2008 NFL Draft Grades – NFC East [The Football Expert] — Great breakdown of the NFC East draft picks.  The author gave the Eagles the highest grade with a 89/100.  He gave the Cowboys an 86, the Giants an 86, and the Redskins a 76.

More Draft Grades [DraftSeason.com] — He gave them a B+.  Better than Kiper’s C+.  I don’t know what Kiper was thinking — the Eagles had a very solid draft.  He must have failed to take into account that the Eagles got  Carolina’s 2009 1st-round selection and Lorenzo Booker.

NFC East Draft Grades [Miami Herald] — The Miami Herlad gave the Eagles a B+.  They thought the Redskins were losers: they gave them a D+.  Washington may have picked up a lot of offense, but paying no attention to the defense will hurt them.

Which rookie receiver will have the best rookie year? [End Zone Buzz] — The consensus has DeSean Jackson as the rookie who will have the best year.   I’m going to through out some predictions for Jackson’s year.  I’ll be modest here and predict 35 receptions, 500 yards, 3 receiving TDs, and 2 kickoff returns.  Here is a quick comparison of rookie WR stats from the 2007 draft class.  [The Pass Rush]

DeSean Jackson has been working with Jerry Rice on his routes [Inside the Iggles] — Jerry Rice says don’t sweat his size.  Rice has nothing but praise for Jackson: he says he has great hands, runs great routes, has tremendous speed, and his work ethic is outstanding.  There is no reason to doubt that he can’t be the next Steve Smith.

AFC scout comes to the defense of Jackson [Delaware Online] — Some are worried about Jackson’s size, but if you see the interview with Jery Rice (above) and read this article you will realize that Jackson has the potential to be a special player in the NFL and not just as a kick returner, but as a wide receiver.

Eagles 2008 Draft Videos [Inside the Iggles] — If you missed the NFL Draft, here are the video segments from the draft that overview the selections for the Eagles first two picks: Trevor Laws and  DeSean Jackson.

Trevor Laws and DeSean Jackson get their first Philadelphia cheesesteak [PhiladelphiaEagles.com] –  After a visit to the NovaCare Complex, the Eagles top two picks got a real taste of Philly.

DeSean Jackson Highlights [PhiladelphiaEagles.com] — I’m liking the DeSean Jackson pick more and more each day.  Here is a great interview with Andy Reid and DeSean Jackson while they go through his college highlights.

Eagles Add Seven Rookie Free Agents [PhiladelphiaEagles.com] — They grabbed a handful of WRs hoping that one of them will stick.

Lito Sheppard Update [Bleeding Green Nation] — He showed up for mini-camp to avoid being fined, had a chat with Andy Reid, and stated there are still some “things” that need to be worked out.  Apparently, everything will be fine between the two parties.  If I were the Eagles, I would say “Play in more than 10 games in a season and then we’ll talk.”  If I were Lito Sheppard, I would be pissed at my agent instead of the Eagles organization.

Sheppard shares time with Brown and Samuel [Philadelphia Inquirer] — At the Eagles’ first mini-camp, Sheppard wasn’t sent to the second team.  Rather, he rotated with Samuel and Brown.

Minicamp Quotables [Bleeding Green Nation] — Dawkins, Sheldon, Asante and Lito commented on the “Lito Sheppard situation.”  Westbrook stated that his contract was fair at the time he signed it.  McNabb stated that he’s happy with the Eagles’ offseason moves.  Sheldon said he’s excited about moving to the slot at times because he’ll get more opportunities to go after the quarterback.  I’m going to say there will be a forecast of a lot of blitzes from the Eagles next year.

Day One Minicamp Observations [Dave Spadaro] — Looks like the King Dunlap pick in the seventh round was huge — literally.

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