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Brandon Graham eager for Eagles to grab impact player for d-line

After a subpar 2016 season, Eagles defensive end knows that a strong edge rusher could be crucial to a tougher defense

BRANDON GRAHAM said he won't mind if the Eagles draft an edge rusher in the first round of next Thursday's NFL draft.

"I wouldn't be surprised, because I want them to bring in whoever's going to help us win. I've been here (since 2010). I want to be a part of something great, and that's bringing a championship to Philly," Graham said Tuesday, when he and middle linebacker Jordan Hicks met with reporters, on the second day of Phase 1 of the Eagles' offseason program. "Whoever they feel is fit at that position, I'm just excited to bring 'em in and welcome 'em."

To some fans, it seems puzzling that the team would consider an edge rusher at 14th overall; there are more pressing roster needs, notably cornerback, where the Birds just about have to come up with a long-term starter, after bidding farewell to Leodis McKelvin and Nolan Carroll and adding only Patrick Robinson in free agency. The Eagles have Graham on the edge, along with 2012 second-rounder Vinny Curry, and free-agent signee Chris Long, in addition to disappointing 2014 first-round pick Marcus Smith and 2016 seventh-round pick Alex McCalister, who spent the season on injured reserve.

And in fact, earlier this week on 94WIP, the defensive end said "either corner or running back" when asked what he was looking for from the first round.

But defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz's concept works best with a dominant pass rush that doesn't require a lot of blitzing. The Eagles got off to a good start in this area last season, then really bogged down. Their final total of 34 sacks was the team's lowest since 2012. Adding Long (four sacks last season) pretty much just replaces the departed Connor Barwin (five sacks). The rush could use a turbo boost, from somewhere.

"Last year, we started off hot, and then we were looking for the sacks a little too much, I guess," said Graham, who was in the backfield a lot, but totaled only 5.5 sacks. "The worry was a little too much on sacks, rather than on just going out there and playing freely, like we were in the beginning, when there were no expectations . . . With the leadership of me, Fletch (DT Fletcher Cox) and Chris now in our room, I think it's going to trickle down to where we're just going to go out there and play, and not worry about nothing, just have fun."

Graham knows the rush is what makes Schwartz's defense work.

"I don't want us to go out here and they say, 'Oh, we didn't have the sacks we wanted.' I want the guys that they bring in here to help us right away, and if (the decision-makers) feel that's what we need, then that's what we're going to do," Graham said.

Graham, the Eagles' 2010 first-rounder, said he keeps an eye on the top college stars. The pass-rusher most often mentioned in connection with the Eagles is Tennessee's Derek Barnett, though lately, some observers seem to think Barnett will be gone by the 14th pick. The Eagles reportedly hosted Barnett on a visit Monday.

"I like Derek Barnett. I've been looking at some of his highlights," Graham said. "I like (DeMarcus) Walker from Florida State - he's pretty good, he beat us up in the bowl game (a 33-32 Seminoles victory over Graham's alma mater, Michigan). I like (Jordan) Willis from Kansas State . . . Those three are who I've really been watching, because they're big guys and they're relentless and they're effort guys."

When prodded, Graham added his alma mater's pass rusher, 6-6, 277-pound Taco Charlton.

"Taco, too. It's deep. There's a lot of guys. That was just off the top of my head. But Taco, I believe, has got the body that you want. I think he plays hard - I just didn't want to be biased because he went to Michigan," Graham said.

The Eagles spent most of their limited free-agency funds on boosting their offense. Long is the most significant defensive addition. Graham said he isn't too concerned about that.

"I feel like somebody that's been here that we're not thinking about right now is gonna step up," he said. "I think every year, we always find out there's a guy in Year 2 or Year 3 that kinda gets it, because I've been through that. A lot of guys didn't think I was gonna pan out to where I did . . . What people can do in a year, it's amazing sometimes, with the mindset of just going out there and working hard, and then it just tends to translate on the field."

Schwartz's scheme aside, the idea of a first-round edge rusher would look as unlikely as the Eagles drafting a first-round quarterback if Curry, who signed a five-year, $46.25 million deal last year, and Smith, whose development has been glacial, had come out of 2016 as established standouts. Curry is now two years removed from that magical 2014 season, when he totaled nine sacks while playing only 32 percent of the defensive snaps.

"Vinny's been working hard. I can tell, just by his body already, he's looking real lean, he's looking ready," Graham said. "His mindset is a lot different than last year. He's going into it with a positive attitude, and I think, for him, he's going to make that leap that we've all been waiting for and that he's been waiting for."

Birdseed

ESPN reported that Brent Celek has agreed to a pay cut from $4 million to $3 million this season, giving the Eagles a tad more spending room . . . Linebacker Mychal Kendricks has been on the trade block this offseason after playing a career-low 27 percent of the Eagles' 2016 defensive snaps. Jordan Hicks said that Kendricks is present for Phase 1 and that his "attitude hasn't wavered" despite the rumors. Kendricks, who has a $4.85 million base salary this season, can make another $150,000 in workout bonuses.

bowenl@phillynews.com

@LesBowen

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