No more mock drafts. No more awkward green room interviews. And no more Mel Kiper. Hallelujah.

Even though the Sheldon Brown saga is far from resolved, the roster we see right now could be the one that opens the season in the fall of 2009. Regardless of whether Brown gets the Lito treatment and sees more pine than playing field, the Eagles seem to have made some very impressive pickups that have the notoriously fickle Birds fans remarkably uniform in their approval. Perhaps even more remarkable is that the additions have come in the wake of the departure of some long-tenured and tremendously adored franchise pillars in Brian Dawkins, Tra Thomas and (likely) Jon Runyan.

JASON PETERS (OT) Acquired for 1st round pick (28th overall) and 4th round pick in 2009 draft, as well as undisclosed pick in 2010…described by Andy Reid as “the best left tackle in football”, Peters fills a major need as the beast protecting Donovan’s blind side. For those grumbling about trading down in the 2008 draft and acquiring a low 1st round pick from Carolina, that extra pick allowed the Eagles to let an aging vet in Thomas walk and bring in Peters. Give Andy Reid credit: for all his play-calling woes, the man knows you win football games in the trenches and he is never afraid to solidify his lines before moving onto other personnel issues. Peters is also Shawn Andrews’ former college roommate at Arkansas, and his arrival (combined with Andrews’ older brother Stacy, see below) will hopefully help rejuvenate the former Pro Bowler who missed the majority of last season due to injury and depression.

STACY ANDREWS: Signed as a free agent in February…the addition of Andrews looks even better considering the other moves made to solidify the line. Andrews should slide into the right tackle spot vacated by the still-as-unsigned Jon Runyan, giving the Eagles massive bookend blockers still in the prime of their careers. The opportunity to play alongside younger brother Shawn will hopefully motivate both Andrews’ to perform at the high level at which they have shown to be more than capable of doing. There was some concern about his  right knee problems, as he had offseason surgery to repair a torn MCL and ACL, but those have largely been quieted in reports from the team thus far.

LEONARD WEAVER: Signing a fullback doesn’t generally make waves in most NFL cities, but those who watched the Birds stubbornly refuse to employ a legitimate professional at that position last season were legitimately excited to have someone of Weaver’s caliber on the roster. Granted, his initial interviews were less than enthusiastic (Weaver seemed to openly designate Philadelphia as his second choice behind returning to Seattle) but his diverse skill set should quickly enamor him to the Phaithful. Weaver is not only a strong blocker but an above-average pass catching fullback, a major plus in Reid’s West Coast offense. If nothing else, between Peters, Andrews and Weaver, Brian Westbrook should be able to convert those third and less than a yard plays that were such a bugaboo to the team in 2008.

ELLIS HOBBS: Acquired for two 5th round picks during 2009 draft…Though Big Red hasn’t said as much, Hobbs was ostenibly acquired to replace Sheldon Brown. With Asante Samuel locking down one corner spot and Joselio Hanson signing a contract extension during the winter, Hobbs likely wasn’t brought in to be a 4th CB. While the team would have preferred to keep a happy Sheldon Brown, the situation looks bleak for his future in green. Hobbs is a servicable corner who has started 16 games in each of the last two seasons for New England and is signed for one more season at a very reasonable cap number of just north of $2 million.

JEREMY MACLIN/LESEAN MCCOY: On paper, the Eagles’s top two draft picks look like excellent selections. Maclin was rated as the top WR in the draft on the draft boards of 18 teams and McCoy was a borderline 1st round pick on a number of mock drafts, not to mention an explosive performer in college at Pitt. Though the two rookies are extremely talented, they won’t be asked to carry the team this season, which should help their development significantly. Despite the continued questioning of the Eagles WR corps, Kevin Curtis, DeSean Jackson and Jason Avant form an above-average trio in my mind. Provided Maclin comes as advertised, he should take some of the burden off both Curtis and Jackson and add some skill to the return game as well. The additional benefit of that aspect of his game is that it should limit the pounding the fragile Jackson takes in special teams situations. McCoy should be an excellent back to spell Brian Westbrook and provides insurance should Westbrook’s balky body not allow him to go the full 16, something that has proven elusive over his time in green. McCoy is also an excellent pass-catching back, which as mentioned above, is of utmost importance in Reid’s offense. Both will be asked to contribute, but neither should need to be Pro Bowl caliber to make an impact this season.

THE BEST OF THE REST: I may be in the minority, but I think Sean Jones will be a solid addition to this team. Jones has the unenviable task as being viewed as the safety that comes in to replace Brian Dawkins, but in reality, that isn’t quite true. The Eagles may go with a rotation of  Quintin Demps, Jones and fellow free agent Rashad Baker opposite of Quintin Mikell and that trio will hopefully be enough to hold the fort. Though they will miss Sean Considine in special teams, anyone with a pulse and a tendency to cover the opponent will be an upgrade at safety. Cornelius Ingram is an intriguing pick in the 5th round. An athletic tight end for Florida in college, Ingram missed all of his senior season with a knee injury. Despite the injury, he was still rated as the 2nd best TE in the draft by a number of scouting services and if he is healthy, he could provide Donovan McNabb with another pass catching weapon. There is some concern about Ingram’s blocking ability, however, I think this is largely due to the offense he featured in while at Florida. Regardless, Brent Celek will hold down the starting spot until further notice. CB Victor “Macho” Harris was selected in the 5th round out of VA Tech and though he had decent college numbers, may be outsized in the NFL. I’m more intrigued by 2008 4th round pick Jack Ikegwuono (triple word score baby!), a CB from Wisconsin who spent all of last season on the IR. Before his injury, Ikegwuono was a 1st round prospect that slipped to the Birds on the second day. If healthy, he could be the dark horse of the group. But that’s a big if.

Either way Birds fans, there will be a lot of new faces when the team lines up for the first time in 2009. On paper, there are weapons for Donovan, some fat linemen for Andy and some nice small pieces to plus holes. Most importantly, Cincinnati isn’t on the schedule.

Dan