Hall, who was used sparingly in 30 games for the Browns, was more of a toss-in, according to a team source. In addition to the draft picks, Cleveland gave the Eagles two options: Hall and an offensive player. Because the trade came before the draft and before the Eagles acquired 13 picks, they chose the defensive player, the source said.
They simply took a "flier" on Hall, according to the source. It did not pan out.
"We worked him as a linebacker, and also worked him as a defensive end," Eagles coach Andy Reid said. "After the evaluation, we just felt like his best thing would probably be" playing outside linebacker in a 3-4 defensive scheme.
The draft picks, however, netted linebacker Ernie Sims and cornerback Trevard Lindley for the Eagles. They used the fifth-round pick in a three-team trade that brought Sims from Detroit; he enters camp as the starting weak-side linebacker. The Eagles used the fourth-round pick to draft Lindley, who appears to be a solid prospect.
Graham not cracking
Day 3 of the Brandon Graham holdout is in the books.
The countdown until the Eagles' top draft pick reports for camp could reach double digits. That's the indication from sources close to the situation with so many NFL first-round picks - 30 of 32 - not yet under contract.
"Nothing's taken place so far," Reid said when asked for an update on negotiations, "and he needs to be here."
Messages left with Graham's agent, Joel Segal, were not returned.
The Eagles managed to get Allen, their No. 2 pick, into camp Wednesday with relatively little damage. Allen missed only one day of practice and did not lose his starting free-safety spot.
Graham was not guaranteed to start at defensive end, and does not play a signal-calling position such as safety, but his progress could be hampered if he misses time once the full team begins practices on Friday.
