About this series: Over the next two months, I'll be chatting weekly with Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly and chronicling his preparation for April's NFL draft. This is the first installment.

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On Friday, January 6, Luke Kuechly announced from his hometown of Cincinnati that he would forgo his senior year at Boston College and enter the NFL draft.

Three days later, he was in front of a TV in Bradenton, Fla., watching the BCS title game and preparing for seven weeks of training, leading up to the combine in Indianapolis.

Kuechly, considered among the top inside linebacker prospects in the draft and a first-round prospect, called on other Boston College products like Mark Herzlich, Anthony Castonzo, Jamie Silva and Alex Albright when weighing his decision to turn pro.

"Everyone said, 'You’ve got to do what’s right for you,'" Kuechly said. "'You’ll know what the right decision is, what makes you happy.'"

And so he decided it was time to take the final steps in pursuing a dream that was rooted in his first days on the football field as a fourth grader.

The process has now moved to IMG Academy in Florida, where Kuechly and 29 other prospects like Wisconsin quarterback Russell Wilson and Texas A&M's Ryan Tannehill spend their days training.

The techniques are different than what Kuechly was used to. At Boston College, training always carried with it a football focus, the idea being preparation leading to results on Saturdays.

But now, the focus is on the combine. Yes, there are football-specific drills. But the combine presents a specific set of predictable tests. With the right preparation, prospects will be ready for exactly what's thrown at them. From an athletic standpoint, that means Kuechly's working on his 40 time, plyometrics, stretching, footwork, making sure he maximizes his explosiveness.

From an off-the-field perspective, it means getting ready for the Wonderlic test and making sure he interviews well with coaches, general managers, scouts and personnel men.

Whichever team drafts Kuechly in April will do so based on the merits of his tape. For evaluators, tape is another word for production. Teams looking at Kuechly will see the nation's leading tackler in each of the past two seasons, averaging 15.92 tackles per game in 2011.

They'll see the winner of the Nagurski Award, given to the nation’s top defensive player. And the winner of the Butkus Award, given to the nation's top linebacker.

While Kuechly's production on the field has gotten him to this point, he realizes the combine is just part of the draft process.

"Size and speed," he answered, when asked what NFL teams are most likely to zero in on. "Those are the questions circling around. How big am I and how fast am I going to run."

The first question can already be answered. Kuechly said he's 6-2 and currently weighs around 241 or 242. He expects to be at 240 at the combine. The second question will be answered in Indy.

As for draft projections, ESPN's Mel Kiper has Kuechly rated as his top linebacker and 10th-best prospect, praising him for his instincts and his ability to shed blocks. He has the Eagles picking Kuechly at No. 15 in the first round, although a lot can change in terms of team needs with free agency in March.

ESPN's Todd McShay also has Kuechly as his top-rated linebacker and 10th-best prospect overall.

And NFL.com's Mike Mayock has Kuechly as his second-best linebacker, behind only Alabama's Courtney Upshaw, who projects as a 3-4 outside linebacker.

Kuechly has seen and heard some of the scouting reports? But does he agree with them?

"A lot of them say I play instinctively," Kuechly said. "That’s true the more I think about it. I just let myself go out there and play."

And the weaknesses?

"I've got to do a better job in general of playing in coverage," he said. "I have a lot to work on. It's a faster game. You've got to adapt with what comes your way."

The success of tight ends like Rob Gronkowski, Jimmy Graham and Vernon Davis is not lost on Kuechly, who realizes the importance of playing in coverage, along with stopping the run.

When asked which linebacker he most admires, Kuechly didn't hesitate.

"My favorite player for awhile has been Ray Lewis," Kuechly said, explaining that he watched Lewis and the Ravens face his hometown Bengals growing up. "His passion for the game is the number one thing. He loves playing football, and that's helped him be great."

Lewis was the 26th pick in 1996. Kuechly figures to go higher, but with the draft still 12 weeks away, there are several steps to take before finding out where he'll begin his NFL career.

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A couple weeks ago, reports surfaced that the Eagles worked out quarterback Trent Edwards.

