New Eagles linebacker Sims 'throws his body around'

A FIRST-ROUND linebacker never was a real strong possibility for the Eagles in this week's NFL draft, and it became less likely yesterday when they sent a fifth-round pick to Denver in a three-way trade that brought linebacker Ernie Sims from Detroit to Philadelphia.

(The Lions got tight end Tony Scheffler and a seventh-round pick from the Broncos.)

It was clear from the Eagles' reaction that they see Sims as a potential starter here, which probably means the streak of not drafting a linebacker in the first round since Jerry Robinson in 1979 will remain intact. Sims is a first-round linebacker, just not one drafted by the Eagles. He was the ninth overall pick in 2006 out of Florida State, and was productive his first three seasons despite all the chaos in Detroit, before injuries and a coaching change altered the way he was viewed last season.

"We've looked at Ernie Sims for a couple of years here. We've talked to Detroit on him. He's a fast, aggressive football player, fits our style of defense. We're excited to get him," Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said. Roseman called Sims "a starter in the National Football League" who would compete for a starting job here, presumably either on the weakside, where he was most of the time in Detroit, or on the strongside, where the Eagles finally abandoned the Chris Gocong project, trading him to Cleveland.

"I'll tell you what, you just love watching him play," Roseman said. "He just plays so fast and physical; he throws his body around. I think the fans of Philadelphia are going to love Ernie Sims."

Sims, 6-foot, 230, seems best suited physically to the weakside, but in a conference call with reporters he said he could play any linebacker position. Sims said the Lions mostly played left and right side, so he was sometimes on the strongside, matched against tight ends - a particular area of concern for the Eagles.

"I'm ready for a new beginning," Sims said. "I've been watching Philadelphia for a long time and my [Florida State] teammate, [defensive tackle] Brodrick Bunkley, I've been watching him on film and everything, and I've seen the success they've had. I'm just excited to be a part of it."

Eagles coach Andy Reid said: "Ernie Sims is an impact player at the linebacker position. He brings a lot of energy to our already-energized defense."

Sims, 25, started 56 of the 59 games he played for the Lions, totaling 505 tackles, 2 1/2 sacks, five forced fumbles and one interception. Until suffering shoulder and hamstring injuries last season that kept him out of five games, he never had missed a game. Sims said he is completely healthy now.

Though Sims was named to the Pro Football Weekly all-rookie team after leading the Lions in tackles in 2006, he never became the star Detroit envisioned when it spent such a high pick on him.

"In Detroit, they tried to put everything all together. They tried so many things, they tried so many solutions, but I just think it didn't work," said Sims, drafter by former Lions GM Matt Millen. "We had different head coaches, different defensive coordinators, even different GMs. I loved it in Detroit, but it just didn't work out."

Some recruiting experts considered Sims the best high school player in the country his senior season in Tallahassee, Fla. He opted to stay close to home at Florida State, but he could have gone anywhere. His draft year, NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock said: "I really believe that Ernie Sims is the most explosive-through-the-hips athlete in this draft. As far as an outside linebacker is concerned, everybody has got A.J. Hawk penciled in [as the top LB]. I think Sims has the most upside of any linebacker in the draft. Do I think he's going to be exposed occasionally as a rookie? Yes, he'll overpursue, get fooled on play-action. But when he gets there, he's an explosive hitter, he's going to make plays and I think he can have the kind of impact early in his career that a Derrick Brooks or a Jonathan Vilma did."

Eagles fans ultimately might be glad their team traded for a linebacker rather than trying to draft one. The Reid regime has a record of misses at the linebacker spot, starting with Barry Gardner in the second round in 1999. Asked about that last week, Roseman said he felt maybe in the past the Birds projected qualities, such as the ability to play in space, rather than having actually seen the linebackers do these things in college.

The projection with Sims is much less drastic than with a college player, and the fifth-round stakes certainly are low enough.

"I think he's going to have an opportunity to make plays. The kid is a playmaker, he's been that way in college, he's been that way in the National Football League, just flying around. I think he's going to love our defense," Roseman said.

Sims said he understands the Eagles like to blitz, which he called "something I thrive at."

"I'm just excited to get up there and get to work," Sims said. "[Reid] told me that the players are in the offseason workouts right now, so I'm ready to jump in and learn as much as I can right now. I'm like a sponge right now."

Prosecutors in Northampton County have dropped a marijuana-possession charge filed against Eagles defensive end Juqua Parker last summer, saying there were problems with the Aug. 5 police search that led to Parker's arrest. Parker was riding in a van driven by offensive lineman Todd Herremans during training camp when the vehicle was pulled over in Lower Saucon Township . . . The Eagles now have 10 selections in the 3-day draft that starts Thursday. The fifth-rounder they sent to Denver is 137th overall, acquired from Cleveland . . . The Eagles are up to 26 defensive players under contract . . . The schedule comes out tonight at 7.

For more Eagles coverage and opinion, read the Daily News' Eagles blog, Eagletarian, at www.eagletarian.com.