As soon as the draft ends, the question becomes "How did we do?" The real answer to that question obviously won't come for several years, but in the meantime we try to guess anyway by giving out grades. Some of these guys base those grades on whether a team addressed a need, some on the perceived "value" of a pick, some on the quality of the players, and some on the volume of players and trades. They don't really mean much right now, but they're fun to look at anyway. Good news for us, the experts seem to really like the Eagles draft. If there's any more grades out there that you've found feel free to put them in the comments. Listed below are mostly the heavy hitters.
Fox Sports - B
The Eagles gave up a lot to move up in the first round to take Michigan pass rusher Brandon Graham (pictured), who was a dominant performer in the Big Ten. Andy Reid is hoping that second-round pick Nate Allen of South Florida can shore up the safety position, but he’s not an intimidator like Brian Dawkins was for this franchise
Rob Rang CBS Sports - B
An indication of just how active the Philadelphia Eagles were on draft day is that of the 13 picks they made, only the 121st overall, outside linebacker Keenan Clayton, was an original Eagles selection. A year after spending great resources on improving the playmaking ability of their offense, the Eagles spent their first two days of the draft re-stocking their defense.
Mel Kiper ESPN - B+
he Eagles were positioned well to take advantage of a deep draft, and they did, piling up seven productive picks between the third and fifth rounds. But Philly started well too. In Brandon Graham they have a potential Rookie of the Year on defense. They filled a need at safety with Nate Allen, and I like Trevard Lindley in the fourth. He has second-round ability. Ricky Sapp may be a tweener, but getting a guy who can get to the quarterback like he can in the fifth round is good value. He could be a solid situational pass-rusher early in his career. Riley Cooper is quicker than many people think to go with above-average size.
Rick Gosselin Dallas Morning News - C
Graham was the most polished pass rusher in this draft. The Eagles also had the best fourth round. Harbor gives QB Kevin Kolb a move tight end in the Dallas Clark mold, and Kafka gives Andy Reid insurance at quarterback. Grade C (FYI most teams got a C)
Paul Domowich Philly.com - A-
Graham and Allen should help a defense that gave up 27 TD passes last season. Added more speed at LB, but didn’t get a corner until the fourth round. Grade: A-minus
USA Today - B-
They had an NFL-high 13 picks, and just one of the choices was an original selection. Not so typical: The Eagles didn't pick an O-lineman, breaking an Andy Reid pattern and more stunning considering how the Dallas Cowboys manhandled the front at season's end. But this was about a defense that slipped in 2009. The first five picks were used for the defense, including a first-round trade-up for end Brandon Graham and second-round pick of cover safety Nate Allen.
Sporting News - B+
They had to improve their defense and went all out to do it. They traded up to get pass rusher Brandon Graham, and safety Nate Allen could start right away. They also might have gotten a late-round steal in wide receiver Riley Cooper. Overall, a nice job.
Pete Prisco CBS Sports - A+
You look up and down their draft board and it's full of really good players. They had a lot of picks and the Eagles really did a nice job with them. That shouldn't be surprising.
NFL Draft Insider - A-
Analysis: Even after trading with the Seattle Seahawks for Darryl Tapp, the Eagles felt they needed to address the defensive end position. Brandon Graham entered the draft competing to be the first pass rusher taken. Despite not being very tall or having long arms, Graham was extremely productive at Michigan. As well as being an excellent pass rusher, Graham is very strong against the run.
NFLDraftScout.com - A+
You look up and down their draft board and it's full of really good players. They had a lot of picks and the Eagles really did a nice job with them. That shouldn't be surprising. Grade: A+
Pro Football Weekly - A-
While completely retooling the roster, the Eagles easily landed four starters and found a lot of quality depth, although the jury remains out on the decision to deal McNabb.
I'll continue to update this thread as more grades come in.