Apparently, they liked enough of what they saw to bring him in for a visit and have him take a physical yesterday, according to Adam Caplan of The Sideline View.

Edwards, a third-round pick out of Stanford in 2007, has started 33 games (32 with the Bills and one with the Jaguars). He's completed 60.5 percent of his passes, but didn't get the ball downfield much, averaging just 6.5 yards per attempt. He's thrown 26 touchdowns and 30 interceptions.

For his career, Edwards (6-4, 231) has averaged one INT every 30.9 attempts. As a point of reference, Michael Vick was picked off once every 30.2 attempts last season.

In 2008, Edwards completed 65.5 percent of his passes and averaged 7.2 yards per attempt.

He spent the last preseason with the Raiders, but was released and never caught on with another team. Edwards is 29 years old.

The Eagles went 1-2 with Vince Young starting last season. They also lost two more games that Mike Kafka had to finish in place of Vick.

RotoWorld has a list out of potential free-agent quarterbacks. Here are some of the names: Chad Henne, Jason Campbell, Kyle Orton, David Garrard, Shaun Hill, Byron Leftwich, Sage Rosenfels, Brady Quinn, Drew Stanton, Donovan McNabb, Rex Grossman, Dennis Dixon, Charlie Batch, J.P. Losman, Dan Orlovsky, A.J. Feeley, Jeff Garcia.

It seems unlikely that the Eagles will go with Kafka as the backup.

If the Birds decide to draft a quarterback and sign a veteran quarterback like Edwards to back up Vick, Kafka could find himself without a roster spot here.

Since Edwards was not under contract last season, the Eagles can sign him whenever they want. For many of the names on the list above, who were under contract last season, the Eagles would have to wait until the start of free agency (March 13 at 4 p.m.).

In case you missed it from Tuesday, I posted my thoughts on Andy Reid, Juan Castillo, Todd Bowles and Steve Spagnuolo.

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Here are five thoughts on the Eagles, in light of news from the past two days:

1. LOSING OUT ON SPAGS

I was surprised Andy Reid was so forthcoming in admitting he offered Steve Spagnuolo a spot on his coaching staff. Without coming outright and saying so, he basically said part of his offseason plan was to get Juan Castillo some help.

You can look at how that turned out in one of two ways. One, he was unable to land a candidate to fill that role. Or two, Todd Bowles is that guy.

Earlier this month, when I made the case for Spagnuolo, my thinking was simple: He had led a Super Bowl defense, which allowed an average of 16.25 points in four playoff games. Under Spagnuolo, the Giants limited Tom Brady and the Patriots to two touchdowns and never allowed more than 20 points in the postseason. It's the kind of run that will be necessary if the Eagles want to get to the Super Bowl next season, going through Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Eli Manning and others.

It's the kind of run the Giants will have gone on again if they hoist the Lombardi Trophy Sunday night and go through Rodgers and Tom Brady, perhaps the two best quarterbacks in the NFL.

2. FAIRLY EVALUATING CASTILLO

We don't know if Castillo is capable of orchestrating such a run, so Reid was smart to try and get him some help.

What we learned about Castillo's defense from last season is that it was wildly inconsistent. Football Outsiders uses Variance to measure how each team's performance fluctuates from week to week. Only the Chiefs had a more inconsistent defense than the Eagles last season.

Some point to the final four games as evidence of improvement, but to be fair, the Eagles played well against a couple above-average offenses earlier in the season. In the Birds' first loss to the Giants, Manning picked them apart, completing 69.6 percent of his passes for four touchdowns and no interceptions. The second time around, the Eagles limited Manning and the Giants to just 10 points.

In Week 8, the Eagles shut out the Cowboys through three quarters en route to a 34-7 victory. So yes, there were some good moments to go along with the bad. But the bottom line is this will be Castillo's second season as a defensive coach in the NFL. That's why skepticism about whether he can game-plan against Rodgers, Brees and company is justified.

3. HOW BOWLES FITS IN

In the end, it appears Reid viewed Bowles as a guy who could help Castillo and the defense. When asked if Bowles would have more of a role than other position coaches in terms of game-planning, Reid was quick to point out that this is still Castillo's defense, and he is in charge. And really, that's the stance Reid had to take.

