Why trading up was a great move for the Philadelphia Eagles

Why the Philadelphia Eagles made the right move trading for the second overall pick.

The Philadelphia Eagles have made a trade with the Cleveland Browns for the second overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft. The Eagles have been rumored to be one of the teams interested in moving up and it turns out those rumors were true all along.

This is a very debatable trade for the Eagles, but here is why this trade was a great move for the Eagles (you can read up on why the trade was a bad move here).

Next: Why Trading Up Was A Bad Move For The Eagles

First thing’s first, the Eagles were able to acquire the second overall pick from the Browns for a fairly reasonable price, at least compared to what it took for the Washington Redskins to trade up for Robert Griffin III.

The Eagles gave up the following:

2016 first-round pick (8th overall)
2016 third-round pick (77th overall)
2016 fourth-round pick (100th overall)
2017 first-round pick
2018 second-round pick

The Eagles received the following:

2016 first-round pick (2nd overall)
2017 fourth-round pick

Keep in mind that the Eagles originally had two third-round picks in this draft. Giving up one of them essentially trades another team’s pick to the Browns. Now, the Eagles have seven picks in this year’s draft. The Eagles could have and probably should have given up a lot more than what they did, but it’s the Cleveland Browns and Howie Roseman is a wizard of a negotiator, so the Eagles ended up getting a pretty good deal.

Roseman essentially confirmed that the Eagles are going to use this selection to draft a quarterback, but which one will they take? Jared Goff is mechanically the best passer available in this draft class, but Goff to the Rams looks like a done deal, making Carson Wentz the best bet to be the Eagles’ pick, especially considering the fact that Wentz had dinner with the Eagles’ brass and met with them on countless occasions.

Here's one I forgot to share.... A toast.... But the question is, to what? @BrandonGowton #Eagles pic.twitter.com/o7KELjBy8U
— John Pisula (@John_Pisula) April 1, 2016

It’s been clear that the Eagles have liked both Goff and Wentz leading up to the draft, but Wentz seems to be the player the Eagles really covet. According to Lance Zierlein in an appearance on 97.5 The Fanatic, the Eagles loved Wentz and wanted to draft him. By trading up, Doug Pederson is getting the guy who he knows can run his offense best. If this is the player the Eagles believe will bring them a Super Bowl title, then an investment like this is an acceptable one.

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Regardless of who they take, however, the Eagles will finally have a franchise quarterback. Sam Bradford is not the answer in Philadelphia and Chase Daniel is nothing more than just a backup. However, having both Bradford and Daniel in Philadelphia will provide the Eagles’ new quarterback an ideal situation to develop into a special player. The new quarterback will not have the pressure of being the day-one starter for the Eagles and will have the luxury of sitting behind a couple veterans to learn the ropes of the NFL.

The last time the Eagles had the second overall pick in the draft, they selected Donovan McNabb, who also sat behind, ironically, Doug Pederson before becoming the greatest quarterback in franchise history. If the Eagles played their cards right, they may have finally found their long-term answer at quarterback.

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