By Ben Sullivan
Eagles coach Chip Kelly got his man in the 3rd round of last night’s NFL draft — inside linebacker Jordan Hicks from Texas — and the immediate thought was:
What does this mean for incumbent Mychal Kendricks?
“We haven’t offered any players to any teams,” Kelly said. “But I understand that’s what makes sports great. There’s nothing to talk about, you talk about trades. It doesn’t bother me. I love it. I had to talk to some of the guys about it.”
Still the pick of Hicks, 6-1, 236, adds to an already crowded position.
Already on the roster is DeMeco Ryans, who was given a one-year contract extension; Kiko Alonso, who was acquired in the LeSean McCoy trade; Brad Jones, who was signed as a free agent, and Najee Goode.
“This was a guy we had ranked higher than anyone on the board,” Kelly said. “We had him in the second round. There wasn’t anyone even close to him at this point. He’s a three-down linebacker. We like that. We want three-down linebackers. That’s what Mychal and Kiko are.”
All four of those returning players missed time with injuries in 2014. Alonso missed the entire season with a torn ACL; Goode missed all but the opener with a torn pectoral; and Ryans missed the final nine with a torn Achilles.
Hicks suffered a broken foot, hip flexor and torn Achilles in a five-year college career.
“He’s been OK,” Kelly said. “He was fine last year. Our doctors cleared him medically.”
