Eagles select injury-prone Landon Dickerson at pick No. 37

With their second-round pick, number 37 overall, the Philadelphia Eagles selected Alabama center Landon Dickerson.

Dickerson, 6-foot-5, 335 pounds, was a two-year starter at Alabama after transferring from Florida State. He’s a powerful run blocker, a terrific technician, and a good athlete for an interior lineman.

In Dickerson, the Eagles have the eventual successor to Jason Kelce, who turns 34 this fall, is going into his 11th season and has been playing things year-by-year.

They also have insurance at any of the three interior spots along an offensive lineman that was bullied by injuries last year.

Dickerson can play guard or center and with Brandon Brooks turning 32 this summer and coming off another serious injury, Dickerson gives the Eagles a potential starter off the bat.

Dickerson is coming off a torn ACL that he suffered in December and was considered by many a first-round pick before the injury. Dickerson also tore his ACL while at Florida State in 2016. Here’s a tweet by the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane of a time span of Dickerson’s injuries:

The Eagles had some possible picks at 37, including Alabama defensive lineman Christian Barmore, hybrid Notre Dame linebacker-safety Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, and Florida State corner Asante Samuel Jr. But Dickerson, while not an exciting pick, addresses a big need.

The Eagles now have a 22-year-old wide receiver from Alabama, a 22-year-old interior offensive lineman from Alabama and a 22-year-old quarterback who began his career at Alabama. They’ve selected more players who spent time at Alabama in the first two rounds the last two years (three) than they did in the entire previous 84 years of the draft (one).