Birds' Weapon of Choice: Maclin

  PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Seconds after the Philadelphia Eagles selected Jeremy Maclin, coach Andy Reid let Donovan McNabb know in a text message.

  It probably read something like this: "Hey, big guy, we got you a playmaker!"

The Philadelphia Eagles got a weapon they didn't expect for Donovan McNabb, trading up two spots to select Missouri wide receiver Jeremy Maclin with the 19th pick in the NFL draft.

  A star in Missouri's high-octane offense, Maclin was expected to be a top-10 pick in many mock drafts. But he slipped several spots Saturday and the Eagles grabbed him.

  Philadelphia sent its first-round pick (No. 21) and a sixth-round pick (No. 195) to Cleveland for the 19th overall choice.

  "We thought he was going to go quite a bit higher," Eagles coach Andy Reid said. "This is not who we had targeted. He fell in our laps and we wanted to take advantage of it."

  Maclin becomes the first receiver selected by the Eagles in the first round since they took Freddie Mitchell in 2001 at No. 25. Mitchell was a bust in Philadelphia.

  Maclin, a speedster listed at 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds, caught 102 passes for 1,260 yards and 13 touchdowns as a sophomore last season. He's known for stretching the field and making big plays, but also is an effective possession receiver. Maclin is a dangerous kick returner, too.

  "He's very intelligent, a quality kid," Reid said. "There's a lot you can do with him, run a ton of reverses and gadget plays."

  McNabb hasn't had a true No. 1 target since Terrell Owens was kicked out of town in 2005, less than a year after helping the Eagles reach the Super Bowl.

  The Eagles, who lost to Arizona in the NFC championship game, were interested in acquiring Anquan Boldin from the Cardinals. But they couldn't pass up the chance to get Maclin. Reid said the team rated Maclin so high on its draft board they didn't even bring him in for a visit because they expected him to be long gone.

  "He was the best player available," Reid said. "I completely trusted the board on that one."

  Maclin joins a deep receiving corps that includes DeSean Jackson, Kevin Curtis, Jason Avant, Hank Baskett and Reggie Brown. Jackson, a second-round pick last year, led the Eagles with 62 catches and 912 yards to go with two TDs.

  "We have plenty of people there," Reid said. "It's a matter of them being on the same page as Donovan. We have some versatility and flexibility."

  Most draft experts predicted the Eagles would select running back Knowshon Moreno, but he went to Denver at No. 12. Others had Philadelphia taking tight end Brandon Pettigrew, but the Eagles passed on him and he went to Detroit at No. 20.

  Maclin caught 80 passes for 1,055 yards and nine TDs his freshman year. He also ran the ball quite a bit, finishing with 91 carries for 668 yards and six TDs on the ground. Maclin returned three punts and two kickoffs for scores in his two seasons.