Where's the beef?: Birds pass on offensive linemen, confident in filling needs from roster

The biggest surprise of the Eagles' draft was that for only the third time in a dozen years, Andy Reid left the war room without an offensive lineman.

Fans and media observers had thought there was a chance the Birds might take a center/guard in the first round, given Jamaal Jackson's offseason ACL repair and Stacy Andrews' shaky play last season. Turned out, when general manager Howie Roseman and head coach Reid kept saying they thought they were fine at center, with backup Nick Cole, untested 2008 draftee Mike McGlynn, 2009 undrafted free agent Dallas Reynolds and former Penn State center A.Q. Shipley, Roseman and Reid really meant it.

"We've got some young guys that fit in there, and it's time for them to play," Reid said afterward. "And, obviously, we have Nick, who can jump in there and do that tomorrow."

Jackson isn't going to be full strength for the start of the season, but don't be surprised if McGlynn or even Shipley takes the starting job in training camp. The Eagles know now exactly what Cole can and can't do; they're OK when they have to play him at center or guard, but they prefer him as a sub.

Obviously, the plan really is for Andrews to start at right guard, after a year spent recovering from his ACL surgery and learning offensive line coach Juan Castillo's way of doing things.

"This offseason has been great for him," Reid said of Andrews. "Right now, he's back to 100 percent health and ready to roll."

In a way, you could almost see the offensive line nondraft coming. The focal point of concern was center, but Jackson is expected to make a full recovery, eventually, and that's a tough position for a rookie to step in and master, given the blocking calls, etc. You don't necessarily spend a high draft pick on a center just because yours is going to miss part of the next season.

Also, most analysts felt that even though this was an exceptionally deep draft, the weakest areas were quarterback and o-line, particularly interior o-line, which is what the Eagles would have been trying to add. So when they kept trading down, amassing picks in the second half of the draft, they were getting farther and farther away from spots where they were likely to get real o-line help.

"I think the obvious [thing] is that we concentrated on the defensive side of the ball. We wanted to make sure that we strengthened the defensive side of the ball," Reid said. "We feel pretty good about our offensive line, and so we didn't attack that area as much as we did the other areas. We thought that the other areas [of the draft] were, honestly, stronger than what the offensive line was as far as depth."

When the Eagles moved back from 55th in the second round to 86th in the third, they missed out on the chance to draft UMass guard Vlad Ducasse, who went 61st, in the second, to the Jets; Illinois guard Jon Asamoah, who went 68th, in the third, to the Chiefs; Ole Miss tackle John Jerry, who went 73rd, in the third, to the Dolphins; and Baylor center J.D. Walton, who went 80th, in the third, to the Broncos.

Then the Birds tabbed Washington defensive end Daniel Te'o-Nesheim. Four more offensive linemen left the board before they selected again, taking Oklahoma linebacker Keenan Clayton 121st overall, in the fourth.

Since the o-line depth was so poor, maybe it isn't a shock that the unofficial list of Eagles' postdraft free-agent signings [see below] contains only one offensive lineman, Kentucky tackle Zipp Duncan.

The Eagles will release the names of their group of undrafted free agents today, but unofficial lists have already leaked. NFLDraftBible.com and other sources say the Eagles are adding LSU defensive tackle Charles Alexander, West Texas A & M running back Keith Flemming, San Jose State wide receiver Kevin Jurovich, Kentucky offensive tackle Zipp Duncan, UMass fullback Chris Zardas, Colgate wide receiver Pat Simonds, Purdue quarterback Joey Elliott, UT-Chattanooga wide receiver Blue Cooper and Purdue cornerback David Pender. That just happens to be nine names, which is exactly how many roster openings the Birds had after the draft.

The Redskins got a 2012 fourth-round pick for Jason Campbell. What does that say about the market for Michael Vick? Nothing good . . . Eagles don't think guard Alan Faneca, cut by the Jets, can pass block very well anymore . . . The Eagles drafted eight Senior Bowl performers, the most of any NFL team. They seemed heavy on Southeastern Conference picks, with five. Former Ravens and Browns exec Phil Savage, hired by the Eagles to help out with personnel, was a radio color analyst for Alabama last season.