NFL Draft | Eagles surprise, draft Louisville's Marcus Smith 26th

Marcus Smith told reporters on Thursday afternoon that he might be a late first-round pick in last night's NFL Draft. It seemed unlikely, and to some, out of nowhere.

The Philadelphia Eagles selected the former Louisville defensive end with the 26th pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, hoping to use Smith as an edge-rushing outside linebacker in the Eagles' 3-4 defensive scheme.

"Doing linebacker drills in all my workouts and showing them that I can be the complete package (helped)," Smith said Thursday morning at U of L, before the draft. "They see that I can be an every-down player. Maybe that's why I've been moving up in the rankings. I've been moving up the whole time."

Smith, now 6-foot-3 and 251 pounds, arrived at U of L as a quarterback and transitioned to linebacker as a freshman. He then moved to defensive end and, as a senior, he finished second in the nation in sacks.

"I just want to do anything they tell me to do," Smith said of NFL teams. "I just want to be that person that they can put anywhere, kind of like Coach (Charlie) Strong. That's what I want to sell to NFL teams."

Smith said he'd worked out for most teams as an outside linebacker and impressed them with his ability in linebacking drills.

"Pretty exciting edge guy," said NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock. "I love the 3-4 outside linebacker with upside. I question his core strength a little bit on tape. Can this kid play? In that 3-4 scheme, he's a perfect fit.

"You may argue that it was a little early. I applaud the pick because it attacks an area of need for (Philadelphia)."