Philadelphia Eagles fans shouldn’t view 1st-round trade as impossible

What some of you are thinking makes total sense. It truly does. If the Philadelphia Eagles are looking to trade up in the 2021 NFL Draft, what in the heck was the point of trading back in the first place?

On the surface, no, it doesn’t make sense, but a deeper dive should make you feel better (maybe).

Okay Philadelphia Eagles fans, let’s hash this out.

While no team should ever discount the opportunity of selecting in the top ten picks of any NFL Draft, some could also argue the possibility of securing three draft picks as being the better hand. Trading Carson Wentz could potentially secure a first-round pick for 2022. Moving back by swapping picks with the Miami Dolphins gives the Philadelphia Eagles another.

The Dallas Cowboys have owned the tenth pick. The New York Giants have owned the 11th pick since this journey started. That’s never changed. What may have changed, however, is where we’ve slotted prospects after their Pro Days and the constant analysis.

In other words, it may not have seemed as likely a month ago that selecting behind two division rivals might eliminate any possibility of Philly getting two of the players they were seriously interested in. Think about it. The Giants could land the wide receiver that the Birds want, or even worse, think about it this way.

What if the Philadelphia Eagles had their hearts set on a cornerback in Round 1? Can you imagine the Cowboys and Giants robbing them of Patrick Surtain II and Jaycee Horn in inconsecutive picks? That possibility/fear adds value to the argument that trading up is the Eagles’ best draft strategy at this point.

The Philadelphia Eagles wouldn’t swap picks with Miami again, would they?

Here’s something that’s very interesting. Recently, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell dropped his trade-only mock. In it, he mentioned the possibility of the Philadelphia Eagles and Miami Dolphins swapping draft position again. His idea isn’t that the Birds trade up though. He sees them trading back

Here’s why he believes that would make sense for Miami.

"The Dolphins just made a deal with the Eagles, of course, but this move up would get them another building block with which to protect Tagovailoa. This is an almost perfect swap on the Stuart chart, which would be more likely to align with these two analytically inclined franchises and how they typically value picks."

Here’s why this would make sense for the Philadelphia Eagles.

"The Eagles will be open for business here, and with the Chargers and the Vikings both in the market for an offensive tackle with the next two picks, they should hear some calls from teams that want to move up and get ahead of those organizations for Rashawn Slater or USC’s Alijah Vera-Tucker."

Here’s what that means and a few final thoughts for Philadelphia Eagles fans.

Well, there is some trust between the two franchises. What do you guys think as fans? Would it work? In Barnwell’s scenario, the Birds get the 18th-overall selection in Round 1 and a second-round selection, the 50th. Miami, in turn, gets the 12th-overall pick, the 84th-overall selection in Round 3, and the 224th-overall selection in Round 6.

That might be a tough sell for Eagles fans though. Imagine this team beginning this process with the sixth-overall choice and winding up with the 18th. Can you imagine the firestorm that would start?

Oh, and since we’re on the subject, how about this as a theory? What if the Eagles stayed at 12 but used the 37th-overall selection to trade back into Round 1? Now, that might make the Eagles fan base happy.