The Eagles grabbed USF safety Nate Allen with the 37th pick in the draft. He will be given a chance to winning the starting job when the team gets together for training camp in late July.
They weren’t able to get Mississippi running back, Dexter McCluster because the Kansas City Chiefs selected him with the 36th pick which was just ahead of the Eagles 2nd round choice.
It had been widely reported that the Birds were interested in grabbing McCluster with their first second round selection.  He was going to be brought in as a replacement for the playmaking Brian Westbrook.
Instead they were able to address the safety situation by drafting Allen.
I’ve heard and read that there would be pressure on the young safety from South Florida to excel because he was drafted with the pick which the Eagles got from the Redskins for Donovan McNabb.¬† I don’t buy this at all.
People will mention that he was the pick the Birds got for McNabb but that won’t have much to do with whether the trading of number five to the Skins was a success.
The only thing that matters in the McNabb trade is the play of young quarterback Eagles Kevin Kolb.  Allen could be the worst safety in the history of the NFL and nobody will care as long as Kolb is a great quarterback.
If Kolb isn’t a great NFL quarterback and Allen turns out to be a great player, all anyone will care about is Kolb’s play.¬† You know it’s the truth and anything to the contrary is a joke.
He is a nice pick, I think/hope. Why did they throw away their third round pick on another DE?
Diito. Love Nate Allen but WTF with the other DE Teo? We have WAY too many mediocre DEs and Defensive backs now.
He couldn’t run the 40 in the combine or on Pro day. Quad strain?
I like the pick ..we got our safety..I hate the fact we traded our other second away…I’m confused on the eagles philosophy. If they wanted to do all this trading, I rather us to have traded back into the first and grab a CB that we much need..here’s the problem. .the Philadelphia eagles will not pay for two first rounderz..and a high second..so I realize also wer not guna pay for two 2nd Rounders and a first..this cheapskate sh*t wont win is no Superbowl.
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One possibility its that they test him out at SAM. Another, is that he’s a really good DE/DT that adds to a young, better front 7. Tapp, Graham, T’o’nasheim, cole, Bunkley, Patterson, Bradley, Simms, Jordan, Parker, Dixon… key new names. Good possibility one of the 9(!) picks remaining will be another front 7 guy – DT? MLB? SLB?
Silencer, I can see how you or others would read their trading methods as avoiding paying players, but look, first the Pats are doing the same thing. Second, the analysts (Tony Pauline, Some other draft ‘guru’ that Meryll Reese was touting and a few otherse) were saying that the value was deeper and it was wise to trade down. There were a lot of reaches at CB, DE and LB according to those guyz. Last time they traded down they got Kolb, Bradley, Celek and SImms I believe. I don’t think it’s about money, they’re going to pay Graham. They still have to pay DJax too.
Dear Schiller,
When the Pats trade down they get high picks in the following year and add quality picks in the current year. They don’t get no-name projects in the middle rounds and stockpile fourth rounders.
– Eaglez
Are you directly implying that the point of the draft is to get big names? Ever hear of a big name turned bust? Has that happened a few times? The pats got different picks then us, yeah. But they traded a bunch too. I’m just saying, be patient and see what goes down.
Nate Allen is ok, but did we really trade McNabb for Nate Allen? Dumb pick, we should have took Taylor Mays, he will be amazing for the 49ers. Mike Singletary will make him a steal of the draft. Im pissed this draft blows
Uh, Weapon, we got more than just one pick for McNabb.
Yeah but the other pcik doesn’t come in to play until next year and the higest it can be is a 3rd…so like I said we traded McNabb for Nate Allen
Im sorry but Nate Allen just doesn’t have that WOW factor for me
And Taylor Mays absolutely does NOT fit our defense. He’s a hitter and I mean hitter, not a good coverage guy, or a good tackler, all he does is try to get a big hit which does backfire quite ofter. Yeah he’s big and real fast but that doesn’t mean he’s a good safety. Now with the 49ers I’ll say he might be a good fit there especially if they’re running a zone type scheme behind their front 7. Heck looking that they have Michael Lewis there I’d say he will be good there and would have been a bust here.
