Philadelphia Eagles: 5 Bold predictions for 2020’s NFL Draft

1. The Eagles trade back in Round 1.

When we first starting seeing all of these NFL Mock Drafts, one of the overwhelming theories was Philly would take Henry Ruggs III with the 21st-overall selection. That all seemed to end when Ruggs ran a 4.2-second 40-yard dash in February’s NFL Scouting Combine.

Justin Jefferson, widely regarded as the fourth-best wideout in 2020’s class, started getting all of the attention shortly thereafter as the guy Philly would land. He ran a 4.4-second 40. That endeared him to “Birds” fans even more.

Now, probably because we’ve all had extra time to overanalyze things, there are more questions about Jefferson than ever. Does he run routes well? Can he separate? Doesn’t he remind you of Jordan Matthews? Is he the last of the tier-one wide receivers, or is he the first of the guys at the second level? Who’s to say that Jefferson even falls past the Denver Broncos at 15 anyway?

Here’s a controversial statement. You can make an argument that Philly won’t be able to land Jefferson without trading up, something no one wants them to do. Let’s say he’s Denver’s pick, a very real possibility. Who’s next off of the board? Is it Tee Higgins?

There are are a ton of theories about what Philly should do. Here’s one that hasn’t gotten a ton of burn. What if, with Jefferson off of the board, they traded back? If they used the 21st-overall selection as bait, they could trade back and pick up an additional selection, possibly a second-rounder without losing the ability to utilize a first-round selection.

Then, they’d have nine picks on the board, and they could still land a talented wide receiver in Round 2. This is a deep class. Everyone keeps saying it. You’ve said it all week. Haven’t you? That just leaves one question. What do they do with that first-round selection now?