2011 NFL Draft: Philadelphia Eagles and Mario Harvey, a Match Made in Heaven?

I’ve been saying all along that the No. 1 concern for the Philadelphia Eagles needs to be getting pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

For this need, I suggested that the Eagles grab linebacker Justin Houston out of Georgia in the first round.

That being said, there are other glaring weaknesses in the Philadelphia defense, most notably at cornerback.

There have been talks that free agent Nnamdi Asomugha could be on the Eagles' radar. However, assuming the Eagles don’t sign him and instead take a corner in the first round, who could they draft at the linebacker position in the later rounds? 

Marshall's Mario Harvey comes to mind.

Up until the combine, Harvey was flying under the radar. He seemed to take this personally, however, and made the absolute most out of his opportunity at the school’s pro day by putting up a 4.46 40-yard dash time, and recording a 32-inch vertical leap.

At worst, he’s a solid special teams player.

At best, he’s a fiery playmaker on defense with the speed to make an impact in both the run and pass game. This man is a solid late-round pick.

With his performance at the combine, Harvey elevated his stock from a potential seventh-round pick or undrafted to as high as the fourth round.

He’s shown the physical tools needed to play his position at an elite level.

His mental approach and work ethic will determine whether he has any success at the pro level, however, which we won’t know until he gets on the field.

Nevertheless, expect a team to take a chance on Harvey in the mid-rounds. It might just be Philadelphia.