When he moved Castillo from offensive line coach to defensive coordinator, players (whether they admitted it or not) had their doubts about the move. After a disappointing 2011, Reid waited until 30 days after the season ended to confirm that Castillo would be returning in the same role. Now that his staff is in place, Reid has to do his best to make sure the players in the locker room believe in Castillo.

But looking at the defense as a whole, Jim Washburn is in charge of the front four. He had success in his first season here and should be able to build on that in 2012. Perhaps the plan now is to give Bowles (who had been interviewed for a pair of head-coaching jobs) a similar level of autonomy, making things easier on Castillo.

4. FOCUSING ON THE OFFENSE

When asked about the team's blown leads, Reid pointed out that the Eagles' offense only scored three points in the fourth quarters of those games.

This is probably something I should have done earlier in the season, but I went back and looked at those games, against the Falcons, Giants, 49ers, Bears and Cardinals. The Eagles' offense had 13 drives that started in the fourth quarters. The results were:

4 - Turnover on downs
3 - Punts
3 - Interceptions
1 - Fumble
1 - Missed field goal
1 - Field goal

Look at those numbers. Simply a horrible lack of production from the offense. To be fair, Mike Kafka was the quarterback for three of those drives (one turnover on downs, two interceptions). Jeremy Maclin had a key drop and a fumble. Michael Vick had his share of issues. And Alex Henery missed a 33-yard field goal against San Francisco.

In other words, Reid's point was a fair one. Yes, the defense let the Eagles down. But the offense needs to realize it came up short on several occasions as well.

5. SHIFTING NOW TO PERSONNEL

Now that we've heard from Reid and he has his staff in place, the pressure shifts to Howie Roseman. This team has certain things it does very well: running the football with LeSean McCoy, rushing the passer with the front four.

It has to upgrade at linebacker. It has to figure out what to do with DeSean Jackson, and have a plan in place if Jackson doesn't return. And it has to decide whether to deal Asante Samuel.

There are other issues to sort out, but those are the main ones. Teams can start using the franchise tag on Feb. 20. The combine takes place in Indy Feb. 22-28. And free agency starts at 4 p.m. on March 13.

The Eagles have no built-in excuses for 2012. They'll get a full offseason. The only major change on the coaching staff is Bowles replacing Johnnie Lynn. And Vick gets a full offseason to work with Reid and Marty Mornhinweg.

It's time for Reid and Roseman to put together a Super Bowl-caliber roster in the next three months.

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There are two scenarios in which teams around the league will have a chance to acquire DeSean Jackson this offseason.

If the Eagles don't franchise Jackson AND don't come to a long-term agreement with him, he'll become an unrestricted free agent.

If the Eagles decide to franchise Jackson, they could still look to trade him. But that would require two things:

1. A potential trade partner meeting the Eagles' asking price, in terms of compensation.
2. A potential trade partner coming to terms on a long-term agreement with Jackson (and Drew Rosenhaus).

In other words, it could happen. But it's not as simple as it sounds.

League sources tell the Daily News' Paul Domowitch that Jackson's opinion of his worth continues to be far different from the Eagles'. So it doesn't look like this situation is going to be resolved any time soon.

An important factor to consider is Jackson's place in the wide receiver market. Teams looking for pass-catching help could have some attractive options this offseason.

RotoWorld.com has a list out of pending free-agent wide receivers. Below is a breakdown of how some of the marquee names stack up statistically, using numbers from the past three seasons.

The columns are: age, receptions per game, yards per game, yards per catch, touchdowns and drop rate, which is a simple metric from Pro Football Focus that measures percentage of catchable balls that were dropped. In other words, the lower the drop rate, the better.

I realize there are a lot of numbers here. Let's break them down by category.

AGE

DeSean is the youngest of the group. It feels like he's been with the Eagles forever, but DeSean just turned 25 in December. Everyone on the list above is 30 or younger, except for Wayne. And there are a couple other names that I didn't include, like New Orleans' Robert Meachem (27) and the Giants' Mario Manningham (25).

