The Eagles traded up in the first round for the fifth time in the last six years and selected 21-year-old defensive Mississippi State defensive tackle Fletcher Cox Thursday night with the 12th pick in the draft.

The Eagles traded fourth- and sixth-round picks (114 and 172 overall) to the Seahawks to move up from No. 15 to No. 12.

Cox is the third defensive tackle the Eagles have taken in the first round under Andy Reid and the sixth defensive lineman. No NFL team has drafted more defensive linemen in the first round since 1999, when Reid came to the Eagles.

Since 2000, the Eagles have had five picks in the top half of the first round, and all five have been defensive linemen -- Corey Simon at No. 6 in 2000, Jerome McDougle at No. 13 in 2003, Brodrick Bunkley at No. 14 in 2006 and Brandon Graham at No. 13 in 2010.

Eight of Reids 12 first-round picks over the years have been linemen on one side of the ball or the other. The Eagles have only picked one skill player in the first round since 2003 -- receiver Jeremy Maclin in 2009.

In Cox, the Eagles give defensive line coach Jim Washburn a new toy and infuse an older defensive tackle position with some much-needed youth.

The Eagles two starting defensive tackles are Cullen Jenkins, who is 31, and Mike Patterson, who turns 29 in September and is coming off brain surgery. Backup Antonio Ixon is 26 but missed all of last year with a torn triceps.

Cox, 6-foot-4, 298 pounds, a junior eligible, had 56 tackles and five sacks last year for Mississippi.

As of now, the Eagles on Friday night have the 46st and 51st picks in the second round and the 88th pick in the third round. The last four rounds are scheduled for Saturday afternoon.

If the Eagles stand pat on Friday, theyll make three picks in the first 51 picks for the first time since 1993.
E-mail Reuben Frank at rfrank@comcastsportsnet.com