Predicting what any team will do at the draft is a risky business. (Just ask Mel Kiper, who single-handedly had swarms of football fans cancelling their Saturday night plans to see how he’d react to his precious Jimmy Clausen freefalling down the draft chart.) But predicting what the Eagles will do on draft day is impossible. Just when you’re certain that they’ll be targeting a guy, they trade up or down in position or go in a totally different direction altogether. And that’s just fine, because Andy Reid and company have traditionally done well for themselves at Radio City. Like any other team, they’ve had a ton of busts, but, for the most part, they’re good at addressing key needs with players who can make an impact in the short term. This past weekend was no different.

Depending on who you talk to, the Eagles either struck out at the draft or made out very well for themselves in this draft. Reviewers seems to have wildly different feelings on first-round pick Brandon Graham; I’ve read that Graham is too small for his position and is “adequate at best” and I’ve also read that he’s a phenomenal player who will “be will be a 13-sack player in two years”

One thing is certain: The Eagles’ management effectively fooled everyone again. When everyone thought Earl Weaver would get the call, Graham did. I understand the concerns about the Michigan

standout, but clearly the Eagles have enough confidence in Graham’s raw athletic talent to overcome his height (6-1), and I’m fully trusting them on this one. The only thing I wasn’t crazy about was the price tag (two third-rounders in addition to swapping first-round picks), but then again, the Eagles had plenty of picks to play with, and if this guy was the apple of their eye, then I’m glad they got him.

On day two, the Eagles selected cornerback Nate Allen from South Florida, passing on Taylor Mays. As many already know, Mays would have likely gone in the first round of last year’s draft but did not declare, which seemed to be a mistake because it gave teams (and subsequently, critics) the opportunity to find holes in his game –- which they did. So instead, the Eagles took Allen, in part because of the inside scoop they had from ex-Eagle turned graduate assistant coach J.R. Reed.

Unfortunately for Allen, he’ll spend his entire career being compared to two Eagle legends: Donovan McNabb, who was traded for the pick that netted Allen, and Brian Dawkins, whose shoes Allen will be looking to fill. But setting aside unfair comparisons, Allen seems like an athletic guy who will be able to pick up schemes well.

In the third round, the Eagles went with Washington DE Daniel Te'o-Nesheim, which is a bit baffling. With so many defensive needs, and having taken a DE in the first, I didn’t really understand why Te'o-Nesheim got the call. But having said that, I like the pick: Just one look at this video is enough to convince me that this guy has a motor that just doesn’t stop once he steps onto the field.

On the final day of the 2010 draft, the Eagles had a handful of picks, and over the course of the day those picks became personified by Northwestern QB Mike Kafka, Clemson OLB Ricky Sapp, Florida receiver Riley Cooper, TE Clay Harbor of Missouri State and Ohio State safety Kurt Coleman. In my mind, the Eagles were the big winners on day three. Sapp was lauded by many as a second-round pick, and Cooper has the potential to be a dependable red zone target. I wasn’t the only one impressed with the Eagles final day at the draft –- John Clayton of ESPN echoes my sentiments.

Will all of these players turn out to be NFL regulars? Probably not. But the Eagles, who have been consistently good for the better part of the last decade, had some major needs entering this draft, and they wisely used a majority of their picks to begin rebuilding a defense that has been uprooted in the last two years. Like anything else, only time will tell, but for doing their homework, showing up prepared, and executing a gameplan, the Eagles receive a B+ for their 2010 Draft.

-- SEAN JOHNSON
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