Draft: Eagles Day 1

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The Eagles held tight at 31 and selected DE Mike Patterson out of USC.  This is ESPN's take:

With franchise player Corey Simon unhappy with his contract situation
and Hollis Thomas and Paul Grasmanis getting older, Philadelphia did
well to select Patterson. He doesn't have great size, and he doesn't
shed blocks all that well, but his ability to anticipate the snap and
his initial quickness make him a great fit for the Eagles' one-gap
scheme. He is also a high-motor player who is relentless in pursuit,
and he always seems to be around the ball at the end of the play.

In Round 2 at 35 the Birds went with WR Reggie Brown out of Georgia.  Not too shabby for A.J. Feeley.  This is ESPN's take:

At some point, Philadelphia had to use one of its five first-day picks
on a receiver in the event the Terrell Owens contract issue continues
to worsen. We feel they picked a good time to fill this need, because
they are getting excellent value for an early second-round pick. Brown
always played second fiddle and received far less recognition while at
Georgia, but he led the Bulldogs in receptions the past two years, when
his production began to reflect his outstanding overall athletic
ability.

With their second 2nd rounder at 63 they chose LB Matt McCoy out of San Diego State. 

Outside linebacker isn't a significant need, but Philadelphia wouldn't
mind upgrading either position. Although McCoy is undersized and will
struggle when teams run right at him, he possesses excellent instincts,
doesn't waste any motion and shows good burst to the ball.

With their first 3rd rounder they chose RB Ryan Moats out of Louisiana Tech.  Here are his strengths from ESPN:

Is a tough and shifty back. Shows good instincts, reads blocks fairly
well and has the lateral mobility to cut back when the opportunity
presents itself. Runs bigger than size indicates. Runs with good pad
level, shows good balance and can bounce of arm tackles. Fights to pick
up yards after contact, is built well and plays with good intensity.
Has the burst to turn the corner and is elusive in the open field. Has
very good quickness and above average top-end speed. Shows good focus
when the ball is in the air and rarely drops passes that he should
catch. While lacks the bulk to anchor in pass protection, shows good
awareness, isn't afraid to throw cut blocks and does an adequate job of
picking up the blitz. Has excellent work ethic, is a leader on the
field and should only get better with added experience.

The Eagles traded away their final pick of the third round (94 overall) for the first pick of the 4th round (102 overall) and a 6th rounder (175 overall)  The Eagles all currently on the board because they make the first selection of day 2 now.

Overall I am pretty happy with the picks.  I don't know a ton about all of them, but I found this great video of Ryan Moats which gets you excited about him.  The Eagles have a ton of picks tomorrow and I think they should package some of them to move up and get more quality instead of quantity.  Also, we still have Freddie Mitchell, meh.  Some of the picks I found surprising were Mike Williams going to Detroit.  What a stacked WR core they will have.  Wow.  Matt Jones going at 21 seemed a bit early to me, and Clarret going on Day 1 was a tad surprising.  Also, the Eagles website has some great stuff including a nice piece from Dave Spadaro which includes some Andy Reid quotes and some Travis Henry stuff.

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