Eagles trade up to draft DE Brandon Graham

The Eagles traded to Denver their first round pick and two third round picks to move up in the first round and select Michigan DE Brandon Graham with the 13th overall pick. He is listed at 6'1.5" and 268 lbs.

The consensus seems to be that Graham is a mid-first round talent, and that he is a safe bet to be a good player in the NFL because he was very productive in college. Jason Pierre-Paul, a DE drafted two picks later by the Giants, was ranked ahead of Graham by most analysts but is considered a much riskier pick. This much is sure: JPP can do 23 backflips in a row and Graham can't.

SI.com has Graham graded as slightly worse than the DE Jason Pierre-Paul, but they describe JPP as "boom or bust," and have Graham listed as a first round talent. Here's their instant reaction:
"The Eagles trade up in order to take the former Michigan pass rusher who completely dominated the competition at the Senior Bowl. Graham is extremely powerful and athletic which enables him to overcome his lack of height and short arms. The Eagles have been searching for years for a pass-rusher to team with Trent Cole and clearly they felt Graham was their guy, otherwise they would not have given up two third-round choices in order to secure his rights" 

And here's what they say about him on their scouting page:
"Positives: Intense defender constantly flying around the action. Fires off the snap, plays with leverage and excellent pad level. Immediately alters his angle of attack, fast up the field and displays speed in pursuit. Can bend off the edge, fast getting to the flanks, and chases the action hard. Loses no momentum changing direction, easily redirects to ball handlers, and wraps up at the point of attack. Gives effort until the whistle blows and displays good recognition.

Negatives: Struggles against large tackles and engulfed at the point of attack. Displays marginal skill moving in reverse if asked to play in coverage.

Analysis: Graham has displayed a terrific combination of quickness, explosion, and speed as well as hustle the past three seasons. He causes a lot of problems for opponents with the ability to quickly get up the field and disrupt the action. Graham is a high motor defender who goes hard and gives effort. Offering possibilities as a one-gap defensive end or outside linebacker in a 3-4, he shows a lot of Dwight Freeney in his game."

Over at ESPN, Mel Kiper has JPP 5 spots before Graham on his "Big Board." He has Graham ranked as the 3rd best DE behind JPP at 2. Mel's comments:
"Awesome athlete, force off the edge, led nation in TFLs."
and
"I'll repeat again that Graham is as productive a player as you'll find in the draft. He led the nation in tackles for loss, even as opposing offenses targeted him. His battle was proving that he is more than a potential 3-4 outside linebacker. Well, the proof is here. Graham has the leverage to be disruptive against the run, and his ability to disrupt the backfield as a pass-rusher is unquestioned."

Todd McShay has Graham listed as his top "underrated" prospect, and gives him a grade of 94. McShay, too, has JPP going ahead of Graham. He calls Graham the stoutest run-blocking DE of the top picks.

ESPN Draft tracker scouts Graham thusly:
"What he brings: Graham doesn't have ideal height for a defensive end prospect and he doesn't have elite natural ability, but he makes the most of his skill set. He's a tough run-defender who can set the edge. He shows adequate range in pursuit. While he is a bit of a straight-line pass-rusher, Graham is relentless and powerful. He also does a good job of getting under offensive tackles and bending back inside.
How he fits: Graham gives the Eagles a versatile defender who will add needed pass rush ability and a great motor, much like Trent Cole. Juqua Parker is aging, Victor Abiamiri has become a role-playing inside sub rusher and newly-signed Darryl Tapp is not a team savior. Graham adds toughness and aggressiveness to a defense that thrives on it. Graham will also be able to take some of the pressure off of Cole as the lone pass-rushing threat."

John Czarnecki from FoxSports says this about Graham:
"The Eagles traded away two of their third-rounders to the Broncos (the 13th pick acquired earlier from the 49ers) in order to take Michigan pass rusher Brandon Graham, who dominated offensive tackles in the Big Ten this past season. Graham's play was a big reason why Iowa's Bulaga is still available in this draft because he beat him like a drum when he played him. Now, Graham is a speed rusher and Andy Reid is hoping that he can mature into another Dwight Freeney"