Eagles first-round trade ideas concocted using NFL mock draft simulation

How quickly the narratives turn. Ahead of the new league year, much of the talk surrounding the Philadelphia Eagles, among other things, centered on the importance of keeping Javon Hargrave, whether or not it was more feasible to hang on to Darius Slay OR James Bradberry, and C.J. Gardner-Johnson being talented enough to make vice president/general manager Howie Roseman rethink how he values the safety position. We were also staunch in our belief that drafting a running back tenth overall was an asinine theory.

Fast forward seven days, and we’ve abandoned all of that. Hargrave is now Philly’s largest offseason loss. Slay AND Bradberry both earned extensions. C.J., if he isn’t careful, is in danger of becoming public enemy number one. That brings us to the coming NFL Draft.

You probably don’t need to be reminded that Philly has two first-round draft choices, the tenth and the 30th. Everyone from Devon Witherspoon and Jalen Carter to Calijah Kancey and Bijan Robinson has been mentioned as options at ten at some point. Yes, we realize that Bijan is a running back.

Here’s something for fodder. What if there’s no one available that the Eagles like when they’re on the clock at ten and 30? MIght Philly consider trading back to acquire more draft capital? Let’s dig into that one a little further.

Using Pro Football Network’s mock draft simulator, we cooked up seven first-round trade scenarios involving the Eagles’ pair of picks.

If you’re a football nerd like we are, this is one of your favorite times of the year. The first free-agency spike is behind us, but we still have our eyes peeled for the latest signings.

It’s also mock draft season, and we’re examining every angle. That includes possible trade scenarios. Hanging out on Pro Football Network’s mock draft simulator, we spent a little time imagining a handful. Here’s what we came up with while experimenting.

The Eagles trade pick 10 to the Patriots and pick up another second-rounder.

Well, if you’re going to hand a top-ten selection to another team and help them get better, you want two things to happen. You’d rather that team be in the AFC, and you’d rather pick up some draft collateral.

The Eagles have six draft choices heading into April. This gives them a seventh. They pick up a second-rounder. They also only move back four spots which still might give them an option of landing someone they could have landed at ten.

Grade: A (if there aren’t any home run prospects at ten)

The Eagles swap places with the Bengals and receive additional current and future early-round compensation.

Yeah… We don’t like this one as much.

We get it. The Bengals are swinging for the fences to get back to football’s biggest game after losing in ‘Burrowhead’ last season, but on the Eagles’ end, despite the possibility of landing an additional first-rounder in 2024 and another draft choice at the end of Round 2 in 2023, they lose out on losing a potential perennial Pro Bowler.

Grade: C

The Eagles land the second round’s top choice in 2023. Is this even possible?

After watching the Steelers play football last season, we’re aware of two things. First, that Mike Tomlin guy is better than people give him credit for. Second, the Steelers have to do something to catch up with Cincinnati.

Tomlin STILL hasn’t had a losing record, but his team needs some punch if they’re to become contenders again. Here, the Black and Gold catapult into the top ten, but they use the first choice in Round 2 to do so.

In all honesty, we’ll take picks at 30 and 32. One can be used as a bargaining chip to accumulate more draft capital. We aren’t fans of sliding from the top ten out of the top 15 though.

Grade: B+

The Eagles move back two spots and collect another 2024 second-rounder, but they gain nothing substantial in the current draft.

In short, we aren’t fans of this one. If the Birds were to move back, we’d rather they do so and pick up additional draft compensation in 2023, not in 2024. Keep the top-ten pick and ignore the Texans’ calls here.

Grade: D

The Aaron Rodgers-less Packers trade up to land a top-ten talent.

Well, if the Green Bay Packers and New York Jets can ever get it together, we can officially announce the dawn of the Aaron Rodgers era with Gang Green. Stay tuned for that one.

The Pack needs help. Losing AT HOME to the Detroit Lions with a playoff spot on the line was a bad look. Here they trade up into the top ten. Maybe they do so to grab Bijan Robinson and give Jordan Love another weapon?

Regardless of the thought process, they give Philly an additional second-rounder, and Philly doesn’t have to slide out of the top 15 to acquire it. We’ll take it.

Grade: A-

Here are a couple of ideas for the 30th selection (if the Eagles determine trading back into Round 2 to acquire more draft picks is a better idea).

The Rams strike a deal with the Eagles to climb into Round 1.

Some believe, once we arrive at the end of Round 1, there isn’t much difference in the talent pool between the guys who are available there and the guys that are available during the first half of Round 2. There may be some truth to that.

Here, the Rams finally decide that owning draft capital is a good thing. L.A. currently doesn’t own a first-round selection in the 2023 NFL Draft. Heaven knows they need young talent that can play, so the slide into the Day 1 conversation here.

They give Philly three picks to do so: the 36th (Round 2), the 77th (Round 3), and a third-rounder in 2024. The Birds give them a seventh-rounder in the current draft to sweeten the pot.

Grade: A+ (if no one we like surprisingly slides to the end of Round 1)

Here’s another idea for an Eagles/Packers trade, one that is suggested for Philly’s second first-rounder.

We’d like to again mention that the Green Bay Packers, with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, lost their regular-season finale AT HOME IN LAMBEAU FIELD to the Detroit Lions. We’re certain they stewed over that one.

Guess what? Our trusty mock draft sim again found cause for the Cheeseheads to give the Birds a call at the end of Round 1. The problem they’d have is the best they’d have to offer Philly is the 45th-overall selection and maybe a third-rounder in 2023.

With Philadelphia only having six draft choices right now, we’d rather them hold on to both of their first-round selections and land two studs than gamble on trying to find a value pick in Round 2 while helping a potential NFC challenger get stronger. We’ll pass on this one.

Grade: D