Eagles trade up, draft DE Brandon Graham

With a plethora of picks, we knew the Eagles would be trading at the draft; what we didn't know was who the Eagles would be targeting. While most experts and fans expected the Eagles to get some secondary help, they instead traded up and took DE Brandon Graham of Michigan with the 13th pick in the draft.

To move up to the 13th pick, the Eagles traded with the Broncos, giving up the 24th pick in the first round and two third round picks (70th and 87th overall). While two thirds might seem like a lot to give up, remember the Eagles still have that early second round pick they got from the Redskins for Donovan McNabb.

As for Graham, the early word on him is that he might be the best pass rusher in the draft. While he was a defensive end in college, there is also some talk that he could be an outside linebacker in the NFL. Given how many LB's they already have on the roster, I would think the Eagles would keep Graham at defensive end and work him into the rotation with the hope that he could be a pass-rushing force opposite of Trent Cole.

Some fans may be upset that the Eagles didn't trade up to get a safety like Earl Thomas. While the Eagles will still likely get help in their secondary later in the draft, it can't be understated how a good pass rush can make a secondary look good. If Graham is as good at getting to the quarterback as the experts are saying the Eagles might not need to get much more help at safety or cornerback.

With that trade, the Eagles are likely done for today unless they somehow move from the early second round into the late first. Stay tuned for more draft coverage!