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Eric Rowe was sold on Eagles early, glad they were sold on him

Defensive back from Utah is another Chip Kelly type of player, who has a strong work ethic.

ERIC ROWE said his final NFL predraft visit was to Philadelphia, and, by time he headed home, he was sold.

"After my visit, I was like, 'I want to go here so bad.' But it's not like college, where I get to pick," Rowe said on a conference call last night, after the Eagles traded up from 52nd overall in the second round to 47th in order to select Rowe, a 6-0 1/2, 205-pound cornerback and safety from Utah.

What Rowe said about feeling as if he fit in with the Eagles' culture, about liking what he heard from the team's coaches, sounded remarkably similar to what first-round pick Nelson Agholor had said earlier in the day.

This is Chip Kelly's draft. Clearly, he is selecting players who fit not only a physical template, but an intellectual and emotional one as well. It'll be a surprise if we ever hear Agholor or Rowe question Kelly's training methods or practice emphases.

"They really liked me. I'm glad they took me, because I like them, too," said Rowe, who started three years at safety, then shifted to corner as a senior. "Out of all the team visits, I felt like their culture was different. They're doing things a different way . . . I was like, 'Man, I want to join this type of culture and team.' "

Earlier, wideout Agholor said he felt the Eagles' coaches "were really genuine people . . . truly special people, and really genuine with the conversation and how they went about their meetings . . . We have truly special people here - the coaching staff and the players that they bring into this organization."

Rowe said Agholor was the best Pac-12 receiver he covered last season.

Kelly said he would "throw into the mix" with the other defensive backs and see where he fits, but later in his news conference, the coach said Rowe "may start out at corner for us." Kelly also called him "that big, physical press corner we're looking for."

Either spot, Rowe could fill a huge need for what was the league's 31st-ranked pass defense in 2014. Fans probably would say Nate Allen's vacated safety spot is a bigger need.

Kelly said Rowe "was the guy we targeted since the ended night. He's off the charts, what he can do from a physical standpoint. He ran a 4.45 40, he was a 3.94 in the short shuttle, he had one of the best three-cone at the combine, 39 inches in the vertical jump, reps in the bench press. When you look at it from a height, weight, speed factor, he was in the top 25 percent of all the defensive backs that were out there, and I think in most cases, in the top 10 percent."

Rowe, the ninth Pac-12 player taken out of the first 17 picks of the Kelly era, never actually played against Oregon when Kelly was there, but he got the coach's attention last season after moving so smoothly from safety to corner. Kelly left the NFL Meetings in Arizona in late March and went straight to Utah's pro day, to see Rowe perform.

"I wouldn't have been surprised if he had gone a lot earlier," said Kelly, who added that Rowe and similarly versatile UConn corner Byron Jones were players the Eagles grouped together. Jones went in the first round, 27th overall, to Dallas.

The Eagles gave Miami both their fifth-round picks, getting back a sixth-rounder, to move up from 52 to 47 and draft Rowe. So they have a fourth (113) today, the two sixths (191 and 196) and a seventh (237), just before the three-day draft concludes.

Kelly said that on tape, Rowe could explain Utah's coverages for both safeties and corners, with ease.

"Very good football IQ," Kelly said.

"A physical, press competitor," Rowe said, when asked to describe himself.

"I love to hit, I love to come on the blitz and tackle. On the press-man, I love to take charge on the line of scrimmage. I would say I'm an aggressive corner."

Some evaluators faulted Rowe's ball-tracking skills; he managed only three interceptions in 47 career games at Utah. He also is said to need to add muscle, to make his aggressive play more effective.

The Eagles want taller corners who can press and safeties who can cover. They signed corners Byron Maxwell and Walter Thurmond in free agency, but were unable to find a safety who fit.

Landon Collins, the most-publicized safety in the run-up to the draft, was the first player taken in the second round last night, by the Giants, who traded up with the Titans. Collins was often mocked to the Eagles in the first round, but it became clear in recent weeks that his "box safety" reputation did not mesh with their emphasis on coverage.

Next off the board, to Tampa Bay, was Penn State offensive tackle Donovan Smith. Smith and La'el Collins were the highest-rated o-linemen to visit the Eagles during the draft process. Collins is the LSU tackle whose draft stock seems to have been dramatically affected by police seeking him for questioning about his relationship with a pregnant former girlfriend who was shot to death last week.

Yet another Collins, LSU corner Jalen, was drafted 42nd overall by the Falcons. He visited the Eagles, but there was a late report about failed drug tests.

Former West Catholic High and Arizona State wideout Jaelen Strong lasted until the third round, 70th overall. He also attracted interest from the Eagles.

With the 84th overall selection in the third, the Eagles took inside linebacker Jordan Hicks, out of Texas.

Blog: ph.ly/Eagletarian