Hunt, Bradley Ink

Two Picks Agree To Terms

May 24, 2007
By BOB KENT

The Eagles wasted little time locking in members of their 2007 draft class, agreeing to contract terms Thursday with linebacker Stewart Bradley and running back Tony Hunt. The two third-round picks agreed to four-year deals.

With six draft picks remaining to sign, the Eagles are the first NFL team to agree to terms with two 2007 first-day selections.

A three-year starter at Nebraska, Bradley is a sizeable addition to the linebacking corps. At 6-foot-3, 254-pounds, he is expected to contribute on special teams and compete with Chris Gocong at the SAM linebacker position. Coaches believe his impressive cover skills and athletic abilities make him a perfect fit at the SAM position.

'He is a true SAM 'backer, a guy who can play over the tight end, defensive coordinator Jim Johnson said. "It was a good fit for us."

LB Stewart Bradley Bradley led the Cornhuskers with a career-high 76 tackles as a senior, after missing more than half of his 2005 campaign with a torn ACL in his left knee. He also had a team-high four fumble recoveries, three caused fumbles, six tackles for loss and five hurries.

Bradley earned honorable mention All-Big 12 honors from the league's coaches and The Associated Press.

A three-year starter at strong-side linebacker, Bradley played in 43 career games, registering 175 tackles, 25 tackles for a loss, four sacks, three forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, and one interception, which he returned 43 yards for a touchdown.

Meanwhile, the 6-foot-1, 233-pound Hunt adds some size to the running back position after racking up the numbers at Penn State, Hunt earned All-Big Ten honors for the second time after his senior season, in which he recorded career-highs in rushing yards (1,386), total touchdowns (14), rushing touchdowns (11), rushing yards per game (115.5), and attempts (277).

Hunt finished his career ranked first on the school's all-time list in attempts (654), second in rushing yards (3,320), fourth in all-purpose yards (4,119), and sixth in 100-yard rushing games (15), eight of which came in 2006.

In 45 career games, Hunt produced 28 touchdowns (25 rushing, three receiving). In addition, he became only the fifth player in Penn State history to rush for over 3,000 yards in his career (3,320), and the sixth to rush for over 1,000 yards in more than one season.

Touted as the "big back" Eagles fans were craving, Hunt is much more. He is a 233-pound complete back. He can run, catch and block.

RB Tony Hunt "Tony is a bigger running back than what we've had," said offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg, "but we didn't draft him because he is a big guy. We drafted him because he is a complete running back. He runs very well between the tackles. He catches the ball well and he is a young man who will block. You don't play at Penn State unless you can block.

"He is more than a big back. He does a lot of things on the field. He fits into this system."
Hunt figures to at least provide the Eagles with some short-yardage options as a rookie.

Thursday's transaction leaves the Eagles with six picks left to sign. Rookies and selected veterans are scheduled to report for training camp on July 27.

Awesome! Two down, and six more to go. The Eagles have set the bar for the rest of the NFL, by being the first to sign any draft picks. Now the rest should hopefully start to fall into place like dominos. I can't see anybody holding out on the Eagles this year.