Defensive Line

DT FLETCHER COX, MISSISSIPPI STATE - Tall, athletic and disruptive, some think he could be one of the best defensive players in the draft. His game would fit well with the Eagles. DT DONTARI POE, MEMPHIS - The 346-pound defensive tackle impressed with a stunning 4.98-second 40-yard dash at the combine, but his ability didn't translate into big plays on the field. DT MICHAEL BROCKERS, LSU - Brockers is 6-foot-5 and a powerful force up front but is raw and needs to improve as a pass rusher.

JIM WASHBURN, the Eagles' new defensive line coach, had his leg broken in a sideline collision early last season when he worked for the Tennessee Titans. The experience has not appeared to back him off an inch. Late in the fourth quarter of the Eagles' 13-6 exhibition win over the Baltimore Ravens - a time and a place that pretty much defined meaninglessness - there Washburn was, still right in the middle of things, getting himself run over again on the sideline. This time, it was by Ravens receiver Justin Harper, as he was being ridden out of bounds.

Love them or hate them, the Eagles' draft picks on the defensive line usually have been memorable. They are rarely boring. They have been stars who set standards of Eagles excellence. They have been colorful. They have been busts of historic proportions. They have been hated and loved and have died tragically early. Start at the top, with Reggie White, who was taken in the 1984 supplemental draft and became one of the greatest defensive players in NFL history. He made seven Pro Bowls with the Eagles and six with the Green Bay Packers after leaving as perhaps the most sought-after free agent in NFL history.

FOR THE FIRST time in more than a year, Mike Patterson pulled a helmet on over his head and buckled the chin strap and ran out on a football field. It was only a practice - and a practice without pads, at that - but everyone on the Eagles recognized the milestone. "Fresh legs, fresh legs," is what they shouted at Patterson, a starter at defensive tackle from 2005 until this offseason, when the brain surgery happened. The seizure that overtook him on the practice field at Lehigh in August of 2011 was frightening.

Vinny Curry wore a high-top fade two weeks ago. The rookie second-round pick thought he was going to make his debut at defensive end, and wanted the hairstyle for his first appearance in front of Eagles fans. But Curry was a healthy scratch again. So Curry got another haircut last week. His luck still did not change and he did not dress for the 10th consecutive game. Eagles fans finally will get to see Curry in Week 12. He likely will be active for Monday's game against the Carolina Panthers, according to a team source.

The relish bottle at the opposite end of the table caught Jerry Azzinaro's attention and made him wonder. Are we feeding our players correctly? Is there too much sodium in that 12.7-ounce container? Is the relish filled with sugar? Only with his players' trust, Azzinaro said, will the Eagles' new defensive line coach find success here. He said his unit needs to trust him in the locker room, on the field, and yes, even in the cafeteria. "I've been married for 32 years and I think trust is the most important thing in a marriage," Azzinaro said Monday at the NovaCare Complex.

BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Cullen Jenkins left Wednesday afternoon's practice early with a hamstring injury, the Eagles said. The defensive tackle was scheduled to undergo a magnetic resonance image Wednesday evening. Jenkins pulled up lame early in practice during a team drill. He then headed to the trainer's tent to have his leg examined. After testing out the hamstring, he rejoined the defensive line but did not practice and eventually rode a cart into the locker room. The Eagles' entire projected starting defensive line is currently sidelined.

'ENORMOUS Changes at the Last Minute" is the title of a very fine short story collection by the late author Grace Paley. The guess here would be that none of the Eagles' defensive linemen has read it, but they probably can relate. A d-line that already has seen coordinator Juan Castillo dispatched in favor of Todd Bowles and 2011 sack leader Jason Babin exiled to the waiver wire (then to an even less desirable locale, Jacksonville), now has a new position coach, Tommy Brasher, who is replacing the fired Jim Washburn.

CLEVELAND - The Eagles have five defensive ends who could start on any number of NFL teams - six if promising rookie Vinny Curry develops as expected. The depth at the position, while a luxury, will present Andy Reid with a few difficult decisions when rosters are to be trimmed to 53 by Friday. And yet, when faced with replacing the injured Jason Babin during the preseason, the Eagles coach did not promote one of his backup ends but rather shifted a defensive tackle - most notably Cullen Jenkins - outside.

ONCE, IT WAS a question asked with anticipation. Now it is one posed with fear. Which of our pro teams, we have been quizzed at various intervals over the last 15 years, is closest to a championship. Anyone, anyone? The Eagles? Man, you must loooove Chip Kelly. The Phillies? With all their ifs, buts and nuts? And speaking of nuts, are we really sure the Flyers will be better without Ilya Bryzgalov? Based, exactly, on what? And speaking of nuts again, maybe the Sixers should sign Andrew Bynum.

