Linebacker

Penn captain Brandon Copeland grew up in the Baltimore area and was a fan of the Super Bowl champion Ravens. Now he will get a chance to make the team he grew up following. Copeland signed as an undrafted free agent with the Ravens shortly after the end of Saturday's NFL draft. At nearly 6-foot-3 and 260 pounds, Copeland was a defensive lineman for Penn, but he said he would compete as a linebacker. Rookie camp begins this weekend. He hopes to become the second member of his family to play for a franchise in Baltimore.

The staging of the NFL's annual scouting combine is like the Eagles sending DeSean Jackson deep as a decoy. While the league draws attention to an unending array of prearranged interviews with coaches, general managers, and prospects at Lucas Oil Stadium - and the generally useless three-cone drill - the real news is being made in the hotels, the eateries, and the back rooms of Indianapolis. The combine, despite its growing popularity, is merely an excuse for team officials and agents to gather and lay the groundwork for free agency, which just so happens to precede the draft by six weeks.

INDIANAPOLIS - Turns out, Vontaze Burfict's assessment of himself jibes perfectly with how a lot of Eagles fans see him. Birds fans - some of them, anyhow - are so tired of undersized, colorless linebacking, that they have latched onto the wild man from Arizona State as exactly what their team needs, a big-hitting, flamboyant, Jeremiah Trotteresque force in the middle. Never mind that draft analysts have pushed Burfict (6-1, 248) well out of the first round, based on a disappointing senior season that included a locker-room fight with a teammate, numerous personal fouls, accusations that he was out of shape, and less difference-making play than his blow-'em-up style might promise.

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.

Haverford School's Matt Galambos, a rugged senior linebacker, committed to Pittsburgh on Thursday. The 6-foot-2, 235-pounder, who doubles as a tight end, also had scholarship offers from Rutgers, Syracuse, and Temple. Harvard and Yale were in the mix, too. "I think he's been a bit underrated," Haverford School coach Mike Murphy said. "I really see him as a kid who's going to make a big impact at the college level. His best football is still ahead of him. " Last season, while helping the Fords to a 6-4 record, Galambos earned Inquirer third-team all-Southeastern Pennsylvania honors as a tight end. In the Inter-Ac League, he was a first-team pick on both sides of the ball.

DEMECO RYANS - A two-time Pro Bowler, Ryans was acquired to be the answer to the question that has long loomed over middle linebacker. He has the pedigree, but has to bounce back from a down season in 2011. JAMAR CHANEY - After a fast start as a rookie, Chaney had a rocky 2011, starting at the strong side and then moving to the middle early in the season. He struggled at times, and will have to move back outside with Ryans in town. BRIAN ROLLE - Rolle was probably the team's most effective linebacker last season, and showed impressive power for his size.

BETHLEHEM, Pa. - There is a trio of stars waiting to take the field at cornerback. There's a two-time Pro Bowler at one defensive end and prize free-agent signings at the other end and defensive tackle. At safety, the Eagles have two second-round picks. And then there is linebacker, where the top of the depth chart has a fourth-round rookie at middle linebacker and two seventh-round picks on the outside. The most experienced linebacker currently on the first team is Moise Fokou, who is entering just his third season.

Penn State picked up its fifth oral commitment of June, and 13th overall, on Wednesday when linebacker Zach Bradshaw of Damascus, Md., informed Nittany Lions coaches that he would be part of the freshman Class of 2013. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound Bradshaw told the Washington Post he chose the Lions over Virginia, South Carolina, and Northwestern. He also was offered scholarships by Michigan, Illinois, Purdue, Boston College, Arizona, and West Virginia. Bradshaw, who is rated a three-star recruit by both Rivals.com and Scout.com, made second-team all-Met last season in the Washington area as a wide receiver, catching 35 balls for 466 yards and seven touchdowns.

The Eagles officially placed offensive lineman Nate Menkin on injured reserve with a throat cartilage injury. They added linebacker Ryan Rau, who was on the practice squad, to the 53-man roster to take Menkin's spot. Rau traveled to Tampa. - Jeff McLane

The search for special-teams help continued Tuesday as the Eagles released Adrian Moten a week after they signed the linebacker. In Moten's place, the Eagles signed linebacker Jason Williams, who was released by the Panthers just before the start of the season. The 6-foot-1, 244-pound Williams played 28 games with Carolina (2010-11) and Dallas (2009-10), where he recorded 36 tackles on defense and 28 on special teams. Last season, Williams led the Panthers with 15 special-teams tackles in 14 games.

