Everyone talks about what the Eagles are going to do with their first pick. Forget the first pick, I've mapped out the ideal seven-round draft scenario for the Eagles at my website, ScoutsNotebook.com. We also have an interview with Vanderbilt left tackle Chris Williams, who I think could be the Eagles' first draft pick.

I get a lot of questions about wide receiver prospects. There are three guys who I really like that would fit into the Eagles offense. The best player is Devin Thomas of Michigan State. He's only a junior and only had one really productive season, but this kid has a lot of talent. Thomas is 6-2, 216 pounds and still runs a 4.4 in the 40-yard dash. I re-watched tape of him recently, this time focusing on him in the Eagles offense. Thomas could easily fit our style of play. Michigan State threw him a lot of short passes, then relied on him to make something happen once he caught the ball. He has excellent run-after-the-catch (RAC) ability. He's fast and can be elusive. He won't dance around and juke a lot. Thomas seems to understand the importance of getting upfield. He is productive on short routes, but has the speed and ability to also be a good downfield receiver. He has good hands and locates the ball well. He also does a good job of adjusting to the ball with his good body control. If the Eagles are interested in Thomas, they'll have to take him with the 19th pick. 

Second on the list is Eddie Royal. During the early to middle part of the season I was down on Royal. He wasn't playing well when I watched him. I saw a player with talent, but not a guy that impressed me. By the end of the regular season, Royal was one of my favorite receivers in the draft class.  Upon further review, his struggles earlier in the season had a lot to do with mediocre quarterback play. Once Sean Glennon began to play well, Royal did as well.  I'm not focusing on numbers and production so much as how he played. Down the stretch Royal looked great. He ran very good routes and caught the ball really well. He looked like a polished, veteran receiver ...what I had hoped to see all year. I knew coming into the season that he was fast and athletic, but I wasn't sure about his skills as a receiver. However, he really impressed me. Royal was solid in the Orange Bowl, then went to the Senior Bowl and looked great down there. He carried the momentum over to the Combine. He's not the biggest guy at 5-10, 184 pounds, but Eddie is strong, fast and very talented. He did 24 reps in the bench press and ran a 4.39 40 at the Combine. 

Thomas will be a first-round pick, Royal will be a second-round pick and Nelson could sneak into the second, but is more likely a third-round pick. Each player has some added value in the form of return ability. Thomas averaged 29 yards per kickoff return this year. Royal had the most return yards in the history of the ACC. He ran back three punts for touchdowns in his career. Nelson has return ability, but the least amount of experience having only returned six punts in college. I should mention that he ran two back for touchdowns and he averaged more than 44 yards per return. He's not as dynamic as those numbers sound, but could be the primary punt returner for an NFL team.

I don't know how much the Eagles actually like these players. This is strictly my opinion. One other consideration comes into play. You have to think about how each guy would fit the roster. Thomas could play either receiver spot for us.  He can be a workhorse underneath receiver or a deep threat. Royal would play the X-receiver (Kevin Curtis). He could play in the slot early on before challenging for a starting job. Nelson would be a Z-receiver (Reggie Brown) for us if he played outside. He could also be a slot receiver.

There are other quality receiver prospects in the draft, but those three stand out to me as guys who would fit the Eagles current situation. A rookie receiver isn't likely to make much of an impact in any situation, but your chances improve if there is a role he can fit as he adjusts to the NFL.

Pro Days are still going full swing. Eagles assistant coaches and scouts are traveling all over the country to watch kids work out. You'd think that teams would know just about everything about just about everyone at this point  Not so. The workouts give coaches/scouts a chance to see a kid up close. Todd Herremans put himself into the middle of the draft with his workout back in 2005. Small-school guys can make or break their draft position with a good workout in front of the right guys. Every year it seems like Juan Castillo finds a small-school offensive lineman with NFL ability. Let's hope that continues this year. We've also had good luck with small school linebackers the last couple of years (Akeem Jordan, Tank Daniels). I like our current set of starters, but I would love to see some more athletic guys brought in to develop for the future.

Building a roster is a never-ending process.