Jerome Mcdougle

In the last eight drafts, the Eagles have selected in their designated spot in the first round only twice, most recently in 2006. Here is a rundown of their deals involving first-round picks: 2003: The pick: 30th: What happened: Traded to San Diego to move up 15 slots to select Miami defensive end Jerome McDougle at No. 15 in exchange for a first (cornerback Sammy Davis) and a second (free safety Terrence Kiel). 2004: The pick: 28th: What happened: Traded to San Francisco to move up 12 spots to select Arkansas guard/tackle Shawn Andrews at No. 16 in exchange for a first and a second.

For years, NFL teams have called what the Eagles are doing this weekend "rookie camp," but that title was always a bit misleading. This minicamp would indeed be the first gathering of the team's draftees and the undrafted rookies, but the whole team would assemble, for the first time since the end of the previous season; the rookies were just part of the show. The new collective bargaining agreement brought all kinds of changes to the offseason routine. One of them is that there will be no Michael Vick, DeSean Jackson or Trent Cole at the rookie camp that starts Saturday and extends through Monday.

Despite a productive training camp, embattled defensive end Jerome McDougle did not survive the Eagles' final cut to 53 players yesterday. The real surprise, however, is that newly converted fullback Tony Hunt outlasted projected starter Jason Davis and undrafted rookie Jed Collins, whom general manager Tom Heckert hinted might end up on the practice squad. "We spent a lot of time evaluating these guys," Heckert said. "We think we have the best 53-man roster. We think we have pretty good depth all-around.

You'd think he'd be angry or vengeful. Instead, he's thankful and forgiving. "I just feel lucky that I've gone through what I went through and I'm back playing football and showing no ill effects," Eagles defensive end Jerome McDougle said Friday after he worked out with rookies and a small cast of veterans at the NovaCare Complex. "To go through what I went through and have no pain, it's really a miracle. That in itself is a good story. " McDougle, of course, has quite a story and a sizable abdominal scar to prove it. It's been more than 10 months since that fateful night in South Florida when four teenage gunmen approached McDougle as he sat in his silver Mercedes coupe.

With about a half hour to go in yesterday's workout at the NovaCare Complex's indoor facility, Eagles defensive end Darren Howard left practice. Howard suffered a strained groin in last week's 27-24 loss at New Orleans. He was unavailable for comment after practice, and hadn't practiced this week until yesterday. "Darren Howard only took a few reps," Eagles coach Andy Reid said. "We're just being conservative with his groin [to] make sure that he is ready to go on Sunday. " Howard is listed as questionable for tomorrow's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Eagles defensive end Jerome McDougle was listed in stable condition yesterday after being shot in the stomach late Thursday night during a robbery in Miami. The Eagles opened their training camp with that somber news yesterday. According to the report from Miami-Dade police, McDougle was approached by three teenage males in his parked silver Mercedes coupe about 11:30 p.m. Thursday in Southwest Miami. Police said the robbers took his watch, then one of them panicked and shot him when he reached for his wallet.

Two of the Eagles' most star-crossed players have been told that they won't be returning to the practice field for a while, and one of them could be about to undergo career-threatening surgery. Greg Richmond, a candidate for the strong-side linebacker job at the start of training camp, is headed for the same back surgery that forced him to sit out the entire 2005 season. Equally as cursed is defensive end Jerome McDougle, the Eagles' first-round draft choice in 2003 who was limited to 19 games in his first three seasons because of various injuries and a gunshot wound that cost him all of last season.

Eagles fans have heard it dozens of times: Andy Reid believes the game begins on the lines. And on defense, he loves having numerous pass-rushing "fastballs" to hurl at opposing quarterbacks. They heard it last year when the Eagles traded up to draft defensive end Brandon Graham. And they shouldn't be surprised if they hear another rendition of the familiar refrain early in the three-day draft beginning Thursday. "The defensive line is a really talented area in this draft," said Eagles general manager Howie Roseman, who engineered the leap to get Graham last year.

The Eagles closed out the first day of the NFL draft yesterday by selecting Penn State running back Tony Hunt in the third round with the draft's 90th pick. "He's a little bit different than Brian [Westbrook] and a little bit different than [Correll Buckhalter] and a little bit different than Ryan Moats," Eagles coach Andy Reid said. "That gives us a nice blend of football players in there. " At 6-foot-1 and 233 pounds, Hunt gives the Eagles a true big back, the kind of runner a lot of people think they have needed for a while.

This is not a position of familiarity for Jerome McDougle. He is the one the Eagles coaches are excitedly singling out. He is the one feeling sorry for others. He is the one trying to take advantage of some luck. He is healthy. "It's kind of weird," McDougle said. "But I feel for those guys because I know how hard it is to go through those things, to bust your butt in the off-season and then to get injured in training camp. I know how it is. " Does he ever. Entering his sixth season with the Eagles, McDougle has missed more games than he's played at defensive end. He suffered from knee and ankle injuries, an irregular heartbeat, fractured ribs and a triceps tear.