Keenan Clayton

The Eagles have drafted 13 linebackers since Andy Reid was hired as their head coach in 1999. Six of those selections were in the sixth or seventh round. The Eagles have not drafted a linebacker in the first round under Reid and have taken just one in the second round since 2001: Round 1 (0) Round 2: (3) Barry Gardner (1999), Quinton Caver (2001), Matt McCoy (2005) Round 3: (2) Chris Gocong (2006), Stewart Bradley (2007) Round 4 (1): Keenan Clayton (2010), Round 5 (1)

The news of Mike Kafka's signing a futures contract with the New England Patriots on Thursday makes this a good time to revisit the Eagles' 2010 draft class - and specifically the fourth round. That's when Kafka went. He was one of four fourth-round picks for the Eagles. A fourth-round pick in the NFL has value - but not significant value. There's rougly a 10 percent chance of finding a starter in that round. Of course, based on those odds, the Eagles had a realistic statistical chance of finding a starter in that round.

The Eagles signed offensive lineman Nathan Menkin after he was released by the Texans on Friday, the team announced Saturday. Menkin (6-foot-4, 296 pounds) is listed as a tackle and a guard. Houston signed Menkin as an undrafted rookie free agent after he played college football at Mary Hardin-Baylor in Texas. He was an AFCA all-American tackle as a senior. To make room for Menkin on the 53-man roster, the Eagles released Trevard Lindley. The cornerback surprised many by making the squad, but it did not last for very long.

Linebacker wasn't always an annual question mark. In 1982 the Eagles sent two homegrown 'backers to the Pro Bowl: Frank LeMaster, a 1974 fourth-rounder, and Jerry Robinson, a first-round pick in 1979, the last linebacker the team has taken in the NFL's opening round. It was the only Pro Bowl appearance for either, and the next year the team began a drought at linebacker that would seem familiar to fans today. After '82 the Eagles went nine years without a linebacker in the NFL's all-star game, but they eventually broke the streak with Seth Joyner, an eighth-round pick in 1986 who would grow into one of the central pieces of Buddy Ryan's defenses.

Even pass-first Andy Reid would seem compelled to get LeSean McCoy involved this week. Even if Michael Vick plays, he'll be doing it with broken ribs. Even if Jeremy Maclin is OK, he'll be coping with hamstring and shoulder injuries. DeSean Jackson hasn't been himself, Vince Young hasn't started in a year, and Jason Avant was shut down last week. McCoy, meanwhile, leads the NFL in touchdowns and ranks second in rushing yards and fourth in total yardage.

When the Eagles traded for DeMeco Ryans, the feeling of relief and excitement among fans was palpable. The team had picked up a name linebacker. Finally. But the big move doesn't necessarily mean the Eagles solved the linebacker problems that were so plain and painful to see last season. Ryans is a two-time Pro Bowler and renowned leader, but after an Achilles tear in 2010 he wasn't the same player in 2011. The Eagles are optimistic about his health and returning him to the 4-3 system in which he excelled, but even if he returns to form, the team might need insurance and definitely needs an upgrade at outside linebacker.

There was still time. Those were Quintin Mikell's words in early December about the problem that wouldn't go away, the continuing Eagles' failure to stop anybody in the red zone. "We've still got a lot of time left," Mikell said back then. Sunday night, Mikell had an update: "It came back to bite us. " It should be news to no one after Sunday's 21-16 loss to Green Bay in an NFC first-round playoff game at Lincoln Financial Field that the Eagles had the worst red-zone defense in the NFL this year - allowing opponents to score at a historically easy rate, on 97.7 percent of their possessions on either a touchdown or a field goal.

Even though draft prognostication and second-guessing are great fun for the fans, I think we all, deep down, would concede that we don't have the information and experience that general managers and coaches have. Before drafting a player, Andy Reid has probably watched film of nearly every play he played in his college career. Andy is now the longest-tenured coach in the NFL, and many fans think that he has not had a good record of success with his picks. I believe the record shows he has. Of the Eagles' 12 drafts under Reid, I would rate one as great, four as very good, three as good, one as fair, two as poor and one as horrible.

Michael Vick's amazing resurgence reached a significant milestone last night, before the Eagles' quarterback even had a chance to throw a pass against the Minnesota Vikings. Vick, 30, was named the NFC's starting quarterback for next month's Pro Bowl. He was joined by left tackle Jason Peters, cornerback Asante Samuel and kicker David Akers as starters, and by wideout DeSean Jackson, as a reserve. Running back LeSean McCoy showed how much he indeed does resemble Brian Westbrook; McCoy might have as strong a claim to a Pro Bowl berth as any Eagle after Vick, but he is a first alternate, behind Atlanta's Michael Turner, the Vikings' Adrian Peterson and the Rams' Steven Jackson.

