NFL Draft 2011: Thoughts on Philadelphia Eagles Round 7 Pick Greg Lloyd

Much like in years past, we saw the Philadelphia Eagles draft a player with knee injuries in college that they decided to take a risk on. 

This time around, it was Connecticut linebacker Greg Lloyd. 

If the name sounds familiar, it's because his father, also named Greg Lloyd, played for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

In 2009, Lloyd tore both his ACL and MCL.  He returned in 2010, but the injury lingered and caused him to miss nine games as a senior.

Lloyd stands at 6'2" and 260 pounds, so I like the size he has.  He's known as a downhill player who can step into a hole and blow it up.  Lloyd is known as a heavy-hitting guy, and I like that as the Eagles really lack a scary player on defense who can really lay a hit.

Although he does very well at filling holes inside, he fares pretty well in plays that stretch to the outside.  He doesn't have great open-field speed, but he slides well and can make plays that go around the edge.

Lloyd has proven to be a versatile player and it has drawn some speculation as to where he projects in the NFL.  He could line up as a larger defensive end, but clearly has the ability to play linebacker.

Being the third linebacker drafted by the Eagles, it should be interesting to see their intentions for him.  With his size, he could be someone they look to add depth in the middle, but he will probably be asked to learn all of the linebacker positions.

I'm not sure why the Eagles keep taking players with an injury history, so we'll have to keep an eye on Lloyd in the early workouts and training camp to see if he can stay healthy.