The Eagles found two keepers out of the ten players they drafted last April.  But, their first pick (2nd rounder) DT Trevor Laws was not one of them.  He played in all 16 games for the Eagles last season (0 starts) and he made 12 whole tackles.  WR DeSean Jackson was quite a find for the Eagles in the 2nd round last season.  Many experts thought he was too small but they forgot to judge the size of his heart.  Jackson played in all 16 games (15 starts) in which he caught 62 passes for 912 yards (14.7 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  He also carried the football 17 times for 96 yards (5.6 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Jackson also shined on special teams as he returned 50 punts for 440 yards (8.8 avg) with 1 TD return.  He also returned 1 kickoff for 17 yards and made 2 tackles last season.  The sky is the limit for Jackson in the future.  DE Bryan Smith was a third round pick last season for the Eagles and he was the only player to be inactive all 16 games.  OT Mike McGlynn tore his hamstring last season as he only played in 3 games (0 starts).  Free safety Quintin Demps was the other find for the Eagles last season in the 4th round.  He played in all 16 games (0 starts) for the Eagles and he made 18 tackles, defensed 1 pass, had 1 sack and he forced 2 fumbles.  He will get the chance to compete with Sean Jones to replace the departed Brian Dawkins in 2009.  Demps also returned 52 kickoffs for 1,314 yards (25.3 avg) with 1 TD return.  Fellow 4th rounder Jake Ikegwuonu missed his rookie season due to a torn ACL but the Eagles like him.  6th rounder (OT) Mike Gibson missed last season after injuring his shoulder in August.  Inside linebacker Joe Mays (6th round) only played in 2 games (0 starts) last season for the Eagles and he didn’t make any tackles.  Outside linebacker Andy Studebaker was signed by the Chiefs off the practice squad and he played in 6 games for them.  OT King Dunlap (7th round) injured his ankle in the pre season and it kept him out for the season.

GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  C-

GRADE FOR THE FUTURE:  B-

The Eagles have signed 26-year old fullback Leonard Weaver to a 1-year, $1.75 million dollar contract.  Weaver played in 14 games for the Seahawks last season and he carried the ball 30 times for 130 yards (4.3 ypc).  He also caught 20 passes for 222 yards (11.1 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Weaver isn’t your ordinary fullback as he has tailback type of skills.  That’s important to the Eagles due to Brian Westbrook’s injury history and the fact that Correll Buckhalter left the team to sign with the Broncos over the winter.  Weaver has now played in 46 games in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 80 times for 356 yards (4.5 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He has also caught 60 passes for 547 yards (9.1 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  This was a great signing for the Eagles.

The Eagles have signed 27-year old safety Rashad Baker to a 1-year contract.  Baker played in 10 games for the Raiders last season and he made 24 tackles, defensed 4 passes and he had 3 interceptions.  Baker could be a late bloomer as he hadn’t done much in the NFL until last season.  Baker has now played in 51 games in his NFL career in which he has made 78 tackles, defensed 8 passes, has 1 sack, 1 forced fumble and he has intercepted 5 passes.  This was a good move for the Eagles.

The Eagles have signed 27-year old safety Sean Jones to a 1-year deal.  Jones played in 12 games for the Browns this season and he made 56 tackles, defensed 4 passes, forced 1 fumble and he intercepted 4 passes.  Jones has now played in 60 games in his NFL career and he made 286 tackles, defensed 30 passes, has 1 sack, forced 2 fumbles and he has intercepted 14 passes.  This was a good move for the Eagles as Jones is a big time playmaker.

The Philadelphia Eagles have traded 29-year old WR Greg Lewis and a undisclosed 2010 NFL Draft Pick for a 5th round pick in the 2009 Draft.  Lewis played in all 16 games for the Eagles last season and he caught 19 passes for 247 yards (13.0 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Lewis played 90 games in his career with the Eagles and he caught 127 passes for 1,699 yards (13.4 avg) with 7 TD grabs.  This was likely a good trade for the Eagles as Lewis has fallen behind some of the other younger WRs.