Its not about measurables, or wow factors its about guys who fit what you need them to do. Nate Allen though can cover man to man against slot WRs if asked to which is something that we like our safeties to do. He fits Mays doesn’t its that simple.
You said it yourself HE CAN HIT…What did B-Dawk do HIT…He could put fear in these big NFC East recievers and jump with them…Dawk wasn’t the greatest cover safety coming out of college either but he was taught…Mays has tremendous potential and Nate Allen just seems like an ok player…WHO DONT UNDERSTAND OUR DEFENSE or ANALYZING PLAYERS
Mays isn’t supposed to have good hip movement which means teach him all you want is coverage ability is limited. And Dawk didn’t just HIT, he TACKLED, which watching some of the film on Mays is not something he does. He runs fast into the guy and lays a shoulder into the guy but the other guy can just bounce off of that if he doesn’t connect enough.
I would like to see Nate Allen try and tackle Brandon Jacobs…good job getting run over
NFP had Allen as the second best safety in the whole draft!!! I am not worried about not getting Mays. The problem… They had Teo-N as like an undrafted guy!!
I would have loved Mays as a strong safety though weapon.
All I know is our Defense friggin sucked when it came to came to getting the QB on his ass. The Iggles noticed that too. At least their drafting to take care of it. I mean, you know the Eagles. They could have traded out of the 1st rd then selected a TE in the 2nd and a OT from BYU in the 3rd. Hey throw enough shit at the wall eventually some of it will stick. I like their picks so far.
So so so glad that they didnt take Taylor Mays. I can just imagine the Eagles playing the cowboys and Miles goes deep on a double move and Mays falling on his face. At least Allen can cover. Id rather have a safety be able to cover rather one get burned deep. Yeah Mays is fast but everything ive heard is he cant cover.
Cover guys are gonna be great wiith this new pass rush there gonna have. I think if Allen turns out to be good this defense is gonna be scary with the “Man Beast Graham”
Graham on one side and Cole on the other wooooohooooo. Lets see if anyone can block both.
N Allen is a good all-around cover Safety,
Not super fast,not a big hitter but fundamntally sound and a good tackler with sure hands, he should thrive in D Jaurons systems who is great coach and teach with young secondary players..I see him competing for playing time in 2010 and eventually Mickell’s replacement by 2011…
Many scouts have summarized his play as maybe not being the most exciting of players,but very steady and NFL ready outside of E Berry.. A good solid,safe pick at #37
Nate Allen will be a Free Safety..mikell is our strong safety..so I think in next years draft we will get mikells replacement..Mikell is almost thirty..Eagles are doing it smart..u build ur team from inside out and straight down the middle..safety(Allen)..LB(Bradley)..dline. .QB..RB..and that’s what Philly did..I wanted Mays also, but Allen is very good..so I’m satisfied. I pointed how Dick Juron was the best secondary coach in the league and I see many have ran with it…but as I said look what he did with jarius Byrd..and I believe he can make Allen better..especially in our D….And the reason why Berry and Thomas were rated a Tad higher due to there ability to play corner in man situations. Allen excels in zone not man..which is our strong point..we hardly ever ask our safeties to play man..so I see Allen suited for us very well.
People are making to big of deal of what we get with our mcnabb pick..so what we got need..who cares we got a safety and traded away dirtballs, highballs…LOL..I mean cmon..I believe half the people who leave comments are not Philly fans and need to just retire there keyboards.
yes ur right 30 yr eagle fan who now wants 2 see this team lose ever freaking gm. eagles fans r the worse u hate andy u hated banner u hate roseman u hate lurie yet u root root root for these same bum ass people every yr they hand u an 8-8 team and the linc is probably is already sold out for every gm this season lol ur not rooting for eagles eagles were bdawk d5 36 west sheldon brown axe man trot ur rootin for the front office