When word broke on Thursday night that the Eagles had traded up in the first round to the 13th pick, everyone assumed that they would select playmaking safety Earl Thomas. The Eagles have been missing a playmaker at the safety position since Brian Dawkins was released before the start of last season and this seemed like it was too good to be true for the boys in the City of Brotherly Love. When Commissioner Roger Goodell announced that the Eagles had taken Michigan defensive end Brandon Graham and not Thomas, everyone was stunned. While I was among the surprised, I thought it about it some more and I actually like the pick. I thought that going into the draft, Brandon Graham was the best pure pass rusher. The Eagles defense hinges on getting to the quarterback and Graham, teamed up with Pro Bowler Trent Cole on the other side, will provide nightmares to NFC East offenses.

It is also possible that the Eagles were just as high on their second round pick, saftey Nate Allen from South Florida as many were on the safety they passed over in the first round, Earl Thomas. Allen and Thomas are actually very similar players. Both are considered a little bit undersized, but accel in pass coverage and even have the ability to line up at cornerback. Allen is projected to be a big time playmaker in the Eagles defense, as he will be given the opportunity to play center field and use his excellent speed to make plays on the ball and help the Eagles get takeaways. The addition of Graham will cause quarterbacks to release the ball quicker and make poor decisions and the Eagles hope that their second round pick, Nate Allen will be the recipient of those poor decisions.

by Josh Weiner at the Sports Fan Blog Network

The Seattle Seahawks were one of the clear winners of the 2010 NFL Draft. The orginization knew going into the draft that their two biggest weaknesses were the vital left tackle position, and the defensive backfield. Seattle was able to address those needs in the first round by selecting left tackle Russell Okung out of Oklahoma State with the 6th pick and Earl Thomas, the saftey out of Texas with the 14th pick. Both Okung and Thomas were the top rated available players at their respective positions and may be have been the top remaining overall players at the time they were picked. Okung is a great athlete with long arms and should solidify the left tackle position for the next decade, much like the man he is replacing, future hall of famer Walter Jones. Earl Thomas is a ballhawking saftey who also has the ability to play corner. Many have compared Thomas’ ball skills to Ravens saftey Ed Reed. If Thomas is anything like Reed, the Seahawks will be pleased.

In addition to their first two picks, the Seahawks were able to make other moves to improve their team over the weekend. In the 2nd round, the Seahwaks drafted Notre Dame reciever Golden Tate. Going into the draft, many thought Tate would be selected towards the end of the 1st round. The addition of Tate to an already solid group of wide recievers should help Seattle’s offense in a wide open NFC West. The final set of big moves by the Seahwaks over the weekend was the addition of two running backs through trade. First, the Seahwaks acquired Lendale White from the Titans. The acquisiton of White reunites him with his old college coach, Pete Carrol. In addition to White, the Seahawks also added speedy running back Leon Washington from the New York Jets. Washington is coming off of a major knee injury, but when fully healthy, can be a gamebreaker for the Seahawks.

by Josh Weiner at the Sports Fan Blog Network

The Detroit Lions have the 2nd pick in Thursday’s NFL draft, and they face a difficult decision. Believe it or not, the Lions 2-14 record was actually a major improvent on their historical 2008 mark of 0-16. The Lions were actually competitive in a number of games and have something to build on with Matthew Stafford, who at times looked like a star and other times looked like a rookie, and Calvin Johnson who is an absoulte stud. The question for the Lions is who do they take with the #2 pick in the draft. I think you have to narrow it down to two guys, the best offensive lineman in the draft, Oklahoma State’s Russell Okung, and prehaps the best player in this years draft, Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. Like nearly every unit on a 2-14 team, the offensive and defensive lines need upgrades, but with Jeff Backus and 2008 first round pick Gosder Cherilus, the Lions are pretty solid at the offensive tackles. The defensive line however, is another story. The Lions ranked 26th in rush defense and 29th in sacks, so their defensive line neither plugged holes nor rushed the passer effectively. For those reasons, Ndamuknog Suh should be the selection. Suh was the most dominant player in college football last season, as he was often double and triple teamed, but was still very productive in one of the top two conferences in college football. Many believe that Suh has the ability to step into the NFL right away and help a team improve, which is something that the Lion’s defense sorely needs. If the Lions take Suh, it will be a big step forward for their defense, as he will be able to anchor that side of the ball for the next decade.

by Josh Weiner at the Sports Fan Blog Network

From the day that the Rams secured the #1 overall pick in Thursday’s NFL draft, there was debate as to who the Rams should take to jumpstart the rebuild of the franchise. Well the answer to this debate should be clear, the Rams must start with a quarterback, and more specifically, Sam Bradford. Look at the teams who have been consistent winners over the past 5 years: the Steelers, Colts, Eagles, Giants, Chargers, Patriots. What do they all have in common? A pro bowl level quarterback. When you have the ability to get a franchise quarterback, you have to take it, especially when you look around the league at the teams that have not been able to have sustained success and it is largely due to subpar quarterback play. The Rams in particular, have been hampered for several years with the likes of an injury plagued Marc Bulger, Kyle Boller, Keith Null, and Ryan Fitzpatrick. Sam Bradford has been given a clean bill of health and if he had declared last year, would have been selected ahead of both Matthew Stafford and Mark Sanchez. A minor shoulder injury should not scare the Rams away from taking a potential franchise changing player. The NFL is now a pass happy, quarterback driven league, so when Roger Goodell reads the first name from the podium on Thursday night, he better read: Sam Bradford, quarterback, Oklahoma

Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers are waiting for NFL commissioner Roger Goodell’s ruling on whether the quaterback will face disciplinary action from the league. League sources believe that Goodell will suspend Roethlisberger for at least two games this season. Roethlisberger’s possible suspensions stem from two sexual assault accusations in the past year and a half. Although the Steelers star has not been charged with a crime in the wake of these accusations, Roger Goodell has stated that Roethilsberger did break the NFL’s personal conduct policy.

While Ben Roethlisberger may be a free man, it seems that he has alot of work to do to repair his image and win back the fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Many seem to be done with the off field issues that have plauged Roethlisberger, and some believe that the Steelers should trade or release the quaterback who has led the team to two Super Bowl wins. While it is expected that the Steelers keep Roethlisberger, they did trade troubled wide reciever and former Super Bowl MVP Santonio Holmes, dumping Roethlisberger would not be a complete shock.

by Josh Weiner at the Sports Fan Blog Network