Deion Barnes showed considerable talent last season as a first-year defensive end at Penn State, finishing in the top five of the Big Ten with six sacks and being named the conference's freshman of the year. Now the North Philadelphia native thinks he can be a better football player in 2013 because he's more aware of what his colleagues on the defensive line are doing, and getting better at reading opposing offenses. "I'm doing better recognizing offenses and playing together as a unit on the defensive line because you need your inside guys, you need your other guys to be successful," the 6-foot-4, 244-pound Barnes, a former Northeast High star, said Saturday after the Blue-White Game at Beaver Stadium.

As a top prospect at George Washington High School in 2009, Sharrif Floyd visited the Eagles' training facility when the team recognized academic and athletic achievers in local high schools. He remembers the visit four years later, including then-coach Andy Reid's calling him by his nickname, "Reef. " On April 5, Floyd again visited the NovaCare Complex. He was still being honored for his achievements, but the Eagles had more immediate interests, too. The Eagles welcomed Floyd because the defensive tackle from Florida is one of the top prospects in the draft.

With less than three weeks left until the NFL draft, there are 10 players the Eagles could conceivably select with the No. 4 overall pick, assuming they don't trade down. Here they are, ranked according to how likely they are to be Chip Kelly's first selection as coach, taking into account their availability when the Eagles pick. 1. Eric Fisher, tackle, Central Michigan. Momentum has gathered behind the idea that Fisher is the No. 1 tackle in the draft. Mike Mayock of NFL Network recently slotted him ahead of Luke Joeckel, who was once viewed as a lock to be the first offensive lineman off the board.

The Eagles are scheduled to host Florida defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd for a pre-draft workout on April 5, an NFL source said. Even though Floyd is considered a local prospect - he graduated from George Washington High - he will count against the Eagles' 30 allotted workouts. NFL teams are given one day before the draft to work out any players that either hail from nearby or attended a college in the vicinity. Floyd is considered a certain top-10 pick and a likely top-five selection.

Temple quarterback Clinton Granger has not received any promises, he said. Everything he wants, he said, he has to earn. And now the Washington High product nicknamed "Juice" is in position to earn the Owls' starting job. He entered Friday's first day of spring practice tied atop the quarterback depth chart with fellow senior Chris Coyer. Head coach Matt Rhule plans to have the Owls pass more this season, something that has raised the receivers' morale, Coyer said. Last season, Coyer threw for 946 yards, 8 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions.

Matt Rhule didn't have time to spare. After being formally announced as the Owls' 26th head football coach on Dec. 17, Rhule hit the ground running, embarking on the recruiting trail for the first time as a collegiate head coach. "We feel really good about it," said Rhule, who has 15 seasons of professional and collegiate coaching experience under his belt. "People really responded well to us. We're going to take that Temple 'T' further across the country and let people see us. " Along with recruiting, Rhule composed a staff of his own, bringing in offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield, defensive coordinator Phil Snow, offensive line coach Allen Mogridge, defensive line coach Brandon Noble and wide receivers coach Terry Smith.

PHOENIX - You could open up your hands and count the number of prospects the Eagles might draft with the No. 4 overall pick. Howie Roseman narrowed the number to a shorter list of candidates on Monday. "When you're at four it's a smaller pool of players that you're looking at with that pick. You're not looking at 10 players," Roseman said at the NFL owners meetings. "You're down at this point to six or seven names. " The ranking of top players will ebb and flow right up until the draft, and the Eagles board will be shrouded in secrecy, but the shallow waters Roseman and coach Chip Kelly will fish from should look like this: Brigham Young defensive end Ezekiel Ansah, Central Michigan tackle Eric Fisher, Florida defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd, Texas A&M tackle Luke Joeckel, Oregon linebacker Dion Jordan, Alabama cornerback Dee Milliner, and West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith.

After watching Matt McGloin learn his complicated pro-style offense and go on to shatter nine school passing records, Penn State coach Bill O'Brien will try to identify a replacement at quarterback when the Nittany Lions begin spring practice Monday. The Lions, who posted an 8-4 record (6-2 Big Ten) in O'Brien's rookie season, will have 15 practices leading up to the annual Blue-White Game on April 20 at Beaver Stadium. McGloin set a Penn State record last season with 3,266 passing yards, and tied another mark with 24 touchdown passes.

The Eagles added to their offseason haul by acquiring wide receiver Arrelious Benn in a trade with the Buccaneers on Friday. They gave up their sixth-round draft pick and a conditional pick in 2014 in exchange for the 24-year-old Benn and a seventh-round selection this year from Tampa Bay. The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Benn was taken in the second round of the 2010 draft out of Illinois. He has been a disappointment as a receiver, and in three seasons tallied only 59 catches for 862 yards and five touchdowns.