2018 NFL Draft notes: Philadelphia Eagles trade the 32nd pick

We have our answer. The Philadelphia Eagles traded out of the first round.

We’ve argued and had debates. We’ve read mock draft after mock draft. Finally, we have some closure as to what the Philadelphia Eagles would do when, for the first time in team history, they were placed on the clock with the final selection of the first round of an NFL Draft.

They traded the pick to the Baltimore Ravens, and with that pick, Ozzie Newsome and company decided on Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson.

No big surprise here.

Truthfully as the first round neared its’ end, the idea to trade pick 32 began to pick up a ton of steam (as if it hadn’t already). Many had been of the opinion that this was the best route for the Eagles to take anyway. Those who disagreed, when they think about it now, probably aren’t going to be able to formulate a venomous argument to the contrary.

In exchange for two of the Eagles’ draft picks, the 32nd and 132nd, the Ravens hand three picks. Philly’s given the 52nd and 125th picks in 2018 as well as a second-round pick from the Ravens in 2019.

If you need a little confirmation, here it is:

Eagles executive vice president of football operations Howie Roseman addressed the media shortly thereafter.

Take a look:

Wait. Have we actually added anything?

There’s just one problem with the idea. The whole point of trading down was to add more picks. Philly didn’t do that. They’ll simply move up seven spots in the fourth round after moving back twenty spots from pick 32 to the 52nd-overall selection.

As mentioned, they do pick up a second rounder in 2019. Maybe they view that draft class as one that’s better than the current?

Next: Rival watch: Dallas adds Leighton Vander Esch

Who knows, but one thing’s certain now. They’ve added more pressure on themselves to get their first pick of the 2018 draft right. Talent will continue to dwindle as the NFL’s annual selection meeting moves on.