In each of the past two drafts, the Eagles have found a seventh-round linebacker who would go on to start games as a rookie. But who are the three best seventh-round picks for the Eagles since Andy Reid took over in 1999? Let's find out.
3. Offensive tackle King Dunlap, 2008A very tough call here as 2010 seventh-rounder Kurt Coleman (picked in the compensatory round, no less) falls just shy of Dunlap. While Coleman may find himself in a starting role next season - a role in which he performed well as a rookie relieving for fellow rookie Nate Allen - he doesn't play quite the premium position that Dunlap does. The mammoth 6-9 Dunlap fell to the seventh round after an up-and-down career at Auburn, and began to make his impact in 2010 after adding some weight to his frame in the offseason. He has now emerged as a viable backup swing tackle and was even mentioned by Reid as a possibility at right guard this season.
2. Linebacker Jamar Chaney, 2010General manager Howie Roseman's affinity for Chaney in the draft was apparent when he traded a future sixth-round pick to move into the seventh round for the opportunity to select Chaney – despite already having picked 10 players and with two compensatory picks remaining. That move now looks like a stroke of genius as Chaney opened eyes in the last four games of the 2010 season filling in as the starting middle linebacker for an injured Stewart Bradley. Chaney showed a strong diagnosis of the run game, and with his speed – he topped all linebackers at the 2010 scouting combine with a 4.54-second 40-yard-dash time – his coverage skills should continue to develop. There's a good chance Chaney will find himself in a starting role next season.
1. Linebacker Moise Fokou, 2009Fokou fought to make the Eagles as a rookie on the strength of some impressive special teams performances, but his elevation to starting strongside linebacker is a story of taking advantage of opportunity. After two starts midway through his rookie year as an injury fill-in, Fokou kept impressing in practice and would earn the starting job for the final three games of the 2009 season. Then, in his sophomore campaign, the native Cameroonian wasn't deterred by a training camp demotion and clawed his way back onto the first team for the final 13 games of the 2011 season. In all, Fokou has started 17 games (including playoffs) in his first two seasons, earning him the nod as the best seventh-round pick of the Reid era.