PRODUCTION

Welker leads the group in catches per game and yards per game, although we have to take quarterback situations into account. While Welker's been catching balls from Tom Brady, Johnson, Lloyd and Bowe have dealt with far accomplished passing partners.

Welker, Lloyd and Wayne have averaged more yards per game than DeSean. Bowe, Vincent Jackson, Colston, DeSean Jackson, Wayne and Lloyd all fall between 67.7 and 76.7 yards per game.

Welker, Wayne and Colston average the most catches per game.

BIG PLAYS

DeSean does the most damage among the group when he catches the ball. Only three of the receivers above have averaged more than 15 yards per catch in the past three seasons: DeSean (19.0), Vincent Jackson (17.8) and Lloyd (16.3). Those are the home run hitters.

HANDS AND DROP RATE

To reiterate, drop rate is simply the percentage of catchable balls that are dropped. DeSean has the worst hands among this group, dropping 13.1 percent of the catchable balls thrown his way in the past three seasons (I wrote more about that in December). In 2011, he had nine drops in the Eagles' first 10 games, but zero drops in the final five.

Vincent Jackson's drop rate was 11.8 percent last season, but overall, he's had excellent hands (6.9 percent).

Bowe, Johnson and Garcon have all had their fair share of issues with drops.

TOUCHDOWNS/RED ZONE

DeSean has just four red-zone touchdowns in the past three seasons, the fewest of any receiver in this group. Welker (41 catches, 15 touchdowns) and Colston (35 catches, 15 touchdowns) have been the best red-zone receivers.

Bowe, (13 RZ TDs), Wayne (13 RZ TDs), Johnson (12 RZ TDs) and Vincent Jackson (11 RZ TDs) have all been far bigger threats in the red zone than DeSean.

As for overall touchdowns, Bowe and Colston (24 apiece) have the most in this group. To be fair, I shuold note that DeSean has had three non-receiving touchdowns in the past three seasons.

WHO WILL BE AVAILABLE?

While none of the wide receivers on the list above are currently under contract for 2012, that could change. Some could be hit with the franchise tag; others could agree to long-term deals with their current teams.

Teams can use the franchise tag between Feb. 20 and March 5. Free agency begins at 4 p.m. on March 13.

Some notes and links on where things stand now with a few of them:

Vincent Jackson wants to stay in San Diego, and the Chargers want to keep him, according to Dan Pompei of the National Football Post. But the two sides would obviously need to agree on terms.

Patriots Owner Robert Kraft has gone on record saying he wants Welker back.

As of Friday, the Bills and Johnson had not had contract talks, according to his agent.

You'd think the Saints and Chiefs, respectively, would want Colston and Bowe back, given their track records, but nothing has been decided in either case.

It's important to keep an eye on how some of these other contract situations play out when considering Jackson's future. Back in August, I made the argument that DeSean was as valuable as Santonio Holmes, but after 2011, the Jets look silly for giving Holmes a five-year, $50M contract with $24M guaranteed.

Vincent Jackson's situation could be of particular interest to DeSean and the Eagles. Both Vincent Jackson and DeSean are big-play receivers, not high-volume guys. Their numbers, in terms of catches, yards and touchdowns are relatively similar. Vincent Jackson (6-5, 241) is much bigger, has better hands is more of a threat in the red zone. DeSean, however, is four years younger and can do damage as a return man (even though he was quiet in that role last season).

If the Eagles decide to part ways with DeSean, they could make a play for one of the other free agent receivers. Or they could try to replace DeSean with a high draft pick.

We are about six weeks away from the start of free agency, but keep an eye on which of the receivers above work out new deals with their respective teams before then. The wide receiver market could look significantly different by the time the Eagles have to decide whether to franchise DeSean.

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When Marty Mornhinweg's name surfaced as a potential head-coaching candidate in Oakland and Indianapolis, many wondered whether Brad Childress would return to Philadelphia to replace him.

While Mornhinweg got an interview with the Raiders, he was not offered the job and remains with the Eagles.

Childress, meanwhile, was hired last week as the Browns' new offensive coordinator. And while Andy Reid has yet to update us with what he has in store for his own staff, he spoke to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer about how Childress will fit with head coach Pat Shurmur.

