Birds bolster defense with 1st pick

Eagles take Tennessee DE Barnett at No. 14; Temple’s Reddick goes No. 13

The Philadelphia Eagles selected Tennessee defensive end Derek Barnett with the No. 14 pick in the NFL draft.

Barnett gives the Eagles a strong edge rusher. He had 32 sacks in three seasons.

Hometown fans chanted “E-AG-L-E-S” throughout the night, waiting for the team’s pick.

Philadelphia upgraded its offense in free agency and entered the draft with obvious needs on defense. After releasing former Pro Bowl defensive end Connor Barwin, the Eagles added veteran Chris Long.

Barnett broke Hall of Famer and former Eagles star Reggie White’s sack record at Tennessee.

A pick earlier, the Arizona Cardinals selected Temple linebacker Haason Reddick with the 13th pick in the draft.

The former walk-on rose from obscurity to become one of the most coveted defensive players in the draft. He would bring his aggressiveness and quickness to an inside linebacker spot in Arizona’s 3-4 defense.

At 6-foot-1, 237 pounds, Reddick is undersized by NFL standards but not for Arizona’s system.

He played defensive end at Temple but the Cardinals would line him up alongside Deone Bucannon, a former first-round pick who was moved from safety.

MATT ROURKE - THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Tennessee’s Derek Barnett, left and below right, poses with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell after being selected by the Philadelphia Eagles during the first round of the 2017 NFL football draft, Thursday, in Philadelphia.