We are getting creamed, man! Wat the hell!

The Eagles are sitting pretty in day 2 with 9 picks, 2 1st round picks next year, and Lito Shepp. What happens next?

Trevor Laws and DeSean Jackson are not a terrible haul from the first day of the NFL draft. I'd rather have Felix Jones and Mike Jenkins, the two guys the Cowboys got in the first round, but Dallas did enter the day with two first-round picks, so you kind of figured the Cowboys were going to improve.

I still remember the shock waves at the NFL Draft Combine in February when Jackson weighed in at 169 pounds. That's why he was still on the board at 49. But I also remember him blazing past hapless pursuers last fall, as a receiver and a returner.

I can't say I took a lot of notice of Laws last season, but Andy Reid compared him to Mike Patterson in his Day 1 wrapup remarks, and analysts like him.

"I think he upgrades that defensive line," Reid said.

Reid said all the trading wasn't just to frustrate fans, it was to build up a base of mid-round picks, the part of the draft he said the Birds feel is strongest this year. (Silly you, thinking the better players are often found toward the TOP of the draft).

There must be a really good third- or fourth-round safety out there, because the Birds really, really need one.

Reid said the second and fourth-round offer from Carolina, which also included the Panthers' first-rounder next year, was "too sweet" to pass up (much like the pastry cart). He kind of hinted that the Eagles would indeed have taken Pitt offensive tackle Jeff Otah, the guy the Panthers traded up to draft, had they held onto the 19th overall pick.

Much more important than any of that, however: If you read my earlier item concerning the possibility of the Eagles NOT trading Lito Sheppard this weekend, you know how I feel about sitting here in the NovaCare media work room at 9 p.m., with Lito still an Eagle. When I head home across the Walt Whitman tonight, I might pause to take a few depth samplings, get an idea of the tidal flow. So if you see a Honda Element in the right lane with its flashers on, that's me.

What happened to all those exciting offers the Birds had for their disgruntled corner?

"There's still some people interested," Reid said last night, sounding like the guy who still holds out hope for getting rid of the leopard-skin-print sofa as the yard sale winds down. "But I'm not going to give Lito away."

Again, if the Eagles want to rework Sheppard's contract and keep him here as a happy camper, wonderful. But if we're going to spend the next three months until training camp on a daily trade watch ... are there any other beats open? The Soul is playing well.

According to Adam Schefter, the Dolphin's will try and move Jason Taylor for a 3rd and maybe later picks. If you are still watching the draft on NFL Network, he just said it at about 9:15p.m.

Now, I am thinking, should the Eagles make a play. We still have 9 picks in this years draft, and think we could sway a trade.

1 3rd - #80

3 4ths - #109 & #117 & #131

4 6ths - #184 & #191 & #200 & #203

1 7th - #230

Lorenzo Booker, Miami Dolphins draftee from last year, is a Philadelphia Eagle. Only for a 4th round pick. I think this is a steal!

??? I wanna know! The Eagles have traded their first pick and got another 2nd pick and another 4th plus a 1st next year. Are we thinking a run at a receiver?

In a surprise pick, the Pittsburgh Steelers are now a 2-back team, selecting Rashard Mendenhall with their 1st round pick.

Redskins trade #21 ( Sam Baker) overall to Atlanta for their pair of 2nds and their 4th

We have acquired the Carolina Panthers' 2009 1st round pick, this year's 2nd round pick, and this year's 4th round pick for Jeff Otah.

What the Eagles have assembled is a roster with Pro Bowl talent at the top, emerging players in the middle and some interesting competition toward the rear. It has been an excellent offseason, highlighted by the free-agent signing of cornerback Asante Samuel and then the signing of defensive end Chris Clemons, and filled in with additions like Dan Klecko, Rocky Boiman and Kris Wilson.

Coupled with the decision to retain tight end L.J. Smith -- did you really think he would be here when you looked at this roster back in January? -- and to keep as much roster stability as possible in these volatile times, the Eagles have a team that, on paper, should be back in the thick of things in the NFC again in 2008.

But there are still needs. There is still work to be done.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The Eagles acquired Detroit Lions Pro Bowl receiver Roy Williams yesterday in exchange for cornerback Lito Sheppard, and head coach Andy Reid declared that he now has the team to beat in the entire NFL.

It was so much easier to pull off a good April Fools joke before the Internet age.

In reality, all the Eagles did at the NFL owners' meetings yesterday was pick up three compensatory picks for the 2008 draft. When asked about Sheppard's situation, Reid gave the kind of answer one would expect from the head coach.

Cincinnati coach Marvin Lewis clearly is sick of star wide receiver Chad Johnson's trade demands. "It's unfortunate that Chad has put himself in that situation, because a lot of people who really had affection for him now see him in a different light," Lewis said. The Bengals still have no plans to trade Johnson. It's certain nothing will happen with the wide receiver before June 1 because it would cost the Bengals $8.03 million against their salary cap to trade him.

The Eagles' first move of the offseason, and the biggest to impact the offense, is finally complete as tight end L.J. Smith signed his franchise tender on Wednesday.

Smith was the first of a dozen players to receive the franchise tag designation this offseason on Feb. 7. With the offseason conditioning program underway, Smith signed the tender so that he could be with his teammates and get ready for the upcoming season.