"Pat's a heck of a play-caller, and Brad's a heck of a play-caller, and I think that's a heck of a combination," Reid said. "Both of them can bounce things off of each other. That's what Brad did here with me, and that's what Pat did here with me. So, whether I was calling the plays or they were calling the plays, we had an open communication where we could talk and make the best of whatever situation there was."

The three "heck of a" references in one sentence may be a record - even for Reid.

"You hire guys that are driven and smart, and both of them fall under that category," Reid said. "Both of them have a great work ethic, and they understand the game, and they have a whole lot of football smarts. They're smart guys away from the football field, too, but they really know the game."

As for Reid's silence in Philadelphia, I don't have a big problem with it. If he doesn't have his staff in place yet and is still trying to get things figured out, why call a press conference and say nothing? That would only draw more criticism. I'm not saying he's going to unveil some master plan in the end, but it's never been Reid's M.O. to update the media and the public with what he's doing behind the scenes. Not sure why anyone's expecting him to start now.

REID ON FOURTH DOWN

Jim Armstrong recently wrote a piece for Football Outsiders, which measured how aggressive coaches were on fourth down last season.

He uses a metric called Aggressiveness Index. Here's the definition:

To compute AI, we analyzed fourth-down decisions when the offense was in the opponent’s territory, where a coach’s tendencies were most distinguished from his peers. We also excluded obvious catch-up situations: Third quarter, trailing by 15 or more points; Fourth quarter, trailing by 9 or more points; Last five minutes of the game, trailing by any amount. AI measures how often a coach attempted a fourth-down conversion compared to the league averages in similar situations, based on the field position and the distance needed for a first down.

In 2011, Reid was the 12th-most aggressive coach in the league, going for it on nine of the 46 situations described above. Among the most aggressive coaches were Steve Spagnuolo, Jim Harbaugh, Mike Smith and Sean Payton. Ron Rivera, John Fox, Leslie Frazier and Rex Ryan were among the least aggressive.

The Aggressiveness Index dates back to 1992. In that time, Reid has been the least aggressive coach in the NFL. Mike Holmgren, Mike Tomlin and Rex Ryan are also near the bottom.

Guess who's the most aggressive? Rich Kotite.

Bill Belichick, Smith and George Seifert are also near the top.

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Todd Herremans played 1,094 snaps last season, tied for most on the Eagles with Jason Kelce, according to Pro Football Focus.

Today, he was named to USA Today's All-Joe Team, which rewards "first-rate players who receive second-rate recognition." Only players who have never been named to the Pro Bowl are eligible. Here's their writeup on Herremans:

A starting guard his first six NFL seasons, he shifted to right tackle in 2011, a move that made him Michael Vick's blind-side bodyguard. Philadelphia's 6,386 yards were a team record.

After the Eagles failed with a few different options at right tackle during training camp, Herremans stepped in and played well. With him and Jason Peters, the Eagles have a couple of good tackles going into 2012.

Brent Celek was also named to the All-Joe team:

Tough yards are his forte. According to STATS Inc., his 8.1 yards after the catch (and he had 62 receptions) was the best among all tight ends in 2011. Celek is also an effective blocker, a trait not all modern tight ends are known for.

MOCKING THE EAGLES

One more mock draft released today. This one from Don Banks of SI.com. Like many others, he's got the Eagles taking Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly at No. 15:

When you say the words "linebacker" and "Boston College" in the same sentence, Eagles fans still instantly think of Mike Mamula, the team's over-hyped first-rounder in 1995. But Kuechly is this year's finest inside linebacker prospect, and that's where the crying need lies on Philly's defense.

I rounded up some other mock drafts and links yesterday.

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Here's the weekly roundup of what the national media are saying about the Eagles:

ESPN.com's Mel Kiper recently "re-drafted" the 2006 class. The Eagles had the 14th pick that year and selected defensive tackle Brodrick Bunkley. But if they could do it all over again, Kiper says the Birds would end up with defensive end Elvis Dumervil:

He's faced a major injury, and even then Dumervil is exactly a half-sack behind Mario Williams one behind Tamba Hali, and this after being taken No. 126 overall. Sure, he faced height questions, but Dumervil simply gets to quarterbacks.

