For the second consecutive year, the Eagles moved out of the first round of the NFL draft. The Eagles also traded one of their many draft picks for a running back.
Philadelphia traded the 19th overall pick in the draft to the Carolina Panthers for the 12th pick in the second round (No. 43 overall), the 10th pick in the fourth round (No. 109 overall) and a first-round pick in 2009. The trade left Philadelphia with 12 picks in the 2008 draft.
The Panthers subsequently used the 19th overall pick to select tackle Jeff Otah out of the University of Pittsburgh.
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| Andy Reid |
"We got a nice offer," said head coach Andy Reid. "I know a lot was said about [Pittsburgh OT Jeff] Otah, and Otah is a fine player. He plays either right or left tackle, and we did like him, but the offer was just too sweet to turn it down."
The Eagles then traded one of those 12 picks, their fourth-round pick (No. 115 overall), to Miami for running back Lorenzo Booker, a player Reid said the team had its eyes on a year ago.
"He's somebody we really liked in the draft last year and we couldn't pull it off where we were able to get him last year, but he's somebody we've had our eyes on," Reid said. "He does some of the same things that [RB] Brian Westbrook does. You can flex him out and throw him the football. I think that the combination of he and Brian on the field will really be a nice combination for our offense."
When it appeared that their pick was finally imminent, the Eagles took the 43rd pick they acquired from Carolina and dealt that and a fifth-round choice (152 overall) to the Minnesota Vikings. In exchange, Philadelphia received Minnesota's second-round pick, 47th overall, and an additional fourth-round pick, the 117th overall selection. The Vikings took safety Tyrell Johnson from Arkansas State with the 43rd pick.
Last year, Philadelphia traded its first-round pick to Dallas for a second-round pick, a third-round pick and a fifth-round pick. The Eagles used those choices to select quarterback Kevin Kolb, linebacker Stewart Bradley and safety C.J. Gaddis.
As of late Saturday, the team had nine picks remaining.
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