Eagles more likely to move down from No. 23 in draft than to move up

THE EAGLES were one of the stars of the NFL's first prime-time draft last year, executing a bold draft-night trade that allowed them to jump from No. 24 to No. 13 in the first round and grab the latest pass rusher of their dreams, Brandon Graham.

It marked the fourth time in 8 years that the Eagles had traded up in the first round. Don't look for them to make it 5-for-9 next week, though.

With Kevin Kolb in dry dock until this senseless lockout is over, the Eagles can only sit and wonder just how hefty a price they might have received for their coveted backup quarterback. The Bengals, who own the fourth overall pick in the draft, and the Cardinals, who have the fifth, both had expressed interest in him before the lockout went into effect last month. So had the 49ers (seventh pick) and the Vikings (12th).

As things stand, the Eagles own 10 picks in the 3-day draft, including the 23rd selection in the first round. If they're going to move anywhere next Thursday, there appears to be a better chance it will be down than up.

"We're open to explore any options that we think make us better," general manager Howie Roseman said yesterday in a predraft question-and-answer session with reporters at the NovaCare Complex. "Whether it's moving up or moving down, we're open.

"I wouldn't be shocked if we drafted there [at 23]. I also wouldn't be surprised if we got a great offer and moved down. We're open to all those options. We're in a great place in the draft for somebody to get some of those quarterbacks."

Roseman is referring to the second tier of quarterbacks in the draft after Auburn's Cam Newton and Missouri's Blaine Gabbert, who both are expected to go in the top 10. Players like Jake Locker (Washington), Andy Dalton (TCU), Ryan Mallett (Arkansas), Colin Kaepernick (Nevada), Christian Ponder (Florida State) and Ricky Stanzi (Iowa).

With so many teams in the league desperate for quarterback help, many league personnel people, including Roseman, expect a run on some of those second-tier guys in the latter part of the first round. Roseman made it clear yesterday that the Eagles' pick most certainly is for sale for the right price.

"People are interested in moving up," he said. "They know right around where we pick, if they want to get a quarterback and want to make sure they get the one they want, I think it's an area you can come and move to."

Talk about your shameless huckstering. He sounds like a guy in a commercial for a Florida retirement community. But it's clear the Eagles wouldn't be averse to trading down. It's not like they haven't done it before. They traded out of the first round in 2007 and '08.

The Eagles hardly are a team without needs. They need help at cornerback. They need help at linebacker. With Graham recovering from a torn ACL and Juqua Parker just a few weeks shy of his 33rd birthday, they still need help at defensive end. They need to upgrade the protection on Michael Vick's blindside.

The Eagles weren't able to address any of those needs in free agency since the lockout has put the free-agency signing period on indefinite hold.

Because of that, many draft analysts think there will be more teams reaching for needs in this year's draft.

"More needs have been created by this situation," said Charley Casserly, a former general manager with Washington and Houston who now works as an analyst for CBS and the NFL Network.

"When you set your draft board, you shouldn't be considering need. You set it by the ability of the players regardless of what your needs are. But because there was no free agency, you may have an extra need and you may have to sit there and fill that position [in the draft] because you don't know if you'll be able to fill it in free agency.

"It will be interesting to see if teams do start reaching for players. You may have some reaches this year that are going to be bigger gambles than you had in the past."

Roseman begs to differ. He says he actually likes the fact that the draft is coming before free agency. He thinks it will give teams, including the Eagles, more flexibility in their selections next week rather than less.

"I think you're going to be able to go and take the best players regardless of position because at some point you're going to have another avenue to address those needs and fill them," the Eagles' GM said. "Usually at this point, you've already gone through free agency. The bulk of the players have been signed and you go into the draft and say, 'Well, I still don't have this. For us to compete at the highest level, we probably need to fill this.'

"Now, you're kind of open. You can say, 'I can take anyone and eventually when it comes around to those other avenues to address, if I need something on a short-term basis, I can go get it.' You just want to make sure you come out of it with a good player and that you're not going, 'I took this player just because I felt like I had to.' "

If the Eagles stay at 23, it's likely they'll select an offensive or defensive lineman. While you can make the case that cornerback is a bigger need right now, the draft's two top corners -LSU's Patrick Peterson and Nebraska's Prince Amukamara - will be long gone by 23. The only other corner who comes close to those two talentwise is Colorado's Jimmy Smith. But he has character issues.

Roseman said "there are other avenues" for getting a starting corner, meaning free agency, whenever that will be.

"The interesting thing about this draft on the defensive line is it's really strong at the top," he said. "Last year, it was a stronger overall class. So if you want one, you'd better get one pretty early."

The league announced that it will have former players announce the second-round selections of the teams they played for next week. Troy Vincent will announce the Eagles' second-round pick. Vincent, a former Pro Bowl cornerback for the Eagles, now works for the league as its director of player development . . .

Last year, the Eagles were involved in 11 draft-related trades, including five before the draft. They ended up selecting 13 players. "We just thought we needed to get a bunch of players in here," Roseman said. "And there were a lot of players we liked. We don't go in saying we're going to make a certain amount of trades. But we go in open to the idea." . . .

In a story in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Kevin Kolb said that while he hopes to be traded, if he isn't, he'll return to the Eagles and continue to be a good soldier. "That's the kind of guy Kevin is," Roseman said. "He's a team player. He's a competitor. He wants to start. But that's a testament to his character."

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