Do you remember Eagles’ linebacker Jerry Robinson?

With the selection of Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell as the team’s first-round pick in Thursday’s NFL draft, it marked the first time the Birds had selected a linebacker at the top since Robinson in 1979.

The Eagles jumped one spot in a deal with the Kansas City Chiefs to pick Campbell. The Birds sent their original first-round pick at No. 32 overall and No. 164 overall (fifth-round pick) for the 31st pick in the deal.

In this week’s version of my Inside the Huddle column, I’ll take a look at some Eagles’ linebackers through the years as well as some first overall league picks.

Also, I’ll review some Notre Dame and Penn State No. 1 picks, and a former top Palmerton product whose career took a substantial shift in college.

Lining It Up ... Campbell will be in good company when he joins an Eagles defense that was ranked No. 1 overall last season. Campbell led Alabama with 117 total tackles and registered five sacks.

Robinson was an All-American at UCLA, and he was a pivotal player on the Eagles’ Super Bowl XV run. He played for the Eagles from 1979-84, and then finished his career with the Raiders (1985-91).

Yet, Robinson wasn’t the first top pick at linebacker. Legendary Chuck Bednarik made his way from Penn to the Eagles in 1949 and spent 14 years with the Birds.

After Bednarik, former Maryland star Bob Pellegrini was a center before he was converted into a linebacker. Pellegrini played with the Eagles and Redskins from 1956-65. Some of you graybeards may remember him.

In 1970, Oklahoma’s Steve Zabel began his Eagles’ career and became a fan favorite. He also spent time with the Patriots and Colts from 1970-79.

Two years ago, Nolan Smith was chosen in the first round, but he was the Birds’ second pick in the opening round and 30th overall.

Topping the Charts ... Overall, there have been three linebackers chosen as the draft’s top pick.

Bednarik was the first, and he was later followed by Ohio State’s Tom Cousineau in 1979 and Auburn’s Aundray Bruce in 1988.

Cousineau was drafted by the Bills, but he shocked the league and took off for Montreal in the Canadian Football League. He returned to the NFL with the Browns in 1982 when he was the league’s Defensive Rookie of the Year. Cousineau played three more years with the Browns before he finished his final two years with the 49ers.

Bruce never reached his anticipated level, and he played 11 seasons overall with the Falcons and Raiders.

Gold Card Members ... Through the years, there have been five Notre Dame players who were chosen at the top of the chart. You wouldn’t think it, but a Fighting Irish player hasn’t been picked there since 1972.

Angelo Bertelli took the top honor in 1944, Frank Dancewiz in 1946, Leon Hart in 1950, Paul Hornung in 1957 and Walt Patulski in 1972.

Bertelli, a quarterback, played for the Los Angeles Dons of the then rival All-American Football Conference (AAFC), which existed from 1946-49. He played two more seasons with the AAFC’s Chicago Rockets.

Dancewicz also was a quarterback for the Boston Yanks (1946-48), and Hart — an end — had an eight-year career with Detroit (1950-57). Hornung’s Packers’ career has been well documented, and Patulski was a bust with Buffalo and St. Louis.

Caged Lions ... Like Notre Dame, Penn State has had little success with No. 1 picks.

Running back Ki-Jana Carter was Cincinnati’s top pick in 1995, but his career never materialized. He rushed for 1,144 yards over seven years with the Bengals, Redskins and Saints.

Defensive end Courtney Brown was chosen by Cleveland in 2000, and he spent six years with the Browns and Broncos.

Man in the Middle ... Since 1960, the Eagles have had some mainstays as their middle linebacker, some may be more familiar than others.

Chuck Weber manned the middle from 1960-61, and he was followed by Bednarik (1962), Dave Lloyd (1963-69), Tim Rossovich (1970-71), Marlon McKeever (1973), and Bill Bergey (1974-80).

Beyond 1980, some middle men were Liberty High’s Mike Reichenbach, Byron Evans, James Willis and Jeremiah Trotter.

Does anyone recall current Texans’ head coach DeMeco Ryans being there? He was there from 2012-13.

Trader Howie ... Over the years, Eagles’ general manager Howie Roseman has worked 49 draft deals by swapping picks. At the time of this writing, Roseman was quiet, but he still has the day’s final day Saturday to make a deal.

Tight end Dallas Goedert has continued to be a rumored hot commodity to be dealt, and there has been plenty of chatter about the Birds acquiring veteran Miami defensive back Jaylen Ramsey for draft picks. Philly has eight picks in this year’s draft and 12 next year.

In recent years, Roseman swiped picks with teams to build last year’s Super Bowl team by selecting and trading for Goedert, Jeremiah Trotter Jr., Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Milton Williams, Darius Slay, Jordan Mailata and Avonte Maddox.

Miami wide receiver Tyreek Hill also has been the subject of trade discussions, but his huge contract would be a major hurdle for Roseman.

One Man’s Thoughts ... To me, the Eagles, Jets (Armand Membou) and Giants (Adbul Carter and Jackson Dart) all fulfilled some of their major needs with their first-round selections. Most of the rest of the league seemed to follow suit except for Jacksonville moving up to the second overall pick to get Travis Hunter.

But how do you feel as a Steelers’ fan? Shedeur Sanders was still there at their 21st pick, and Pittsburgh took defensive tackle Derrick Harmon to supposedly “fill a need.”

The Steelers currently have quarterbacks Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson under contract. Alabama’s Jalen Milroe and Ohio State’s Will Howard were still on the board, and they could re-explore options with Aaron Rodgers.

By the way, should Sanders end up with Pittsburgh, he reminds me of another Kordell Stewart.

Scrapbook ... Each week, I’ll look back at a former standout player from the area.

Matt Falcone was a four-year letterwinner on both sides of the ball, as well as a two-year team captain for coach Paul McArdle at Palmerton, until his graduation in 2009. Falcone was a first-team All-State punter, and a two-time first-team All-Colonial League honoree on defense. He also earned second-team honors as a quarterback and punter.

Falcone went on to play at Temple University as an outside linebacker and played in all 12 games on the kickoff return unit.

However, Falcone suffered three consecutive ACL injuries in his right knee before the start of his sophomore, junior and senior seasons at Temple. He redshirted in 2010, but his career would be over the following year. During his final two years at Temple, Falcone served as a student assistant coach.

In his senior season at Palmerton, Falcone completed 66-of-137 attempts for 1,147 yards with 18 touchdowns. He also rushed for 1,053 yards and scored nine touchdowns. He recorded 111 tackles, four interceptions, and a sack, and he also averaged 37.5 yards per punt.

Falcone’s father (Michael) and uncle (Tom Wargo) played football at East Stroudsburg University and his grandfather (Tom Wargo) played football at Muhlenberg College.

Matriculating Down the Field ... Each week, I’ll look back at a former player, coach or situation from the gridiron.

Do you remember Eagles’ linebacker Jody Schulz? He was the Birds’ second-round pick in the 1983 draft out of East Carolina, where he had 105 tackles and 10 sacks his senior year. Unfortunately, the workmanlike linebacker’s career was marred with knee injuries.

Playing for coach Marion Campbell, Schulz took over for injured starter Reggie Wilkes, and was the team’s leading tackler after three games. However, he then suffered a knee injury. He returned later in the year only to suffer another knee injury.

Schulz played in 15 games during the 1984 season, mainly as a backup and special teams player. He missed the entire 1985 injury with a knee injury, but returned the following year to play in 16 games. Schulz played in seven games during the 1987 strike-shortened season.

He was released in April 1988. Schulz played in 44 games over his four-year career.

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