Brandon Graham Takes Tough Competition at No. 55

There are some uniform numbers where you have to uncover all the rocks to find anyone worthy of being the best in franchise history. The ultimate result of that is grading on a curve to find the best of a mediocre lot.

That’s not the case with No. 55 when it comes to the Eagles where three players are in the conversation.

If you want to look at production, you have to go back to the 1960s and linebacker Maxie Baughan, who was selected to five Pro Bowls during his six seasons in Philadelphia and was a member of the 1960 NFL Championship team as a rookie second-round pick out of Georgia Tech.

If you want to lean on longevity, that’s the domain of Frank LeMaster, who took over as a starting OLB during his sophomore season in the NFL and spent the next eight campaigns producing, earning a 1981 Pro Bowl berth and starting on the Super Bowl XV team.

If you want productivity and longevity, however, you land on the current No. 55, Brandon Graham, who has turned a slow start as a professional into being one of the best edge players in the league and the longest-tenured Eagles player, not to mention the architect of the biggest play in franchise history.

The early years for Graham in Philadelphia were anything but easy. The constant reminders that he wasn't Earl Thomas or Jason Pierre-Paul, an ACL tear which stunted his development, the ping-ponging back and forth from 4-3 defensive end to 3-4 outside linebacker, the thought he would be cut by Chip Kelly to make room for Travis Long all the way up to the 180 where Graham finally lived up to the promise.

From there it became second-team All-Pro honors and the knowledge that Graham was the guy who got to Tom Brady late in Super Bowl LII, a strip-sack which essentially sealed the Eagles' first Lombardi Trophy and all accomplished while fighting through an ankle injury which resulted in offseason surgery before the 2018 campaign along with a tweaked hamstring caused by favoring the ankle.

"He is the heart and soul of this football team," said head coach Doug Pederson. “With his energy every single day and what he brings to the defense, what he brings from a leadership standpoint to our team, it's pretty impressive that he's played this long. Really, to me, he can go several more years. I really do believe that.”

To date, Graham has played 10 seasons with the Eagles and has long outlasted Thomas and Pierre-Paul with their original teams. At age 32, Graham will line up at LDE again and perhaps kick inside at times in the nickel as one of Jim Schwartz’s most valued and versatile defenders.

Current number 55 and No. 1:

Brandon Graham. At 150 career games and counting Graham is the rare late-bloomer. Through his first five seasons, he started a total of 13 games and the bust label was thrown around freely. Since then, he’s taken off as one of the better edge defenders in all the NFL, an athletic marvel as a former No. 13 overall pick out of Michigan who marries that with a relentless work ethic.

Top 3 to wear number 55:

3. Maxie Baughan. Baughan is the best pure player to wear the number for the Eagles, a nine-time Pro Bowl selection and seven-time first- or second-team All-Pro who is in the organization’s Hall of Fame.

He could just as easily be No. 1 on this list with no arguments. By 1966, however, Baughan wanted out of Philadelphia and was traded to the Los Angles Rams at the behest of George Allen and Baughan considers that the best time of his career due to his relationship with Allen. With the Rams, he was a four-time Pro Bowl selection and three-time All-Pro.

That run with Allen also set the stage of Baughan's second phase. After finishing up his stellar playing career Baughan went into coaching and was a defensive coordinator at his alma mater of Georgia Tech before heading to the pros as the DC for both the Baltimore Colts and Detroit Lions.

Baughan then went back to college to become a head coach for the first time at Cornell before finishing up his coaching career as a LBs coach with Minnesota, Tampa Bay, and the Baltimore Ravens.

2. Frank LeMaster. A 1974 fourth-round pick out of Kentucky, LeMaster became a staple on the team’s defense for nearly a decade, particularly excelling in pass coverage. His first year as a starter produced four interceptions and an 89-yard touchdown return and LeMaster finished with 10 career interceptions and seven fumble recoveries as a LB always around the football. LeMaster ended up playing 136 games with the Eagles when you include the postseason and he started 122 of them.

1. Brandon Graham - See above.

Runner-up:

Ray Farmer. Farmer only spent three years in the NFL as a player, all with the Eagles as a former fourth-round pick out of Duke. He actually started 11 games as a rookie OLB and ended up starting five more in his second season before a knee injury derailed things.

Where Farmer really stood out was with his second career. After his playing days ended he returned to Duke as an academic coordinator before getting into scouting with the Atlanta Falcons. By 2006 Farmer was the director of pro personnel in Kansas City and on the fast track. The Cleveland Browns hired Farmer to be the assistant general manager in 2013 and by the next year, he was an NFL GM for two seasons.

Others:

Frank Bausch, Basilio Marchi, Fred Brown, Jerry Sturm, Mike Reichenbach, Ken Rose, Nate Dingle, Quinton Caver, Tyreo Harrison, Dhani Jones, Stewart Bradley, and Darryl Tapp.

John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's EagleMaven and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John every Monday and Friday on SIRIUSXM’s Tony Bruno Show with Harry Mayes, and every Tuesday and Thursday with Eytan Shander on SBNation Radio. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen

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