NFL Draft 2012: DeMeco Ryans Trade Could Mean Draft-Day Slide for Luke Kuechly

The Philadelphia Eagles took steps to address their hole at middle linebacker Tuesday, and while the news that the team acquired linebacker DeMeco Ryans from the Houston Texans may have come as music to the ears of Eagles fans tired of watching their defense get gashed up the gut, it could also portend a draft-day dip for college football's leading tackler last season.

Josh Katzowitz of CBS Sports breaks down the details of the trade that will send the 27-year-old Ryans, who averaged more than 125 tackles a season his first four years before injuries and a switch to the 3-4 defense caused his stats to drop precipitously the past two seasons, to the City of Brotherly Love.

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After the Texans reportedly asked him earlier this month to take a paycut from his $5.9 million base salary, Houston traded the two-time Pro Bowler to the Eagles on Tuesday night for a fourth-round draft choice. The teams also have swapped third-round picks in the 2012 draft, meaning the Eagles now have the 89th selection overall, while the Texans took the Eagles' 77th overall pick.

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The trade's not insignificant impact on the Eagles aside, this deal is also likely to have an effect on April's NFL draft, as another potential first-round suitor for Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly, who paced the nation with 191 tackles in 2011, has seemingly fallen by the wayside.

That isn't meant as a knock on Kuechly's considerable talents, as the 6'3", 242-pound All-American was all over the field for the Eagles (no, the ones in Boston) a year ago en route to winning both the Lombardi and Butkus Awards.

Nor would a possible draft-day slide be the result of a poor combine, as Kuechly performed quite well at last month's event in Indianapolis, posting solid numbers in the bench press and 40-yard dash while also displaying impressive agility and closing speed in position drills.

However, while Kuechly's talents are formidable, so are the challenges that face his odds of being taken in the first round, as the market for 4-3 middle linebackers is the softest it's been in recent memory.

Kuechly is more than capable of manning either inside linebacker spot in the 3-4, but 4-3 MIKE is where Kuechly would fit best. Unfortunately for him, the open slots just aren't there, at least in the first round.

Many of the 4-3 teams that have slots around where you'd expect Kuechly to be picked already have established starters, and just recently two possible fits in Detroit and Philly have dropped from the running by re-upping Stephen Tulloch and making the deal for Ryans, respectively.

In fact, there's only one glaring hole left in the first round that really screams "Kuechly," and that's the New York Giants.

That said, the last pick of the round could go either way should the G-Men decide that addressing their hole at tight end is more important than a middle linebacker spot that they played mix-and-match with in 2011 en route to victory in Super Bowl XLVI.

It also doesn't help Kuechly's cause that two teams that might have interest in his services have no first-round pick, although it's a pretty safe guess that squads like the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints may wish they did given their unsettled situations in the middle.

It's still possible a team may go talent over need or scheme and make a play for Kuechly, a theory that ESPN's Mel Kiper apparently ascribes to given his curious pick of Kuechly to the Chiefs at 11th overall in his latest mock draft (despite the fact that they already have a more-than-capable WILB in Derrick Johnson).

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Kuechly came to Indy with concerns about his size. But he weighed in at over 240 pounds, easing some of those concerns, and then shined in workouts, proving the added bulk won't slow him down; a classic case where a guy answers the big questions and solidifies his stock. Romeo Crennel needs linebackers with great instincts who can be physical in the run game, make stops and also get into the backfield when asked. Kuechly is simply a machine, a prototype for what you want in an interior linebacker. I can see the Chiefs looking for a nose tackle, so if Poe is around, that pick makes sense as well.

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However, it's just as likely that Kuechly could have to wait for the draft's second day to hear his name called, and should that prove to be the case some squad will get very "lukey."

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