Eagles Pick Brandon Graham in 1st Round

Brandon Graham is Philadelphia's newest Eagle.

The defensive end from Michigan is listed at 6-foot-1 and 268 pounds. He had 29 sacks in 49 games. Graham was the first defensive player in school history to be voted team MVP twice.

The Eagles traded up from the 24th first-round pick to 13th after trading with the Denver Broncos. They also gave away a pair of third-round picks for the move up.

"We felt it was important to better ourselves with the pass rush and defensive line play," Eagles coach Andy Reid said. "We thought Brandon was the best defensive lineman to help us there."

Some scouts projected Graham to switch to outside linebacker in the NFL, but the Eagles plan to use him at end. He could start on the left side opposite two-time Pro Bowl right end Trent Cole.

"I'm going do whatever the team wants me to do, but going in with the mentality to learn what I need to get out there and helping my team win," Graham said in a conference call.

The Eagles are usually among the most active teams at the draft. This was the sixth time in eight years they moved up in the first round. They entered with 10 picks, including five in the first three rounds. Philadelphia's next pick -- No. 37 -- is the one they got in the trade that sent quarterback Donovan McNabb to the Washington Redskins.

Graham finished his four-year college career with 56 tackles for a loss and eight forced fumbles. He volunteered to play on special teams as a senior and blocked two punts and recovered one for a touchdown.

"Great pass rusher, disruptive run stopper, humble kid," Graham said with a chuckle when asked to describe himself. "Coachable kid who loves to play football."

The Eagles needed to improve their pass rush, even though they had 44 sacks last season. Much of their pressure usually came from the blitz, and the front four often gave quarterbacks too much time to sit in the pocket and pick apart the secondary.

"A combo of Brandon and our other defensive linemen is a great combo of guys," Reid said. "We felt he was the best player there and also fit a need. We put a lot of value in a guy that loves to play the game, is relentless and there's character there, too."