23. Philadelphia Eagles - Brandon Harris, Miami Hurricanes
The Eagles have a few needs they can address, and they'd like to grab an offensive lineman at this point, but this iteration of the 2011 NFL Draft saw a recent run at the position, so they revert to a different need while still maintaining a best player available mentality. They could go a number of ways here, including a couple different directions at each position, but they'll go with cornerback, and they'll go with Brandon Harris over Jimmy Smith.
Not a team to buy into intense hype, the Eagles will make a calculated decision to grab the more complete, more technically sound prospect in Harris out of Miami. They'll probably come into this draft with the intentions of grabbing a cornerback in the second round, but if you come in with your draft set up like that, you will get burned and ultimately end up reaching in a situation where you really can't do that. The Eagles hold off on the offensive line, and grab a guy who can start for them for years to come.
Harris is a very technically sound player, and that's enough to put him above Jimmy Smith's hype. He's got good speed, but he could get burned against some of the truly elite speed receivers in the league, which is why Philadelphia is a good fit for him - he can come in and be the second corner right from the get-go and eventually move over the number one if the situation is right. It's just a very smart pick and the Eagles will come out well if they go with it.