The Philadelphia Eagles made the headlines in a big way recently, trading draft picks with the New Orleans Saints to bolster their 2023 war chest without really denting their 2022 capital. If we’ve come to learn anything about Eagles GM Howie Roseman, it’s that there’s very rarely a move without a bigger one in mind.
When it comes to this year’s NFL Draft, the Eagles are still sitting in a position of luxury. They essentially moved up one spot in this year’s draft to 18 and picked up two more 2022 picks. More importantly a 2023 1st, and a 2024 2nd. So with the picks reshuffled, what next for the Eagles?
Per DraftTek, their first-round picks are worth 1050, and 900 points. A trade into the top 5 would cost roughly 1700. The Birds wouldn’t necessarily need to fly that high, although you can definitely make the case. That extra third-round pick they attained, pick 101, is worth an extra 96 points. If we look at their other third-round asset, it’s worth 175 points. There’s every chance that Roseman will look to deal that third-rounder and one of the two remaining firsts to move up a few spots.
Pick 101 would be enough to move the Eagles from pick 18-16, or 15-13. Pick 83 has the power to move them from 18-14, or 15-12. If there’s a chance that a top-5 talent begins slipping into Roseman’s grasp, it’s hard to imagine him standing firm. We saw it with DeVonta Smith last year.
The Eagles gave up pick #84, a third-rounder, and pick #12 in order to move up and snatch Smith from the clutches of the New York Giants. This came on the back of Jaycee Horn and Patrick Surtain II both going higher than expected. Roseman wasn’t going to lose his man for a third time in one night and aggressively moved up with a divisional rival to make it happen.
Eagles positional needs: Defense
| Safety | Linebacker | Cornerback | EDGE |
| Kyle Hamilton (top-5) | Devin Loyd (15-20) | Ahmad Gardner (6-10) | Kayvon Thibodeaux (top-5) |
| Lewis Cine (15-20) | Nakobe Dean (20-25) | Derek Stingley (10-15) | Aidan Hutchinson (top-5) |
| Daxton Hill (17-25) | Chad Muma (40-45) | Andrew Booth (15-20) | Travon Walker (top 10) |
| Jaquan Brisker (30-40) | Christian Harris (40-45) | Kaair Elam (20-30) | Jermaine Johnson (10-15) |
| Jalen Pitre (40-50) | Brandon Smith (50-55) | Roger McCreary (25-35) | George Karlaftis (10-15) |
Nobody really knows how the dominos are going to fall, but it’s hard to imagine a scenario where at least one dreamy fit for the Eagles doesn’t slide out of the top-10 and into striking distance. The Eagles made a move with the Saints that not only gave them ammunition in a QB-friendly 2023 Draft Class, but added a pick that could very realistically be used as trade collateral to go and snag an elite talent, just as they did last year.
Photo by John Jones/Icon Sportswire
