With the trade of Donovan McNabb, the Eagles certainly strengthened their position heading into the draft.
The team now has 11 picks in all, with five among the first 88 selections. More importantly, the 37th overall pick acquired from Washington is the fifth in the second round. And with the new three-day, prime-time format, the Eagles have positioned themselves well to add to their roster.
"The fifth pick in the second round is not a bad pick," head coach Andy Reid said. "The way the draft is set up now, you can kind of take a deep breath after the first day and re-evaluate what you have for the next day. That's kind of a nice pick there."
The NFL Draft moves to primetime for the first time in 2010, with the first round taking place Thursday, April 22 at 7:30 p.m. ET, followed by the second and third rounds on Friday, April 23 at 6 p.m. ET. Rounds 4-7 will be held Saturday, April 24 at 10 a.m. ET.
Right now, Philadelphia has the 24th (own pick), 37th (acquired from Redskins), 55th (own pick), 70th (acquired from Seahawks in '09 draft day trade) and 87th (own pick) selections.
In the weeks of speculation leading up to Sunday's move, there was much talk about the market value and fair compensation for a six-time Pro Bowl quarterback. And Reid said he believes the deal was a good one for both the Eagles and for McNabb, Reid's first draft pick back in 1999.
"We felt that this was an opportunity to make a move, one that helped us and was also good for the player," Reid said. "We wanted to inevitably do what was good for us and good for Donovan. If you could find a nice mix there, then that's what we would do. This was a good place for Donovan and the compensation was good. The compensation was right.
"We thought we did what was best for our organization and at the same time what was best for Donovan."
-- Posted by Bob Kent, 10:00 a.m. April 5
