A rookie out of Michigan, Brandon Graham was supposed to be the force opposite Trent Cole that would rattle opposing quarterbacks and force them to make mistakes. He was an en vogue pick to be the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year by many national pundits including Adam Schefter.

Despite winning being handed a starting spot out of training camp, Graham just never got into a flow. He went through growing pains expected of many rookies and bounced between starter and backup. Sadly, Graham’s season ended early due to an ACL injury suffered during last week’s beat down of the Cowboys.

SI's Don Banks thinks the Eagles would have taken Earl Thomas instead of Brandon Graham if the NFL Draft was held today. In fact, he has Graham on the outside of the first round.

Graham ended the season with just 13 tackles and three sacks. The question of whether or not the Eagles would take him again with their top pick if they could have a redo is always a fun one. Of course, it’s easy to criticize after the fact. Still, people do it, including Sports Illustrated’s Don Banks.

For what it’s worth, Banks doesn’t even rank Graham as a first rounder at this pint. He thinks the Eagles would have been better with safety Earl Thomas, the guy most of us thought they were eying. According to Banks:

The Eagles took South Florida free safety Nate Allen early in the second round, and he’s been a nice addition with 45 tackles and three interceptions. But with Thomas still on the board, Philly lands the draft’s top-rated free safety. Thomas has 65 tackles and five interceptions for the Seahawks, and he plays the run and the pass equally well.

If the Eagles had taken Thomas, then would Allen still have been the second round pick? Banks sees Allen as a first rounder if the draft were held today. He has Allen going 24th to the Cowboys.

Don Banks has Nate Allen, the Eagles second round pick, rated as a first rounder if the NFL Draft were held today.

The Cowboys safety situation has been problematic for years now, and Allen has played free safety well for the Eagles, who took him in the second round. Allen has 45 tackles, three interceptions, two sacks, and a fumble forced, and he’d be an upgrade over Dallas starter Alan Ball.

Not bad for a guy the Eagles got with the Donovan McNabb pick.

When the Eagles moved up to grab Michigan standout Brandon Graham in the first round of the NFL Draft in April, mayne experts declared him the early leader for Defensive Rookie of the Year. Of course, seeing him in game action before anointing him the best of the class would be nice.

Consider that done. With three preseason games in the books and a starting spot earned, more people are now giving Graham his due. The New York Post’s Bart Hubbach included Graham in his “4-Down Territory” blog.

Eagles rookie defensive end Brandon Graham is being mentioned as a Rookie of the Year candidate.

Hubbach writes, “Aside from a flurry of injuries early in camp, the Eagles have been flying under the radar. And while almost all of the focus has been on Donovan McNabb ’s departure and the quarterback takeover by Kevin Kolb , scouts say Philadelphia landed a serious Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate in Michigan defensive end Brandon Graham . It took Graham all of two preseason games to win a starting job, and he had two tackles for a loss, a sack and a hurry two weeks ago against the Bengals. That prompted teammate Trent Cole to say “I see greatness” when asked about Graham, whose long arms, speed and mature-beyond-his-years rush skills made him the 13th overall pick. Graham probably won’t play much tomorrow night against the Jets in the preseason finale, but the Giants should consider themselves warned.“

Don’t look for Graham to play in the preseason finally against the Jets on Thursday. Now, the rookie needs to kick it up a notch and get ready for the Packers on Sept. 12. Now’s the time to live up to expectations, especially since the Eagles success on defense relies on the team’s ability to get to, and rattle, the opposing quarterback.

When going to Lehigh, make sure to print the Eagles roster and take it with you. There are too many players to keep an eye on. And, this year, there’s a number change to boot.

Jeremiah Trotter is likely done as an Eagle — for good this time. Rookie Brandon Graham has his number now.

LeSean McCoy switches from No. 29 to 25. So, if you got a McCoy jersey last year, like I almost did, time to go back to the Eagles Pro Shop — or Forman Mills. And, don’t expect Shady to pay for your new jersey. Hey, the guy is still on a rookie contract based on his second round draft status.

The other number that jumps out at us is 54. It’s now taken by Brandon Graham, the Eagles first round pick. This likely signifies the true end of the Jeremiah Trotter era. The Axeman twice resigned with the Eagles and was able to get his number. Tracey White wasn’t keeping it last year. Something tells me getting a first round pick to change his number isn’t happening.

So long, Trot. See ya’ at the car wash, I guess.

Sure, the Eagles have made some boneheaded, scalp-scratching Al Davisesque picks in their days. But, most experts trash those selections.

Brandon Graham is a different entity to himself. Adam Schefter and others have declared the Eagles newest addition to the defensive end the favorite to win NFL Rookie of the Year honors.

Eagles rookie Brandon Graham has been touted as a possible Rookie of the Year candidate.

Then, there’s this overview from FoxSports.com’s Adam Caplan:

“The top question surrounding Graham seemed to be whether he was better off playing in the 3-4 or 4-3. Graham, who dominated Senior Bowl practices, rocketed up draft boards after that week. However, a source said at least at few teams didn’t have a first-round grade on him because of his shorter than ideal arm length. Philadelphia has decent depth at both end spots, but the talented rookie figures to be high in the rotation right away.”

This is the first we’ve heard about teams not having Graham slotted in the first round. We’re curious which teams: Jacksonville or Oakland?

In any event, the only way to find out for sure is to see Graham in action. Assuming he signs in time, training camp is less than three weeks away. Let’s hope it’s a little cooler in Lehigh at the end of the month than it is today.