Eagles: Why trading down is an excellent idea
By Chuck Abel
What would a draft day trade look like for the Philadelphia Eagles?
Insidetheiggles.com‘s own Ryan Quigley recently wrote an article about Philadelphia Eagles executive vice president of football operations Howie Roseman and his penchant for making trades on draft day. In the upcoming NFL draft, beginning on April 27th in Philadelphia, there might be plenty of moves made.
The Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals both have ten picks, so you could see them package picks to move up. Teams with the fewest selections, the Kansas City Chiefs for example (6) may be interested in moving down to accumulate more picks.
The Eagles have eight picks and are picking at the 14th spot in the first round. Trading up is unlikely, but what would a trading down look like if they decided to do so?
How far down might the Eagles move?
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The teams selecting behind the Eagles include the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at 19 and the Denver Broncos at 20. When the 14th pick arrives, both teams may be in a spot where someone’s available that they like who may not be available later. There is also a chance that several players may still be on the board who are of interest to Philadelphia.
Here’s an example. It’s rumored that Tampa likes the idea of adding Dalvin Cook to Jameis Winston and company. What if Roseman could get picks 19, 84 and 126 by giving up the 14th? Adding draft picks also gives you ammunition to move up later.
Take Denver as another example. They may be interested in Ryan Ramczyk. Could Roseman convince Denver to give up picks 20, 82 and 127 for pick 14? Either scenario gives the Eagles ten picks, seven in the first four rounds.
What would the Eagles have at that point?
If any of that was to happen, the Eagles would then have picks 19 or 20, 43, 74, 82 or 84, 119, 126 or 127 and pick number 139. If this draft is as deep as everyone keeps saying, the Eagles could add a lot of talent to there current roster.
Here’s an idea of what the Eagles could do with those picks:
19/20 – Marlon Humphrey, cornerback, Alabama Crimson Tide
43 – Joe Mixon, running back, Oklahoma Sooners
74 – Sidney Jones, cornerback, Washington Huskies
82/84 – Elijah Qualls, defensive tackle, Washington Huskies
119 – Dede Westbrook, wide receiver, Oklahoma Sooners
126/127 – Tanoh Kpassagnon, defensive end, Villanova Wildcats
139 – Erik Magnuson, offensive lineman Michigan Wolverines
The result of these moves means what?
If this is in line with what the Eagles are thinking, they may have solved their starting corner problem. Humphrey and Jones would give the Eagles two big, speedy corners.
That goes along with them already having Jalen Mills and Ron Brooks to hold the fort down. They’ll need them while Jones recovers from his achilles injury. Mixon is a first round level talent and fills another position of need. He’ll need to show he’s learned from his off-the-field issues, but if that checks out, he’d be a steal at pick 43.
Westbrook can be one of those receivers who can take the top off of defenses with his speed. The Eagles would also now have two defensive lineman to add depth thanks to the extra picks they would have as a result of trading down.
What’s left to do on the last day of the draft?
On the draft’s final day, the Eagles need to consider adding depth at linebacker and safety and the need to find a quarterback that they could groom into being a backup. Trading down four or five spots will allow the Eagles to position themselves nicely for the 2017 season.