Nate Allen could be the Birds' pick in the 2nd-round.


Brandon Graham was the man in the first round, but what do Andy Reid and company do with two picks (37 and 55) in the second round?

There are a lot of good players left, which is what we all expected in such a deep class, and the Eagles should have their pick of the litter with the fifth pick in the second round. And now that they addressed their need for a defensive end, it's likely they target a cornerback or safety next.

Guys like Chris Cook (6'2, 212), Perrish Cox (5'11, 195), and Brandon Ghee (5'11, 192) are the best cornerbacks available, with Cook appearing to have the biggest upside of the trio. Cox and Ghee are probably more capable of coming in and playing immediately, but Cook's size makes him a more-than-intriguing prospect.

At safety, Nate Allen (6'1, 207) and Taylor Mays (6'3, 230) are clearly the best guys available. Allen is probably more what the Eagles are looking for, but it could be difficult for them to pass on the potential and physical attributes of Mays.

If the Eagles' scouting department thinks the talks of Mays' coverage ability, or lack thereof, is overblown and unfounded, then he will probably be the pick. However, if there are questions about his ability, the Birds could pass him over and look at Allen or the best cornerback still available.

It's possible that Allen is the guy at 37, and then one of the cornerbacks becomes the target with the 55th overall pick. In fact, that's probably the most likely scenario.

However, the Birds could also use one of those picks on a linebacker.

Sergio Kindle (6'4, 255) slipped out of the first round and would be an absolute steal early in the second. It's unlikely four other teams pass on Kindle for a second time around, but if he's still available when the Eagles pick, it would be tough not to take him.

He could come in and immediately win the spot at SAM with that kind of size, or slide over to the MIKE position and force Stewart Bradley over to SAM.

Sean Lee (6'2, 235) is also available and could be an option at MIKE if the Eagles are willing to kick Bradley over to SAM, but Lee is a bit undersized for what the Eagles are looking for. That's not any bigger than Omar Gaither, whom the Eagles clearly don't see as a starting MIKE.

Brandon Spikes is also still available, but Sean McDermott's MIKE linebacker has to be a bit faster than Spikes. I don't believe the slow 40-yard dash time is a big deal, but I doubt the Eagles feel the same way.

There aren't many true SAM linebackers available, so if the Eagles aren't willing to move Bradley to his natural position at SAM and allow someone to replace him in the middle, Kindle is really the only option at linebacker.

Ideally in the second round I'd love to see the Eagles grab Kindle, make him the starting SAM, and then still be able to draft Nate Allen or Chris Cook. If they can find some way to address every one of their needs in the first two rounds it would put them in a great position heading into the final rounds on Saturday.

Also, don't be surprised if the Eagles also try to move up into the third round with their remaining fourth (x2) and sixth-round picks. They've also got two seventh-round picks, but those are compensatory picks that cannot be traded.

Dexter McCluster, anyone?
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Mays is an athlete, but he just doesn't fit in Philly.


Many people, including myself, have become enamored with free safety Taylor Mays out of USC during the Combine because of his astounding 40-yard dash time. However, I would caution everyone to look further than his straight-line speed.

Everyone knows he's an athlete. That never has and never will be under scrutiny. The guy is an absolute monster and is about 10 pounds away from playing outside linebacker. Unfortunately he's got the hips of an outside linebacker as well.

In drills that forced him to flip his hips and turn directions very quickly, he appeared a bit slow. I'm not sure if it's his reaction time or he's just tight in the hips, but either one spells bad news for a defense -- especially a blitz-heavy defense like McDermott's.

All I keep hearing is how he's going to be this incredible "in the box" safety and that the Eagles should grab him at No. 24 in the draft. But then I'm left wondering why in the world they let Brian Dawkins walk if this is the kind of safety they're targeting?

Dawkins is still very good at playing in the box and playing like a fourth linebacker, but that just doesn't fit the system. McDermott needs a guy who can play center field and make a play on the ball when the opportunity arises. Dawkins was no longer that guy, and Mays, with his five interceptions in four years, certainly is not that guy.

I'm not saying Mays can't play safety in this league, but he can't play safety for the Eagles and realistically is a strong safety in most defenses.

The only way bringing Mays to Philadelphia would work out is if they (1) move him to strong safety and bump Quintin Mikell to free safety, and or (2) if they can turn Mays into an outside linebacker ala Thomas Davis in Carolina.

The first option probably isn't an option at all. Mikell has settled into his strong safety role and has played well there for them. Moving him now doesn't seem to make much sense considering he would only be a half-notch better at playing center field than Mays.

The second option is a rather intriguing one. At 6'3 and 230 pounds, Mays has the frame to put on the extra weight and become an outside linebacker. Five pounds of muscle would probably get the job done, but 10 pounds would be absolutely ideal.

If the Birds could make him into a SAM linebacker it may just solve the problems they've had with tight ends. He may not be able to cover receivers as a free safety, but covering tight ends should be no problem at all.

