Eagles NFL Draft Needs: Linebackers And Offensive Linemen

Some have wondered if the Philadelphia Eagles will trade up in the 2012 NFL draft, perhaps for a defensive player like Fletcher Cox. Even if they stay put at the 15th pick, they have a number of needs they can address. SB Nation's Eagles blog, Bleeding Green Nation, addressed the Eagles needs entering the NFL draft this weekend.

The Eagles could use linebackers, specifically on the outside, depth on the offensive line & I'll just say secondary players. DeMeco Ryans should solidify the interior of the LB corps and his leadership should help uplift the unit as a whole, but they could still use more talent around him. The Eagles are very young at LB, but it's not pedigreed youth. We're talking about a collection of mid to late round picks.

I don't really think the injury to Jason Peters changes the Eagles draft strategy too much. I doubt they'll look to a rookie to fill that spot. However, offensive line depth was a need even before Peters went down. The team only had one backup OT before Peters was hurt, so now there's literally none. They've got a few young guys on the interior, but really no one that would prevent them from bringing in competition.

In the secondary, I could see the Eagles going after a young corner if and when Asante Samuel gets dealt. I'm conflicted about the safety position because they could use better safety play, but a big part of the problem last year is that the guys they had were so young. So I don't really know that adding even more youth is really the solution there. The team has spent two consecutive 2nd round picks on safety, so it may just be smarter to let those guys develop before heaping more picks in there.

For more news and notes on the Philadelphia Eagles, visit Bleeding Green Nation and SB Nation Philly. Check out our 2012 NFL mock draft as selected by SB Nation NFL bloggers. And make sure to visit SB Nation's draft blog, Mocking The Draft, for more on the NFL draft.