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What exactly are the draft implications of the Eagles signing of Demetress Bell? Well, it should be pretty obvious right? It crosses OT off the list of priorities. It's not just the mere presence of Bell that does that though, it's really the structure of his contract. He's essentially got a one year deal with team options each year for another four years beyond that. So the team has gotten their short term replacement for Peters while also hedging their bets with him in the future.
While the Eagles may grab another OT at some point for depth, right now King Dunlap is the only backup, that won't come high in the draft. So, what might be the Eagles first round priority? Let's look at some possibilities.
Linebacker - DeMeco Ryans certainly fills the hole in the middle, but what about the other two spots? Unless the Eagles see Luke Kuechly as an outside LB, there's really no one worth taking at #15.
Safety - The Eagles need better safety play than last year, but they certainly could see that improvement coming from within. Nate Allen had a strong finish to the season and they did just spend a second round pick Jaiquawn Jarrett. He obviously had no offseason last year and never got into the flow of things. This year, with a full offseason and Todd Bowles in charge of the secondary, there's good reason to believe Jarrett will improve. Plus, even if they didn't believe in the young guys they have, would it be worth reaching for a guy like Mark Barron at #15?
Defensive tackle - I'm not totally sure this is about need as much as it is value. The Eagles aren't lacking at DT with Cullen Jenkins, Mike Patterson and Antonio Dixon currently on the roster. However, this does happen to be a good year for DTs and for a position that gets rotated anyway, a young guy could come in and contribute early even if there isn't a giant need.
Best Player Available - Now, it could be that the best player available is a linebacker (Kuechly) or a defensive tackle. But what if a WR like Michael Floyd is there? Maybe a guy like Dre Kirkpatrick? If there was a ever a year to focus on the best player available, its this one.