Reaction to Nate Allen pick

From ESPN's Matt Mosely

Some of you remember a pretty solid defensive back for the Eagles named Eric Allen. Now, the Eagles have used their "Donovan McNabb" pick (37) to select South Florida safety Nate Allen. That's the name we'd been talking about the last 24 hours. I'm told that defensive coordinator Sean McDermott was a huge fan of Allen's.

Philly.com has some reaction from Nate Allen himself

Allen said the Eagles showed interest in him at the combine. "I’m just so excited to be an Eagle," he said. The pick was acquired from Washington in the Donovan McNabb trade. Asked about being taken with the McNabb pick, Allen said: "It's an honor ... I'm just so thrilled … I can't wait to get up there."

Ross Tucker SI.com

The Eagles choose to fill the safety positon opposite Quintin Mikell that many expected them to select in the first round. Allen is an excellent athlete who was considered the third best safety in this draft. The Eagles are happy he was still available, using the selection they recieved from the Washington Redskins for Donovan McNabb.

After playing without a ball-hawking safety last season, the Eagles address the need by plucking Nate Allen. The former South Florida star is a rangy defender with outstanding instincts and awareness. Though he isn't regarded as a headhunter in the back end, Allen's ball skills and playmaking ability are so superior that the Eagles were comfortable adding him despite his finesse style. He should start immediately at free safety.

JasonB

Duh.