The last time Cornelius Ingram saw snow was in Alabama. It will be a little bit colder in Philadelphia.
he Eagles selected the 6-4, 245-pound Ingram Sunday with their fifth-round pick (153rd overall), putting him into a talented rookie class that includes Missouri wide receiver Jeremy Maclin and former Pittsburgh running back LeSean McCoy.
Ingram, like fellow Florida senior Louis Murphy, felt like he should have been drafted earlier. But he couldn’t have imagined a better place to go than Philadelphia.
“I didn’t expect to be there at the time,” Ingram said, “but everything worked out perfectly. It’s a great situation with a (future) Hall-of-Fame quarterback (in Donovan McNabb), receivers DeSean Jackson and Maclin and (running back) Brian Westbrook.”
Many didn’t expect the talented tight end to be around in the fifth round after strong workouts at the NFL Combine and the Florida Pro Day. Among the doubters was Philadelphia coach Andy Reid.
Although the Eagles had a need for a tight end after losing L.J. Smith in free agency, the Eagles thought they had better value with their first two picks (Maclin and McCoy) than with the tight ends that were available.
Without picks in the third or fourth rounds, the team thought it had lost the chance to choose Ingram. When he was still there in the fifth, Reid got Ingram on the line.
He asked him about his knee, and if there was anything that happened in between their private workout with him and the NFL Draft. Ingram told them he felt great, and the Eagles pulled the trigger.
The knee was a common question on ESPN’s and NFL Network’s draft coverage. That didn’t bother Ingram.
“Some teams might have had a concern about the knee,” Ingram said. “I’m fine with that, and I’m not upset about it. You don’t want to invest money in a guy who isn’t going to return it for you. I’m not upset because I’m not the ninth best tight end in this draft.”
Ingram tore his ACL during camp workouts last August. He went through a lengthy rehabilitation process to get ready for his NFL tryouts.
As a junior in 2007, Ingram caught 34 passes for 508 yards and seven touchdowns. He thinks his versatility will help him be as productive at the next level.
“The Eagles know that I can stretch the field and make plays,” Ingram said. “If I have to block or play in the slot and catch the ball, I will do it, and I will do it happily.”
Some might say Ingram is becoming a bit spoiled at tight end. He is moving from having a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback (Tim Tebow) on two national championship teams to playing with an All-Pro quarterback in McNabb, who has taken the Eagles to the NFC Championship Game four times this decade.
“The Eagles are always a great NFL team, year in and year out,” Ingram said. “I’m happy to be a part of it. Not everyone gets an opportunity as good as this.”
Ingram will be happy to have McNabb throwing passes to him, but they will take a little getting used to. During his private workout with Ingram, Philadelphia tight end coach Tom Melvin told him he should get used to two things if he ends up with the Eagles – McNabb’s lightning-fast passes and the weather.
Coming from a basketball background and with loads of experience as a receiver, Ingram thinks he is covered as a receiver. He’s not so sure about the weather.
He does know that it’s harder to throw down the field in that weather, though, and he plans to use that to his advantage.
“With the weather up there, I want to be the outlet underneath for McNabb,” Ingram said. “With the guys we have in this class, and with the guys already there, this should be a pretty good team by the end of the season.”
For now, Cornelius Ingram is just focused on one thing – getting on the field again. It has been a long time since he has played football, and he is ready to prove himself again.