However, as fun as that may sound, the Eagles are not going to draft a project with the 24th overall pick. If he somehow dropped to the second round they might consider it, but after seeing him run there has got to be at least one team who has fallen in love with him.

A guy like Earl Thomas would be a good fit if he's there, but I'd really like to see the Eagles draft a defensive end if a good one is there. Carlos Dunlap is tops on my wish list because he's an absolute freak, but if the Eagles pass on him it will be because of his off-the-field issues.

Remember back in 2000 the Eagles took Plaxico Burress after their board entirely because of his off-the-field issues and his look-at-me personality. They could have very well done the same thing with Dunlap, but we'll just have to wait and see if he's even there when they pick.

Either way, I don't foresee Taylor Mays becoming an Eagle. He just doesn't fit the scheme and isn't enough of a sure-thing at outside linebacker for the Birds to feel like they're not gambling.

Look for them to go defensive end or outside linebacker, then try for a safety in the second round if one is available and they haven't filled the need via free agency already.
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Jackson and Maclin renewed Reid's faith in rookies.


Because of the incredibly thin free agent market, teams will be forced to do most of their improving in the draft. That means that guys can't be drafted to sit around and develop for a year, but are instead going to be asked to contribute immediately.

Whether that's part-time or as a full-time starter will obviously depend on the talent around the kid drafted, but there are a few positions that the Eagles will be expecting rookies to step in right away.

Center, free safety, defensive end, linebacker, and potentially guard, will all be positions that the Birds will be looking to their rookies. Any defensive ends or linebackers could contribute in a rotation setting, but any center, free safety, or perhaps guard could be asked to step in and start immediately because of the glaring need in those positions.

Center is really the position I'll be watching. The Eagles probably won't use a first or second round pick on a center because they expect Jamaal Jackson to be back at some point in 2010, but a third round pick isn't out of the question.

Reid likes to draft linemen anyway, so giving him an excuse to do so could see him use a high pick on someone who he thinks can immediately contribute for this team.

Free safety is a shaky spot and it doesn't look to get solidified through the draft. A lot of people have the Eagles taking Taylor Mays at 24th overall, but I don't believe he fits into what Sean McDermott wants to do on defense.

Brian Dawkins is the most beloved figure in Philadelphia since Rocky and he was allowed to walk because he didn't fit the scheme, so I think to say they're going to draft a kid who plays like Dawk -- big hitter with sub-par coverage skills -- is just wrong.

Not to say Lord Mel Kiper is wrong...ever.

The Eagles could go after a guy like Julius Peppers, Kyle Vanden Bosch, Karlos Dansby, Antonio Pierce, Nick Leckey, or some of the other limited guys hitting free agency, but I think Reid will be looking to the draft to contribute right out of the gate next season.

That's not to say all the guys drafted will play in 2010, but I think we'll see more rookies starting for Reid than ever before.
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Taylor Mays is good, but is FS a number one priority?


Right now, Taylor Mays seems to be the guy for which everyone in Philly is clamoring. Everyone wants that "Dawkins clone" and is completely forgetting that free safety is about third on the list of problem areas for the Eagles' defense.

First and foremost, the position of left end must be addressed. I'm not necessarily saying that's where the Eagles should go with the 24th overall pick, but it's definitely a spot that has to be dealt with because Juqua Parker is simply not getting the job done.

Perhaps a rotation of Parker, Victor Abiamiri, and Jason Babin (assuming he's brought back) could do the trick until the Birds draft a guy they're comfortable plugging in, but it's not a spot that can just be ignored any longer. It was the Birds' Achilles heel last season and will continue to kill them if it remains unaddressed.

The next obvious sore spot is linebacker. MIKE and WILL seem to be set with the return of Stewart Bradley and Will Witherspoon under contract for a couple more seasons, but there's a huge void at SAM linebacker that must also be addressed.

Chris Gocong will most likely not be an Eagle next year, so that leaves Moise Fokou as the guy to step in if the roster remains unchanged. He was a seventh round pick last year, and even in his rookie season was able to take snaps and starts away from Gocong.

It's possible that the Eagles feel comfortable starting Fokou, but I just didn't see enough out of him to think that he can cover tight ends and play the run well enough to warrant a starting position just yet.

It's not even a knock on the kid, but he is only going into his second season. I'm certainly not saying that he can't ever start, but I'm just not sure that he's ready -- mentally or physically.

Akeem Jordan is still here, but he's strictly a WILL, so if Witherspoon starts on the weakside it relegates Jordan to a backup spot, although he's a damn fine backup to have.

Personally, I would like to see the Birds draft Penn State's Navorro Bowman with their first pick. I think he is the type of guy who can change the course of a game with his athleticism and can stay on the field for three downs -- a trait that a lot of linebackers have lost throughout the years.

The kid grew up in Maryland and went to Penn State, so the Eagles front office has had a lot of time to take notice of him and be able to scout him better than most teams because of how close he is. He's certainly worthy of the 24th pick, and the Eagles would be making a very big mistake if they pass up the opportunity to draft him.
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