Giving Andy Reid and Bill Belichick that many players to work with can be lethal.
-- Posted by Chris McPherson, 3:50 p.m., April 25