Football Outsiders released its All Keep-Chopping Wood team, which recognizes players and coaches who did the most to help their teams lose games in 2011. Casey Matthews and Juan Castillo made it for the Eagles. Writes Tom Gower:

Really, though, naming Castillo defensive coordinator because he wanted to coach defense is like naming [Santonio] Holmes an offensive captain because you want him to show more leadership. It may work out, but you are just asking for trouble.

Pro Football Weekly rounded up anonymous quotes from NFL scouts, coaches and front-office personnel, one of whom ripped into Michael Vick:

"Jim Mora (Sr.) had it right. Michael Vick is a coach killer. The Eagles made a mistake signing him long-term. I can tell you right now — he was a machine the first half of 2010, and then he ... started turning the ball over. You cannot win a Super Bowl with a guy that is that inconsistent. They said he was hurt. I'm not sure they didn't bench him after he started 3-8 going back to last year (counting Vick's two season-ending losses a year ago). If I'm Andy Reid, I'm looking hard at Matt Flynn right now."

That seems like quite a conspiracy theory. Benching Vick in favor of Vince Young? Did this source see Young play? I have a tough time buying that one.

Meanwhile, in his mock draft, Nolan Nawrocki of Pro Football Weekly has the Eagles taking Mississippi State defensive tackle Fletcher Cox at No. 15:

The key to the Eagles' success defensively has been the strong play of their line. When Cullen Jenkins and Mike Patterson are healthy, they are difficult to handle, but neither has been a model of durability, and the team's depth could take a hit with contract situations for Trevor Laws and Derek Landri to be dealt with.

Russ Lande of the Sporting News has the Eagles going with Florida State offensive tackle Andrew Datko at No. 15:

Michael Vick has taken a pounding, partly because of his style of play, but also because of offensive line struggles. Datko can play tackle or guard.

Can't say I agree with Lande here. I thought the offensive line was pretty good. And the players who struggled were rookies. If the Eagles let Evan Mathis go (which seems unlikely), maybe they go offensive line early. But otherwise, it seems like a stretch.

Peter Schrager of FoxSports.com ranks all 45 Super Bowls. He has Super Bowl XV (the Eagles' 27-10 loss to the Raiders) ranked 29th. And he has Super Bowl XXXIX (the Eagles' 24-21 loss to the Patriots) ranked 23rd.

LeSean McCoy, Jason Peters, Evan Mathis, Trent Cole, Cullen Jenkins, Asante Samuel and Colt Anderson all made Pro Football Focus' All-NFC East Team:

There wasn’t a more consistent Eagles player this year than McCoy. It became impossible to count how many times he turned plays that should have been losses into gains seemingly after a single game. Our top rated rusher forced 49 missed tackles in the ground game. It’s worth mentioning Ahmad Bradshaw and Demarco Murray too who would have made the conversation much more interesting if not for injury problems.

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Les Bowen and Jeff McLane caught up with Howie Roseman down at the Senior Bowl yesterday to get his thoughts on a variety of topics.

One of them was the organization's issues with adequately addressing the linebacker position. In the interview, Roseman indicated that the Eagles wanted to make a move at linebacker last offseason (whether that was in free agency, through trade or in the draft), but it didn't work out.

Which brings us to this offseason.

The Eagles' defensive line is in good shape going into 2012. They may swap a couple of rotational guys, but my guess is the core (Jason Babin, Trent Cole, Mike Patterson and Cullen Jenkins) will stay in place.

In the secondary, they have to make a decision on Asante Samuel and possibly add some depth, depending on how they view guys like Curtis Marsh and Brandon Hughes. And at safety, they have to decide whether Nate Allen, Kurt Coleman and Jaiquawn Jarrett can be above-average starters.

But linebacker is the one area where the Eagles have to get better.