The news of Mike Kafka's signing a futures contract with the New England Patriots on Thursday makes this a good time to revisit the Eagles' 2010 draft class - and specifically the fourth round. That's when Kafka went. He was one of four fourth-round picks for the Eagles. A fourth-round pick in the NFL has value - but not significant value. There's rougly a 10 percent chance of finding a starter in that round. Of course, based on those odds, the Eagles had a realistic statistical chance of finding a starter in that round.

The Eagles signed offensive lineman Nathan Menkin after he was released by the Texans on Friday, the team announced Saturday. Menkin (6-foot-4, 296 pounds) is listed as a tackle and a guard. Houston signed Menkin as an undrafted rookie free agent after he played college football at Mary Hardin-Baylor in Texas. He was an AFCA all-American tackle as a senior. To make room for Menkin on the 53-man roster, the Eagles released Trevard Lindley. The cornerback surprised many by making the squad, but it did not last for very long.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - Coaches always warn players not to look at the numbers in training camp. Focus on doing your job, they tell them, and don't worry about the numbers. But that's easier said than done, particularly for a bubble player like Keenan Clayton, who doesn't need a roster or a depth chart to tell him he could find himself out of a job when the Eagles cut down to 53 players on Aug. 31. Clayton, a 6-1, 230-pound linebacker out of Oklahoma who was the first of the Eagles' three fourth-round picks in the 2010 draft, is listed as the team's No. 3 weakside linebacker behind Brian Rolle and Jamar Chaney.

BETHLEHEM, Pa. - The Eagles traded linebackers Moise Fokou and Greg Lloyd to the Colts for cornerback Kevin Thomas and a 2013 conditional seventh-round draft pick. Thomas was drafted in the third round in 2010 by Indianapolis. He missed all of 2010 with a knee injury. He started five of nine games he played for the Colts last season, recording 33 tackles and defending three passes. There were reports out of Indianapolis during the spring that the 6-foot, 192-pound Thomas could challenge for a starting spot in 2012.

It's a long way until Sept. 9, but the Eagles' blurry prospects at several positions on defense became more clear after their three-day rookie minicamp. Of all the rookies, Mychal Kendricks is the most likely to be starting when the full squad gathers next Tuesday for the start of organized team activities, otherwise known as "OTAs. " Eagles coach Andy Reid wouldn't hand Kendricks the strong-side linebacker job at the conclusion of camp on Monday. But with Jamar Chaney - Kendricks' main competition - sidelined through the spring following neck surgery in January, the rookie should have an unimpeded path.

With the draft and initial burst of free agency behind us, we have a pretty good idea of who the Eagles will be bringing into training camp to fight for spots on the regular-season roster. Here, then, is a look at the top position battles to look forward to as rookie minicamps and offseason practices arrive in May and June and lead up to training camp in July.   Linebacker Another summer, another new spin on the position that the Eagles can never quite seem to settle.

When the Eagles traded for DeMeco Ryans, the feeling of relief and excitement among fans was palpable. The team had picked up a name linebacker. Finally. But the big move doesn't necessarily mean the Eagles solved the linebacker problems that were so plain and painful to see last season. Ryans is a two-time Pro Bowler and renowned leader, but after an Achilles tear in 2010 he wasn't the same player in 2011. The Eagles are optimistic about his health and returning him to the 4-3 system in which he excelled, but even if he returns to form, the team might need insurance and definitely needs an upgrade at outside linebacker.

Linebacker wasn't always an annual question mark. In 1982 the Eagles sent two homegrown 'backers to the Pro Bowl: Frank LeMaster, a 1974 fourth-rounder, and Jerry Robinson, a first-round pick in 1979, the last linebacker the team has taken in the NFL's opening round. It was the only Pro Bowl appearance for either, and the next year the team began a drought at linebacker that would seem familiar to fans today. After '82 the Eagles went nine years without a linebacker in the NFL's all-star game, but they eventually broke the streak with Seth Joyner, an eighth-round pick in 1986 who would grow into one of the central pieces of Buddy Ryan's defenses.

JEREMY MACLIN hustled downfield and threw blocks on at least a couple of key plays Sunday against the Jets. Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg noticed. "Jeremy has been blocking like a madman, and you kind of expect that [from him], but he did a heck of a job in ways that sometimes you don't see, or don't get credit for," Mornhinweg said yesterday. What makes a wideout a good blocker? "Guts," Mornhinweg said. "The big, strong, physical guys are typically a little bit better, and he's a pretty strong and physical guy. " Mornhinweg said wideouts coach David Culley emphasizes blocking and does a good job teaching it. "You're helping your teammates," said Maclin, who seems finally close to 100 percent in his recovery from a hamstring injury.