Paul Domowitch: Eagles rookies hoping to wrest starting spots from veterans

Lindley's decision to stay in school cost him money. The fourth-round signing bonus he got from the Eagles wasn't anywhere close to what he would have received as a first- or second-rounder.

But now he's here, just hoping to make the best of his opportunity.

"I'm just going to come out here every day and work hard and try to either win a starting job or get in the nickel or dime rotation," Lindley said.

The Eagles felt they got a bargain in the fourth round with Lindley. Considering the problems with their pass defense last year and the trade of Brown, they took some heat for not taking a cornerback earlier. But they think they ended up with a first-round-quality cover man.

"The high ankle sprain kind of put a damper on his college season," Reid said. "It happened early and he never really got over that thing, but he didn't want to stop playing, which showed me something.

"He's a quiet guy with a tremendous desire to play the game. So he stayed out there and [played hurt]. I had a chance to talk to Rich Brooks, who was the head coach there, and Rich said that Trevard is, if not the best, one of the best corners he's ever coached, and the best one that he's ever coached at that school.

"We went off his junior year's film [when they evaluated him]. There were three big-time receivers [Florida's Percy Harvin, Alabama's Julio Jones and Georgia's A.J. Green] that he shut down and did a great job against, so he has a lot of potential. We'll see how he does, how he handles it here. But I think he's a very good football player."

Here, in the land of opportunity, that just might translate into a starting job in September.

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