"I've been anxious to get back to working out with my teammates so that we can make a run at a championship next season," said Smith in a statement. "Signing the contract now allows me to focus in on next season without any distractions. Since the season ended, I've been working hard, but being around my teammates, working together, is only going to make us better next year."

The 6-3, 258-pound Smith would have been one of the most highly-coveted free agents on the market. Mixing size, speed and playmaking ability, Smith has already had one of the most productive careers by a tight end in Eagles history, posting 194 receptions for 2,227 yards and 15 touchdowns in 73 games over five seasons.

"We're glad to have L.J. back," said head coach Andy Reid in a statement from the league meetings in Palm Beach, Fla. "We expect him to have a Pro Bowl-caliber season for us. I know he's worked very hard since the 2007 campaign ended, and he will continue to do so throughout the offseason."

Entering the final year of his rookie contract in 2007, Smith was expected to take flight and help strengthen an offense that saw Donovan McNabb return from a knee injury. However, Smith battled injuries of his own and was grounded for most of the year. He underwent offseason surgery to repair a sports hernia in May. Smith returned for training camp, but aggravated his groin in the same area as where he had the surgery. Smith was back in time for the beginning of the season, but was nowhere near 100 percent and underwent surgery on Sept. 21 to clean out scar tissue. While recovering from the surgery, Smith missed three games (Detroit, at Giants and Chicago).

Smith's best performance of the season came in the thrilling come-from-behind win at Washington in November when he had four catches for 49 yards and his only touchdown of the season. Almost a month later, Smith injured his knee in the home loss to the Giants. The injury sidelined him for the season's final three games. In all, Smith had 22 catches for 236 yards and the one score.

"I understand why I didn't get a long-term deal," said Smith in February. "I feel great right now. I'm healthy. Nothing is going to keep me from performing at a high level again."

Smith's presence was certainly missed on the field. The Eagles' struggles in the red zone were well documented this season. In 51 trips, the Eagles converted 23 of those opportunities into touchdowns for a 45.1 percent conversion rate that ranked 24th in the NFL. Where does Smith factor into that? All 16 of Smith's career touchdowns - including postseason - have come in the red zone.

After he took over as the full-time starter at tight end in 2005, Smith emerged into one of the league's best young talents with 111 catches for 1,293 yards and eight touchdowns between 2005 and 2006. During the run to the playoffs in 2006, Smith elevated his game and proved to be more than just a receiving tight end. The Eagles were not shy about running to Smith's side of the formation as running back Brian Westbrook rushed for over 1,000 yards for the first time in his career.

Smith was the Eagles' second-round pick in 2003 out of Rutgers. In his first two seasons, Smith developed into a playmaking tight end under the tutelage of Pro Bowl tight end Chad Lewis, recording 61 catches for 698 yards and six touchdowns. During the Eagles' playoff run in the 2004 season which ended with the franchise's second trip to the Super Bowl, Smith had nine catches for 100 yards. In Super Bowl XXXIX, he started in place of the injured Lewis and caught a 6-yard touchdown pass from Donovan McNabb for the game's opening points.

PHILADELPHIA -- If Eagles coach Andy Reid is waiting for the NFL draft to pull off a megadeal, he'll have plenty of ammunition with which to work.

The NFL awarded the Eagles three compensatory draft picks Monday, bringing the club's total to 11.

The Eagles were given an extra pick in the fourth round (131st overall) and two more in sixth round (200th, 203rd).

Thanks to the 2006 preseason trade of center Hank Fraley to the Browns, the Eagles had their own sixth-round pick (184th), as well as Cleveland's (191st). Now, they have four picks in the sixth round.

The draft takes place April 26-27. This year, the first two rounds will be Saturday, with the final five rounds Sunday.

If the Eagles keep all 11 picks, it would be the second time in the past four drafts that Reid made 11 selections. They have never made more than 11 picks since the draft went to seven rounds in 1994.

Reid is known for using the draft to build the nucleus of his team, and he's also known for his itchy trigger finger on draft day. Reid has executed trades in his past five drafts and eight of his nine as head coach.

The Eagles appear ripe to make at least one deal. Teams have reportedly contacted the Eagles about the availability of cornerback Lito Sheppard, who became the source of trade rumors the moment All-Pro corner Asante Samuel signed a six-year contract with the Eagles on the first day of free agency. Sheppard likely will be traded before the draft is over.

The Eagles also have a tenuous contract situation with tight end L.J. Smith, who still hasn't signed the one-year franchise tag tender of $4.522 million.

The Eagles have sought an upper-echelon wide receiver during free agency, but were spurned by Randy Moss and Larry Fitzgerald, each of whom remained with his 2007 team.

Wide receiver Roy Williams of the Lions and Rams wideout Torry Holt also have been mentioned in trade rumors, despite repeated denials from their respective teams.

The number of compensatory picks a team receives is determined by the net loss of compensatory free agents from the year before. In this case, the Eagles lost five impact free agents ( Jeff Garcia, Donte Stallworth, Michael Lewis, Rod Hood and Shawn Barber) and signed just two (Kevin Curtis, Ian Scott).

The Eagles' 25 compensatory picks since 1994 -- the first year such picks were awarded -- are tied with St. Louis for third-most in the NFL, behind Baltimore (29) and Dallas (26).