With a full day between the end of the first round of the NFL Draft and the start of the second, there has been plenty of time to dissect, scrutinize and evaluate the first-round selections.
The Eagles made one of the six first-round trades that took place last night. The Eagles used a first-round pick and a pair of third-round picks to move up 11 spots to get defensive end Brandon Graham. Only San Diego, who jumped up 16 spots from No. 28 to No. 12 to net running back Ryan Mathews, made a bigger leap up the board.
While it wasn't surprising to see the Eagles move up for a defensive player, a lot of people were caught off-guard that it was the Michigan standout who had the second-highest sack total in school history and not safety Earl Thomas or defensive end Derrick Morgan.
Here's some of the reaction from around the NFL regarding the Eagles' selection of Graham.
Pete Prisco from CBSSports.com wrote: "Love this pick. Love the aggression to go get him. He is a big-time pass rusher. He will be an immediate impact player in their defense. I like this pick as much as any."
Prisco handed out grades for each of the 32 selections and the Eagles were one of only seven teams to get at least an A.
Former NFL player and current analyst for Sports Illustrated, Ross Tucker, said that the Eagles got their pass-rusher to complement Trent Cole.
"The Eagles trade up in order to take the former Michigan pass rusher who completely dominated the competition at the Senior Bowl. Graham is extremely powerful and athletic which enables him to overcome his lack of height and short arms," Tucker wrote. "The Eagles have been searching for years for a pass-rusher to team with Trent Cole and clearly they felt Graham was their guy, otherwise they would not have given up two third-round choices in order to secure his rights."
ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper was surprised that the Eagles moved up all the way to No. 13 for Graham.
"Brandon Graham is a fit in Philly. He could be a defensive rookie of the year," Kiper wrote. "I was surprised, however, that Philly moved to No. 13 to get him. Of course, you need a dance partner. It's not like every team is willing to accommodate your trade-up needs."
Peter King from Sports Illustrated explained why the Eagles needed to move up to 13 to get Graham.
"I think Philadelphia was destined to trade up," King wrote. "It's all I heard for the past two weeks, that the Eagles were dying to come up. But the names I'd heard were Earl Thomas and Derrick Morgan, not Brandon Graham. I'll just say this about Graham: two teams were laying in the weeds for him in the low teens, so getting him at 13 is just about right."
-- Posted by Chris McPherson, 2:01 p.m., April 23
