Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Marcus Smith has revealed that it was a "dream come true" to be selected by the club in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft.

The Eagles selected the 22-year-old with the 26th pick out of the Louisville Cardinals, which was a surprise to many pundits who predicted that Smith would a second- or third-round selection.

Smith told the club's official website: "It's just a dream come true. Everything that I wanted to happen fell in place. Yesterday, when my name got called, I was very happy and my family was happy and I'm just happy to be an Eagle.

"Going into [the Draft], I had an idea when I was going to get drafted. It was a surprise to me when [the Eagles] called me, but I was very happy when they called me and told me that they were going to be drafting me.

"I just want to be a part of something special, and I know they have something special in this organisation. I just want to be a part of it."

Smith recorded 42 tackles and 14.5 sacks for the Cardinals in the 2013 season.