Updated Saturday, May 2, 12:09 a.m.
The Eagles added inside linebacker depth in the third round Friday night, selecting Jordan Hicks of Texas with the 84th overall pick.
“He was our highest-rated guy by far,” head coach Chip Kelly said. “We had him late in the second round. He’s got a great skill set. He's a three-down linebacker. Can cover. He's an outstanding special teams player."
Like Mychal Kendricks and Kiko Alonso, Hicks can play three downs, and that's why, Kelly said, the Eagles ranked him above some other "pretty good" linebackers in the draft who played only first and second down.
“We thought there was great value in the pick," Kelly said. "One of those, when you're just looking at the board, there was no one else around him.”
Kelly said Hicks was the "individual we saw the most this offseason," and the 6-foot-1, 235-pound Hicks (see bio) said he met with the Eagles more than any team. They met with him at the Senior Bowl, combine and brought him to Philadelphia for a visit.
"I was in contact with the Eagles quite a bit, which is pretty crazy because you hear so many stories about it's usually the last team you [expect that ends up drafting you]," Hicks said via conference call. "I got a great feel for who they are and a great feel for the organization."
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This wasn't Hicks' first contact with Kelly; the two also talked while Hicks was in high school and Kelly was at Oregon.
"He's an amazing coach, obviously," Hicks said. "[I'm] so blessed that they had faith and confidence in me to choose me."
The Eagles did so despite a couple of stains on his resume. First, Hicks missed a total of 19 games in college with a hip injury and an Achilles tear.
But Kelly said that’s not a concern.
“He had a great medical background coming out of the combine,” Kelly said. “He’s been solid the last couple years.”
Hicks started the first four games of the 2013 season before tearing the Achilles but said he's "100 percent clear."
"I feel great," Hicks said. "I made it through this entire season feeling healthy, feeling great and feel even better now."
Second, Hicks and quarterback Case McCoy were suspended and sent home a day before the 2012 Alamo Bowl for breaking curfew. A sexual assault investigation was conducted, but no charges were filed.
Kelly said the Eagles talked to all of Texas' coaches and "everybody involved in it" and are "very comfortable" with Hicks' character.
"We made a mistake and obviously took full responsibility and ended up speaking to the team afterward, having to apologize," Hicks said. "The suspension ultimately was because I missed curfew.
"I've learned from it. I'm moving forward. I'm enjoying this moment. I'm so blessed to be here. That's far in my past."
Now Hicks appears to be another perfect fit for Kelly's culture. He graduated Texas in 3½ years and is currently pursuing his master's degree in advertising.
"I'm a smart football player. I can get people lined up on the field," Hicks said. "I have a great understanding of football and schemes and what it takes to call a play and check plays."
He's also versatile.
"I've seen four different linebacker coaches, four different D-coordinators in five years at the University of Texas and have played in 3-4 defenses, 4-3 defenses," he said. "I've been spot-drop, man-drop, zone-pressure team, man-pressure team — you name it, I've probably learned it."
This is the third time in four years the Eagles have used a pick in the first three rounds to take a linebacker. They picked Kendricks in the second round in 2012 and Marcus Smith in the first round last year.
Five of the last seven LBs the Eagles have taken in the first three rounds have never been a full-time starter (Barry Gardner, Quintin Caver, Matt McCoy, Bryan Smith, Marcus Smith).
Hicks joins a crowded inside linebacker field with Kendricks, Alonso and DeMeco Ryans. Alonso (knee) and Ryans (Achilles) are both coming off major injuries. Also in the mix are guys like Najee Goode and Emmanuel Acho.
The move might appear to be more evidence that the Eagles are looking to cut ties with Kendricks, but Kelly said that’s not the case (see story).
He said he expects Kendricks to be on the roster moving forward and said he felt coming out of last year the Eagles needed more competition at inside linebacker.
“I don’t think you can have too many,” Kelly said, also noting that he thinks Alonso can be an edge rusher.
Hicks is the first player the Eagles have taken out of Texas since defensive tackle Chris Akins in the seventh round in 1998. He’s the first they’ve taken in the first three rounds since defensive tackle Tommy Jeter in the third round in 1992.
CSNPhilly.com's Andy Schwartz contributed to this story.