I really don't know who has been putting together these positional rankings for ESPN, but we've been seeing some really questionable analysis and research as far as the Eagles go. They call Broderick Bunkley "mainly a run stopper" when he was in fact a sack artist in college, they called Darren Howard " a solid acquisition" last season.
10. Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles play a bend-but-don't-break philosophy under defensive coordinator Jim Johnson. This defense took a big hit early in the 2006 season when impact pass-rusher Jevon Kearse went down with an injury. Kearse posted 15 sacks in the previous two seasons and the Eagles missed his quickness and disruption that drew many double teams from opposing offenses. Defensive end Darren Howard was a solid acquisition for Philly in 2006 as he had five sacks. Backup defensive end Trent Cole has been a pleasant surprise for the Eagles as he led the team in sacks in 2006 with eight. Cole plays with great intensity and has developed a variety of moves off the edge. The interior of the defensive line is held down by two first-round choices in Brodrick Bunkley (2006) and Mike Patterson (2005). These two defensive tackles are mainly run-stoppers and have little impact pressuring the quarterback, but they play well within the Eagles' defensive scheme.
The Eagles play a bend-but-don't-break philosophy under defensive coordinator Jim Johnson. This defense took a big hit early in the 2006 season when impact pass-rusher Jevon Kearse went down with an injury. Kearse posted 15 sacks in the previous two seasons and the Eagles missed his quickness and disruption that drew many double teams from opposing offenses. Defensive end Darren Howard was a solid acquisition for Philly in 2006 as he had five sacks. Backup defensive end Trent Cole has been a pleasant surprise for the Eagles as he led the team in sacks in 2006 with eight. Cole plays with great intensity and has developed a variety of moves off the edge. The interior of the defensive line is held down by two first-round choices in Brodrick Bunkley (2006) and Mike Patterson (2005). These two defensive tackles are mainly run-stoppers and have little impact pressuring the quarterback, but they play well within the Eagles' defensive scheme.
The top 5 were the Ravens, Bears, Pats, Jags, and Chargers.