Reid already knows who he'll be selecting in the draft.


Before they traded away Sheldon Brown and Chris Gocong, I thought the Eagles would simply sit at the 24th pick and take the best player available. They would, of course, make a move if a player would begin to slip as was the case of Jeremy Maclin last year, but that would be the only way they made a move.

Now, with the two extra draft picks, I have a funny feeling the Eagles have a certain player in mind for the first round and will move up in order to acquire him.

It's not out of the ordinary for Andy Reid, who has moved up to acquire the likes of Shawn Andrews, Jerome McDougle, and Jeremy Maclin. Andrews and McDougle, of course, haven't worked out due to injuries, but Maclin looks like he's going to develop into an elite player.

There are several holes on the Eagles' defense, including defensive end, linebacker, free safety, and cornerback. Reid knows that as well as we do, so it's possible that the Eagles trade up for someone like Jason Pierre-Paul, Rolando McClain, Earl Thomas, or Kyle Wilson.

My guess is that the Eagles have one of those guys in their sights, and will move up to acquire whomever it might be. All four of these guys are expected to be selected in the first 15 picks, so it would probably take a third and/or fourth-round pick to move up high enough to take the player they want.

Back in 2004, when Reid drafted Andrews, he had to give up a second-round pick to move from the 28th to the 16th pick, so it could take even more than a third or fourth.

But the Eagles have already identified what they feel is their most pressing need, have identified the guys who would fill that certain need, and will not be afraid to pull the trigger if the price is right and the opportunity presents itself.

So, in other words, make sure you watch the entire draft and don't just turn it on to see the Eagles pick at No. 24. If you try that, you will probably have missed their selection by about eight picks or so.