The Eagles took offensive players with four of their five picks in the NFL draft http://www.detroitlionsteamonline.com/austin-bryant-jersey , passing up needs on defense to select the best players available to help them improve an offense that ranked 18th in scoring last year.They got their only defensive player on the final day of the three-day draft, choosing Penn State edge rusher Shareef Miller in the fourth round on Saturday.Offense was the focus the first two days when the Eagles moved up three spots to select Washington State left tackle Andre Dillard with the 22nd pick in the first round. Penn State running back Miles Sanders was drafted in the second round at No. 53 and Stanford wide receiver JJ Arcega-Whiteside at No. 57.“The way we’ve built our team, we want to score a lot of points and we want to make teams one-dimensional and get after the quarterback,” personnel boss Howie Roseman said. “That’s how we build this. That’s going to be how we continue to do it, but at the same time we are not trying to force anything.”Dillard isn’t expected to contribute right away, barring injuries. He’ll learn behind nine-time Pro Bowl left tackle Jason Peters, who is 37 years old. But Sanders will be counted on to make an immediate impact.Sanders had 1,274 yards rushing, an average of 5.8 yards per carry, and nine touchdowns as a junior last year after replacing Saquon Barkley.“I gained a lot of patience, got more mature, started focusing on the little things more, got bigger Max Scharping Jersey , stronger, faster, got deeper into the playbook, just preparing myself and making myself feel comfortable for when I finally get my chance to get in the game,” Sanders said about waiting for an opportunity to play. “And then also learning from Saquon, he’s a special guy on and off the field, so it’s just stuff like that I was just learning from him as far as how to watch film, what he looks for, just to prepare myself for when I finally get my chance.”Arcega-Whiteside gives quarterback Carson Wentz another big target, especially in the red zone.“He texted me right after I got picked,” Arcega-Whiteside said of Wentz. “Obviously, he is a great quarterback. He throws the ball very well. It almost seems like he always makes the right read. So having a guy like him to bring me in and teach me the ins and outs of the offense and knowing that he is going to put the ball on the money every single time gives me great confidence.”The Eagles concluded their draft by selecting Northwestern quarterback Clayton Thorson in the fifth round. They traded a seventh-round pick they acquired from New England to Indianapolis for defensive tackle Hassan Ridgeway.Thorson will get a chance to develop behind Wentz and backup Nate Sudfeld. He was a four-year starter at Northwestern and threw for 10,731 yards with a 58.4 percent completion rate Brian Burns Jersey , 61 touchdowns and 45 interceptions.Ridgeway started six games in three seasons in Indianapolis. He only played in five games last year because of injuries.WHO THEY GOTDillard (No. 22), Sanders (No. 53), Arcega-Whiteside (No. 57), Miller (No. 138) and Thorson (No. 167) were Philadelphia’s picks.SURPRISE MOVETaking Thorson instead of a defensive player was a surprise because the Eagles didn’t address needs at linebacker and safety.HOW THEY DIDGetting Dillard, who was considered a top-12 talent, to protect Wentz’s blind side for the next decade was an excellent pick. Sanders fits in nicely in the offense and Arcega-Whiteside has a chance to make plenty of plays. If Miller becomes part of the defensive line rotation, this was a strong draft.WHAT’S NEXTThe Eagles are always aggressive in pursuing undrafted rookies and will look to find a few gems, especially on defense. PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Brian Dawkins is tackling mental health issues the same aggressive way he took on anyone who dared cross the middle during his Hall of Fame career as a safety for the Philadelphia Eagles and Denver Broncos.Since revealing he suffered from depression and had suicidal thoughts early in his playing career, Dawkins has been on a mission to spread awareness. He recently spoke at the Stay in the Game Forum to identify ways sports can be leveraged to have a positive impact on mental wellness. The event was organized by groups including Beyond Sport and the major professional sports leagues, including MLB, NFL, NBA and the NHL.“We’re trying to bring awareness to something that affects 44 million people,” Dawkins told The Associated Press. “One in five adults have a mental health condition or are going through some things. I like to talk about my cerebral wellness instead of mental health. I believe we need to begin to change the narrative when we begin to speak about our cerebral wellness. I think there’s so much negativity surrounding mental health that it’s gonna be hard to take that stigma completely off http://www.pantherscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-greg-little-jersey , so I believe that individuals in every walk of life, you need to take control of it, take ownership of it, you change the way that you feel comfortable for yourself to talk about yourself.”The topic hits home for Dawkins, who shortly before his Hall of Fame induction ceremony last year publicly shared the personal issues he faced. A ferocious player nicknamed “Weapon X” and revered in Philadelphia for his physical style of play and his emotional connection with fans, Dawkins talked openly about the pressure he felt as a rookie second-round pick playing for a playoff contender in 1996. That, combined with being a newlywed and a new parent, was too much for him at times. It led Dawkins to drink alcohol excessively and spiraled into a depression that made him feel like ending his life was the only way out.“I know what it feels like, my version of depression,” Dawkins said. “The things I went through, the dark place that I went through, the times that I didn’t want to come out of my house. I did not want to leave the home. I put on a mask every day to go to work and I was pretending to be something that I was not, not in a good way Will Grier Jersey , not in a positive reinforcement way of positive thinking. I was pretending to be something and covering a whole lot of pain in my life.“So to be able to now get on out on a national scale… we’re having these conversations on how sports can be a positive conduit to help others begin to talk about their feelings, talk about the things that are going on in their lives so they can be better versions of themselves so they won’t find themselves in those dark pits.”In May, the NFL mandated that all 32 teams must retain by the start of training camp a behavioral health team clinician focused on supporting players’ emotional and mental health and well-being. Dawkins didn’t have that option 23 years ago. His wife, Connie, and Eagles defensive coordinator Emmitt Thomas persuaded Dawkins to seek help. He began to see a psychiatrist and was prescribed medication for depression. But it was a renewed commitment to his faith that helped him control his issues.“That is my No. 1 pillar,” Dawkins said. “That’s just the pinnacle of me, my faith, my belief in the Lord. So everything else trickles down from that concrete rock. Everything else may move. My emotions may go up and down. People around me disappoint me. But that’s something that will never disappoint me.”Dawkins says he begins each day with prayer, scripture reading and meditation. It gives him the mindset that he will “dominate” that day.“I recognize that when I lead with my spirit, when I allow my spiritual man to be the leader of me, my actions will then follow,” he said. “I’ll be a more loving individual. I’ll be a kinder individual. I’ll be a more patient individual. I’ll see opportunities that others see as bad things, I will see them as things that can actually increase me and bless me down the road. Count it all joy when you go through tests of all kinds. So when I began to view things from that perspective http://www.pantherscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-christian-miller-jersey , even when I fall, that’s an opportunity for me to get stronger every time so there’s no area in my life that I can’t get stronger. When I’m winning, I’m getting stronger. And even when I’m losing, I’m getting stronger because I can find something in there that can strengthen me for the next time. That’s why my faith is concrete. It’s the absolute strongest part of this walk.”As a cerebral wellness advocate, Dawkins is looking forward to effecting change through the Brian Dawkins Impact Foundation, which is in the planning phases of its first community initiative in his hometown of Jacksonville, Florida.“It’s designed to help disadvantaged young people, families and communities while promoting spiritual mental and physical wellness,” Dawkins said.
