TGIDD.
Thank God It's Draft Day.
The last chance for mock drafts has gone.
Now, it's time to select those college players NFL teams think they need so, so bad.
After months and months of scrutinizing players at all-star games, scouting combines and pro workout days, the Eagles and every other team in the league will finally get a chance to turn their picks into actual people.
If you're interested only in what the Eagles do in this draft, you are going to have to wait a little while longer, because if the Eagles stick with their allotted 26th overall pick in the first round, they will not make their selection until after 6 o'clock tonight.
Anyway, here's one final look at what the Eagles might do with their first-round selection:
A. Draft a safety.
B. Draft a cornerback.
C. Draft a defensive end.
D. Draft a linebacker.
E. Trade down and get an extra pick in the third or fourth round.
F. None of the above.
If the answer is A, the safety options appear to be Florida's Reggie Nelson, Miami's Brandon Meriweather, Texas' Michael Griffin, and Virginia Tech's Aaron Rouse.
Most draft experts project that Nelson will be gone by the time the Eagles pick, but the three other players on that list should be available.
Eagles general manager Tom Heckert said he believed that Meriweather, Griffin and Rouse could play either safety spot. Nelson, meanwhile, was more of a centerfielder at Florida, patrolling the secondary for interceptions rather than approaching the line of scrimmage to stop the run.
"I wouldn't call that a concern," Heckert said. "It's something you have to think about because you don't get to see him do it. I think he's tough enough and he comes up and tackles, but he has not been a box guy."
If the Eagles opt for Meriweather, it will be a fascinating selection just because of his controversial involvement in an ugly brawl Miami had during a game with Florida International last season.
"That's something we're really investigating," Heckert said.
Should the Eagles elect to go with Option B - and take a cornerback - they should have an opportunity to get a good one late in the first round.
"I think it's a pretty deep draft at cornerback," Heckert said, adding that he believes a total of five cornerbacks could be selected in the first round.
