The NFL Draft began tonight in prime time with the 1st round. Not surprisingly the Eagles traded their 1st round pick and both of their 3rd round picks to move up to the 13th overall pick in the 1st round, with Texas S Earl Thomas still sitting on board for them. Most draft experts assumed that's who the Birds had traded up to take. Instead, they surprised everyone by selecting Michigan DE/OLB Brandon Graham. Graham is arguably the toughest, hardest working player in the draft, and most experts agree the most NFL ready pass rusher in the draft. So he fills the need the Eagles had for DE to pair with Trent Cole. A great pass rush makes every facet of your defense better. You don't worry about covering receivers down the field if the QB doesn't have time to get them the ball. Thomas was graded by most draft experts as a great cover guy and nothing more. He was probably never going to be a Brian Dawkins type safety ,capable of making plays all over the field and really how much better does a good cover guy make your defense if the QB has all day to throw. Moreover, there are still quite a top defensive backs still available for the Birds to draft with their 2 2nd round picks, like USC S Taylor Mays and South Florida CB Jerome Murphy among others. Therefore I think taking Graham was a good pick to start things off for the Birds and I look forward to him revitalizing their pass rush next season.
2 comments:
Hard work and dedication is more than welcome on the Eagles so Graham sounds like a great pick and him and Trent Cole are going to tear it up.
-to ph1llysports
yeah the only thing he is a little short but so is Cole and he is able to get so low against offensive tackles it doesn't matter. Graham should be able to do so the same
Post a Comment