It’s good to see that my man over at NFL Draft Countdown change his pick for the Eagles in his mock draft.  Perhaps he heeded to my feedback that the Eagles simply do not draft linebackers in the first round.  He previously had the Eagles taking Missouri LB Sean Witherspoon, who he now has going #19 to the Atlanta Falcons.

In his updated mock draft, he has the Eagles taking USC DE Everson Griffen with the 24th pick and I think he got this one on the money.

Griffen is a guy the Eagles could really use to boost their DEs and Griffen has killer speed, which would could form into a nice pass-rushing duo with Trent Cole on 3rd down. I could see Abiamiri being the 1st and 2nd down DE with Griffen coming in on 3rd down.

Griffen comes in at 6’3″, 273 lbs., and the guy ran an impressive 4.64 at the combine. That ranks 2nd amongst DEs an a mere 0.02 behind Dexter Davis.

Here is his summary for the Eagles 24th pick in the 2010 draft:

Over the past decade or so it has become quite obvious that the Eagles place a high priority on their defensive line, having spent considerable resources in both the draft and free agency on ends and tackles. Statistically speaking the Iggles ranked among the best in the league when it came to sacks in 2009 but word is they are motivated to bring in an upgrade at defensive end. USC’s Everson Griffen was a big-time recruit coming out of high school who underachieved his first two years with the Trojans. However, Griffen finally began to hit his stride as a junior and opted to strike while the iron was hot and go pro. A terrific athlete with a great blend of size and speed, Griffen will likely be selected based more on his untapped potential than actual production but there is no denying that he has first round talent. Philly could also use some help at linebacker, where they’ve been mix and matching mediocre youngsters and washed up veterans for years. However, even though Missouri’s Sean Weatherspoon would appear to be a perfect fit for Philly here the team just hasn’t seemed inclined to make a substantial investment in that position for some reason. Don’t rule out an offensive lineman either because they still have some question marks there and that is another position that the Eagles have tended to target early and often.

I don’t think linebacker is a priority for the Eagles in the draft. Period. Stewart Bradley will be back and healthy next season. Akeem Jordan, Omar Gaither, and Chris Gocong are all viable starters. Don’t forget about Joe Mays, Tracy White, and Moise Fokui, who are all solid reserves. Unfortunately, Will Witherspoon is now a Titan, but the Eagles have 7 solid linebackers on their roster so there’s no need to draft a linebacker in the first three rounds.

The priority for the Eagles going into the draft will unquestionably be offensive line, defensive line, and secondary.  I see the Eagles wanting to boost their offensive line after countless injuries and giving up way too many sacks to the Cowboys as their #1 priority in this year’s draft.

I could also see the Eagles drafting a CB or DE in the first round if the right player falls into their lap.

Let’s learn more about this Everson Griffin kid.  If a picture is worth 1,000 words, then a video must be worth 10,000.  Let’s take a look at the game tape. Some impressive highlights from the guy who had 8 sacks this past season. However, a look at his Oregon game doesn’t make a compelling case.

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