Eagles take safety Allen, then wheel and deal

The first two days of the NFL draft went pretty much according to plan, Eagles coach Andy Reid said.

If so, the blueprint must have looked like a 5-year-old's scribbling.

The Eagles traded, traded, and did some more trading before whittling five picks in the first three rounds into three. A day after packing two third-round picks to move up and grab Michigan defensive end Brandon Graham in the first round, the Eagles added two defensive players to a unit that was among the worst of the Reid era last season.

They took South Florida safety Nate Allen with the fifth pick in the second round, then traded down from their other second-round pick three times before settling on Washington defensive end Daniel Te'o-Nesheim.

Despite all the wheeling and backroom dealing, Reid said the Eagles ended up with the players they had targeted.

"It's been very accurate to how guys have come off the board," Reid said Friday night at the NovaCare Complex. "If I could have known that we were going to end up with these three players, I would have told you I was a happy guy."

Many had expected the Eagles to draft a cornerback with one of their first five picks, if not one of their first three. Longtime starting cornerback Sheldon Brown was traded away this month, and there isn't much public confidence in backup Ellis Hobbs.

Two cornerbacks were taken in the second round, but a run of three corners fell off the board to open the third round. Reid was asked whether the Eagles, who moved back from the 55th overall pick to the 59th and then the 71st before finally standing pat at 86, missed out on a corner they had coveted.

"We were kind of good where we were, and we're not done yet," Reid said.

Indeed, Reid and general manager Howie Roseman were able to bleed five additional late-round picks in trading down from No. 55.

In all, the Eagles will have nine selections in the final four rounds of the draft – four in the fourth round (105th, 121st, 122d, and 125th overall), two in the fifth (134th and 146th), one in the sixth (200th), and two in the seventh (243d and 244th).

"We thought like the latter part of the second round into the fourth round were the strengths of this draft," Reid said. "Obviously, time will tell, but we put ourselves in a pretty good position if that's the case."

Reid didn't rule out the possibility of the Eagles' using all nine picks. But it is unlikely, and he mentioned that the Eagles could parlay those selections into next year's draft.

But for next season, Reid believes he drafted three who can contribute right away. They will have the opportunity, but Allen has probably the best chance of starting. Last season, the Eagles struggled to find a free-safety replacement for the beloved Brian Dawkins.

The 6-foot, 207-pound Allen will get the opportunity to compete with Macho Harris, Quintin Demps, and the newly acquired Marlin Jackson for that opening.

"He has a great eye for the ball – a ball hawk – and he's a very good tackler," Reid said. "I think those two are important things when you're the last guy to the end zone."

Reid said that Allen also could play cornerback, like Jackson, but "right now he's a safety," he added.

Some scouts had Southern Cal's Taylor Mays and Oregon's T.J. Ward rated higher. But Allen, a cover safety better suited to the Eagles' scheme, was the team's "clear choice," according to a team source.

The Eagles didn't have him in for a predraft visit or workout, but they interviewed him at the Indianapolis combine in February.

"They definitely showed interest at the combine," Allen said.

Even though Reid praised his tackling, there had been some concerns about consistency in that discipline.

"I'm just going to come in and show everyone that I can be a consistent tackler," Allen said. "I can always improve in everything."

It might not be a fair label, but Allen always will be known as the primary player the Eagles received from the Redskins for Donovan McNabb. Earlier this month, the Eagles traded their franchise quarterback to the division rivals for the No. 37 pick in this draft and a conditional fourth-rounder next year.

The 22-year-old Allen was asked whether being the draftee that came in the McNabb deal would bring added pressure.

"Not really," Allen said via conference call. "Just being in the NFL draft is an honor to me, just being considered with the whole Donovan McNabb thing."

The 6-3, 263-pound Te'o-Nesheim (pronounced tuh-OH NESS-ime) will be added to the defensive-end rotation and play some defensive tackle, Reid said. Te'o-Nesheim, who met with the Eagles once before the draft, said he wasn't watching it when he was selected.

"I was just lying down and looking at the ceiling," he said.