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Draft buzz: If the Eagles trade up...

Some draft nuggets to get to:

* ESPN's Adam Schefter Tweeted Monday afternoon that the Eagles and Patriots are among the teams open to trading up if the right player is available. But don't get carried away. We are three days away from the draft, and chances are, the Eagles are open to pretty much anything. Trading up? Sure. Staying put? That too. What about trading down? Also an option.

The truth is, that probably puts them in the same category as the other 31 teams. I doubt any team has completely ruled out any of those options. They'll see how the picks play out Thursday night and make decisions. That's how the draft works.

It is worth noting that the Eagles have made first-round trades in each of the past four seasons. In 2007 and 2008, they traded down. In 2009 and 2010, they traded up to pick Jeremy Maclin and Brandon Graham, respectively.

* With that being said, the obvious question is: Who are the players the Eagles might be willing to trade up for? Everyone knows they need a cornerback, but LSU's Patrick Peterson is expected to go in the top five so it would seem unlikely that they'd be able to make a move for him. Here are two names (guesses!) to keep an eye on: Nebraska cornerback Prince Amukamara and Purdue defensive end Ryan Kerrigan.

Amukamara seems to be a consensus top-three corner and would instantly fill a need for the Birds.

And Kerrigan (6-4, 267) could be the play-making defensive end the Eagles are looking for. He put together an impressive college resume, earning All-American honors as a senior and setting a Big Ten record by forcing 14 fumbles (to go along with 33.5 sacks) in his career.

I did a couple draft preview videos with Domo that will post later this week, and he mentioned that scouts/personnel people feel Kerrigan would be a great match with new defensive line coach Jim Washburn.

* A couple workouts/visits I have not written about yet...

Virginia Tech cornerback Rashad Carmichael had a private workout with Eagles defensive coordinator Juan Castillo last week, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post.

Carmichael (5-10, 192) ran a 4.56 40-yard dash at the combine. He started the last two seasons for the Hokies. Most draft projections have Carmichael as a mid-round pick.

* Clemson defensive end Miguel Chavis is drawing interest from the Birds, a league source tells Wilson. ESPN.com has him ranked as the 49th-best defensive tackle, meaning he's likely looking to catch on somewhere as an undrafted free agent.

* Earlier Monday, I took a look at how draft misses on defense in the early rounds have hurt the Eagles over the years.

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