One option would be the draft. Mike Mayock of NFL Network recently released his list of the top five prospects at each position. Here's who he has at linebacker:

1. Courtney Upshaw, Alabama
2. Luke Kuechly, Boston College
3. Dont'a Hightower, Alabama
4. Zach Brown, North Carolina
5. Vontaze Burflict, Arizona State

Kuechly is the most common name I've seen linked to the Eagles at No. 15 in mock drafts. Both Brown and Burflict have been mentioned too.

Upshaw is considered a hybrid outside linebacker/defensive end. And Wes Bunting of the National Football Post praises Hightower's ability against the run, but thinks he's probably better suited for a 3-4.

The Eagles have not drafted a linebacker in the first round since 1979 (Jerry Robinson).

Below is a look at the nine linebackers who were named AP All Pros this past season (first and second teams), along with where they were drafted.

Of course, several of the names on the list (Hali, Ware, Suggs, Miller) are more hybrid DE/LB types.

But as you can see, seven of the nine linebackers on the list were first-round picks. The only two that were not were Bowman and Fletcher.

The Eagles have taken nine linebackers in the past five drafts: Casey Matthews (4th/2011); Brian Rolle (6th/2011); Greg Lloyd (7th/2011); Keenan Clayton (4th/2010); Jamar Chaney (7th/2010); Moise Fokou (7th/2009); Joe Mays (6th/2008); Andy Studebaker (6th, 2008); Stewart Bradley (3rd, 2007).

However, none of have been taken in the first two rounds and only one, Bradley, has been taken in the first three rounds.

The Eagles could instead (or additionally) opt to add a linebacker or two via free agency.

Rotoworld.com has a master list of players who will be available. There are some intriguing names like Atlanta's Curtis Lofton, who is only 25 years old and was fifth in the league with 147 tackles last season, according to NFL.com. He's also a team captain and seems like the kind of player Atlanta would want to hold on to.

Fletcher was the league's top tackler and earned an All-Pro nod for the first time in his career, but he turns 37 in May. Stephen Tulloch was a free agent last offseason, but only signed a one-year deal with the Lions. He played behind the wide-nine in both Detroit and Tennessee.

Unlike last year, the Eagles will be working with a "normal" offseason. And regardless of who's running the defense, Roseman and Andy Reid need to upgrade the talent at linebacker.

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Over the weekend, I linked to a National Football Post report that said Steve Spagnuolo's decision came down to the Eagles and the Saints.

And he chose New Orleans in large part because Drew Brees provided a better chance than Michael Vick and the Birds to win the Super Bowl.

But there were other factors involved as well.

SI.com's Peter King says one of them was Jim Washburn:

Someone Who Knows told me a major roadblock to Steve Spagnuolo taking the defensive coordinator job in Philadelphia was the presence of very strong personality Jim Washburn on the defensive line.

King's note is interesting because he mentions Washburn's personality, not his system.

Last offseason, Andy Reid hired Washburn to coach the defensive line before appointing a defensive coordinator. By all accounts, the Eagles' pass rush was among the best in the NFL under Washburn. The Birds finished with 50 sacks (tied for a league-high), and 46 of them came from defensive linemen. If you look at which defensive players met or exceeded expectations, almost all played on the defensive line. (Jason Babin, Trent Cole, Cullen Jenkins, Mike Patterson).

During the past several weeks, there's been a lot of talk about whether the wide-9 could co-exist with a system that relied on blitzing and dropping linemen back into coverage. Paul Domowitch of the Daily News wrote a good piece for SportsWeek saying yes, the two aspects could co-exist.

But apparently, Spagnuolo's reluctance had more to do with Washburn's strong personality than his system. During the Eagles' loss to the Patriots last season, Washburn and Marty Mornhinweg had to be separated after a heated exchange on the sideline.

King also reports that Sean Payton emphasized three things during his pursuit of Spagnuolo: winning, Brees and total autonomy. Obviously, his recruiting pitch worked.

As for the Eagles, Les Bowen of the Daily News and Jeff McLane of the Inquirer are reporting from the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., where Juan Castillo isn't saying much.

It seems clear now that the Eagles were interested in Spagnuolo, but no one knows for sure in what capacity. Plan B could either be to fall back on Castillo or pursue another coach.

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