Penn State linebackers Gerald Hodges and Michael Mauti have signed contracts with Minnesota, the Vikings said Tuesday. Hodges, a Paulsboro graduate who will play one of the outside spots, was picked in the fourth round. Mauti, whose position is in the middle, was a seventh-round selection. Also signing was defensive tackle Everett Dawkins, a seventh-round pick out of Florida State. Muncie dies. Chuck Muncie, 60, a Pro Bowl running back with both the New Orleans Saints and San Diego Chargers, died of heart failure Monday at his Los Angeles-area home.

Penn captain Brandon Copeland grew up in the Baltimore area and was a fan of the Super Bowl champion Ravens. Now he will get a chance to make the team he grew up following. Copeland signed as an undrafted free agent with the Ravens shortly after the end of Saturday's NFL draft. At nearly 6-foot-3 and 260 pounds, Copeland was a defensive lineman for Penn, but he said he would compete as a linebacker. Rookie camp begins this weekend. He hopes to become the second member of his family to play for a franchise in Baltimore.

DARRELLE REVIS walked into the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' weight room and received a round of applause from some of his new teammates. The three-time All-Pro may have left the New York Jets feeling underappreciated, but he's a welcome addition to a defense that ranked last in the NFL last season and is expected to help transform the Bucs into a playoff team. And, the well-paid Revis is confident he's up to the task. "We're going to make a lot of noise. Don't worry about that," the seventh-year pro said Monday.

FOR THE 12th straight year, NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock is breaking down each of the positions in the draft for the Daily News , providing his assessment of the best player at each position, as well as his top riser and sleeper. Mayock, 54, resides in Newtown Square and is a graduate of the Haverford School. A former safety, he was a 10th-round pick of the Steelers in 1981 and played two seasons with the Giants (1982-83). INSIDE LINEBACKERS THE BEST Name: Alec Ogletree School: Georgia Height, weight: 6-3, 242 40 time: 4.68 225 bench: 20 reps Vertical jump: 33.5 inches Arms: 33 1/2inches Round projection: 1 Mayock: "I've got him No. 1 among the inside linebackers, but hesitantly.

Here are the top-rated linebackers in the NFL draft and some others the Eagles could select in later rounds.                                            Projected Player, college                  Ht.      Wt.      round Alec Ogletree, Georgia         6-2   242      1-2 Manti Te'o, Notre Dame         6-1   241      1-2 Arthur...

FOR THE 12th straight year, NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock is breaking down each of the positions in the draft for the Daily News , providing his assessment of the best player at each position, as well as his top riser and sleeper. Mayock, 54, resides in Newtown Square and is a graduate of the Haverford School. A former safety, he was a 10th-round pick of the Steelers in 1981 and played two seasons with the Giants (1982-83). 3-4 OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS THE BEST Name: Dion Jordan School: Oregon Height, weight: 6-6, 248 40 time: 4.54 225 bench: NA Vertical jump: 32 1/2 inches Arms: 33 7/8 inches Round projection: 1 Mayock: "I loved him on tape and love his upside.

The Eagles sent running back Dion Lewis to the Cleveland Browns on Thursday for linebacker Emmanuel Acho. Though they had hoped to get a late draft pick for Lewis, the Eagles acquired a young linebacker for a player who probably would have been released. With LeSean McCoy, Bryce Brown, and a healthy Chris Polk at running back, coach Chip Kelly deemed Lewis expendable. Acho, a 2012 sixth-round draft pick out of Texas, spent last season on injured reserve with a knee injury. He suffered a meniscus (cartilage)

One year ago, when the Eagles acquired DeMeco Ryans, the narrative from the first day was that Ryans fit better in the Eagles' 4-3 defensive scheme than the 3-4 defense the linebacker played in with the Houston Texans. One year later, the Eagles must change that narrative. Former coach Andy Reid, who cited Ryans' fit in the 4-3, was fired. Chip Kelly arrives with a new defensive scheme that will likely include elements of the 3-4. Ryans appears be one of the players hurt by the coaching change, and the Eagles are due to pay $6.6 million to a defender who might not be as effective - or on the field - as much as he was last season.

An incorrect photo appeared with an article on Penn State linebacker Mike Hull in Thursday's editions.  

Free agent linebacker Victor Butler visited with the Eagles on Tuesday but left without a contract. There was still mutual interest in getting a deal done, an NFL source said. But Butler has met with a number of other teams, including the Cleveland Browns, New Orleans Saints and Pittsburgh Steelers, and could be mulling over multiple offers. Butler underwent a physical at the NovaCare Complex and met with Eagles coaches on Tuesday. The team is looking to add to its stable of pass-rushers.