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Mel Kiper, just like every draftnik out there, hands out grades for every teams' draft the minute the whole thing is over. We've all been over how silly an exercise this is, but the fact is that we're all always curious to see the grades anyhow.
So Mel Kiper has given Howie Roseman a cheat sheet on how he can get an A+ for the 2012 draft. If the Eagles first three rounds end up looking like this, Kiper says their draft will have been perfect.
Rd. 1 (15) DT Fletcher Cox, Mississippi State
Rd. 2 (46) LB Zach Brown, North Carolina
Rd. 2 (51) TE Dwayne Allen, Clemson
Rd. 3 (88) QB Kirk Cousins, Michigan State
Analysis: He's not quite as high on my board as he is on Todd McShay's, but Cox is the real deal. The Eagles can get to quarterbacks, but they were awful up the middle last year. Cox can be a big part of the solution. So will Brown, who provides the linebacker they need with proper value in Round 2. Suddenly, if I'm Philly, I'm feeling a lot better about the interior of my defense, with Cox, Brown and the addition of DeMeco Ryans. Allen is the second-best tight end in the draft and a great value here. The Eagles have hinted that they could look for a quarterback to develop, and Cousins makes a lot of sense. He has the chance to be a good starter in this league if he gets some seasoning. He's coachable and has underrated physical talent; I love the value late in the third. I did consider tackle options, but the addition of Demetress Bell obviously shifts that need down a notch.
I like the first two picks and I'd be pretty satisfied if they were Eagles at the end of day two. The next two picks I'm not so high on. Dwayne Allen is a nice player and would be a good value there, but I'm just not sure if there's a real need for another TE. The Eagles don't run many two TE sets so is Allen really going to be useful here?
And as for Cousins... The Eagles actually could take a QB in the 3rd round without the most of the controversy and questions that a 1st or 2nd round pick would bring. But still, I'm not sure I really see the point.