Let's talk about the Eagles' third-round pick, defensive end Bryan Smith. He was taken earlier than expected by most. That has some Eagles fans wondering who this guy is, what he can do, and if he was a reach when taken 80th overall. 

The pick did catch me off-guard. I didn't have him rated as a Top 100 player. I also didn't have him listed as a defensive end. All my research said teams wanted him to move to linebacker. The Eagles bucked two trends. They took him earlier than most expected and are going to keep him at defensive end.

Last Sunday night, when the draft was over I broke out a couple of McNeese State game tapes. I wanted to re-watch Smith in action. The first thing that jumps out at you is that this kid is a pass rusher. He had 31 sacks in the last three seasons. Smith's speed, quickness and athletic ability are evident when you watch him play. What really encouraged me is that he showed an understanding of how to rush the passer. He went hard to the outside several times, then mixed in an inside move. Not only did he set the move up well, he executed it properly. He gets low (much like Trent Cole) when he does go wide. That makes it tough for the blocker to lean down and get him. Smith has good closing speed, meaning he is very fast from the time he gets past the blocker to the moment he hits the quarterback.

In the games I watched, Smith appeared to be less than 225 pounds. He clearly was undersized. He didn't play like it, though. While Smith is a pass rusher, he will battle on run plays. When he got his arms into the blocker and played with leverage, he was tough to move. You'd think a blocker with 100 pounds of weight in his favor would dominate a smaller guy. Not so with Smith. Sure, there are plays when he got sloppy and was driven off the ball. There are some edge runs where he got washed inside. Those are the exceptions and that is the key.  He more than held his own most of the time. 

Smith said on Friday when he reported to the NovaCare Complex that he is 238 pounds and wants to gain more. One of the reasons he has been able to bulk up is that he really focused on that in his pre-Combine training. McNeese State is an I-AA (Football Championship Subdivision) school. They don't have the kind of training resources that Texas, USC or LSU have. Agents take their players and put them at special workout camps. Smith was able to eat a lot and add to his frame. He obviously ate the right things because he got bigger, but didn't lose his speed or athleticism. He weighed 231 pounds at the Scouting Combine and then 240 at his Pro Day.

The Eagles were obviously comfortable with the fact that Smith could get bigger. They must have felt that his size was circumstantial more than anything. This is where scouts and assistant coaches are so important. They have to do the research and check the kids out to figure which players can change and which have maxed out their frame.

Head coach Andy Reid talked in a post-draft press conference about what he looks for in small-school players. Reid said the thing that is most important to him is that the player was dominant at his level. Well, Bryan Smith was dominant at McNeese State. He was the Southland Conference Defensive Player of the Year the last two seasons. He made multiple All-America teams over the last two years. He finished his career with 31 sacks, 52 tackles for loss and nine forced fumbles. The average fan might not have known much about Smith, but anyone who follows small-school football has known about him for a couple of years. He was a major star at his level.

The question of his value is tricky. I downgraded him because I was thinking Smith would shift to linebacker. I thought he had a shot to go in the fifth round. Had I fully been aware of him bulking up to the 245 range and thought of keeping him at defensive end, I very well might have listed him as a fourth-round player. I didn't see him as a top 100 player. The key here is that the Eagles had a lot more information about him than I did. They obviously felt he was worth a pick that high.

One of the things that also helped Smith to go where he did was the lack of good edge rushers in the middle of the draft. If you liked a pass rusher, the smart thing to do was to go get that player. I was surprised to see the Eagles pass on Purdue defensive end Cliff Avril in favor of Smith. I think the Eagles valued Smith's production and pass rushing skills more than Avril's outstanding athletic ability. Let's put Smith's 31 sacks in perspective. Trent Cole and Jerome McDougle combined for 32 sacks in their college careers. The level of competition has to be taken into account, but the point is to appreciate just how productive Smith was.

Some fans are curious about how much Smith can contribute in 2008. I think he can fit in as a situational pass rusher. Again, go back to what he did in college. Smith was a real force coming off the edge. If you ask him to rush the passer, he should be able to handle that as a rookie. Smith might not be ready to get mixed in as a three-down end. It could take time for him to develop the skills to battle NFL offensive linemen at the point of attack and play the run. Smith spent part of the offseason preparing to adjust to linebacker. That might help him to fit in some of the creative defensive packages Jim Johnson likes to use on third down. Don't expect Smith to be an impact rookie, but also don't dismiss him just because he's from McNeese State. This kid can get to the quarterback.  If used correctly, he could help this year.

I like the fact that the Eagles added another pass rusher. Think of free agent Chris Clemons as the replacement for Jevon Kearse. The Eagles still needed another guy to add to the mix. Smith is that guy. Should something happen to Trent Cole or Juqua Parker, the group has enough depth at end to hopefully be okay. One of the keys to having a top-flight defense is having a deep, talented set of defensive ends.

Time will tell whether Smith pans out as an NFL player, whether he is a role player or eventually becomes a starter. After really studying his game tape and doing more research on him, Smith is a player that I would not bet against.