Eagles rumors: Philly looking to trade up for Jalen Carter

The NFL Draft is now just two days away and the rumor mill is spinning at an all-time high. According to Charlie Campbell of WalterFootball.com, the Philadelphia Eagles are unsurprisingly doing some early due diligence on a potential trade out of the 10th overall pick.

Eagles moving up for Jalen Carter?

The target in question is Georgia DT Jalen Carter. He’s been linked to the Eagles since the beginning of the offseason, half in part due to his talent and half because he’d be reuniting with Nakobe Dean and Jordan Davis. The hope would be that Philadelphia’s new strengthened culture would help get the best out of Carter, who has had both character and work-ethic concerns raised throughout the Draft process.

Campbell stated the following in in his report today:

NFL team sources have told WalterFootball.com that Philadelphia has made calls to see what it would take for teams to move down to the 10th-overall pick. Given the cost of trading in the top 10, the Eagles are not looking to move into the top five. Their calls have focused on the teams in the back half of the first round…
…The Bears could easily take Carter if he got to the No. 9 pick, so the Eagles would want to jump them. Among that trio at No. 6-8, the Raiders and Falcons are probably the most likely trade-down partners. Both Las Vegas and Atlanta could use more draft picks, so a trade is possible. The Seahawks are the key to the situation, and if they pass on Carter, then he has a real shot to join Davis in Philadelphia

I’m assuming the last sentence in the first paragraph is a mild typo and he means back half of the top 10, but a trade-back would also hardly be surprising.

Should the Eagles move up for Jalen Carter?

It’s important to remember the importance of DL players to Philadelphia and how big this need is right now/ They stand to lose a bevy of monsters in free agency: Brandon Graham, Fletcher Cox, Javon Hargrave, Linval Joseph, Ndamukong Suh, and Robert Quinn. No one of Carter’s ilk is waiting behind them.

Jalen Carter is an exceptional talent and one that would be a great fit on the field in Philadelphia if they’re confident that his off-the-field concerns can be eased over time. No GM in the NFL will have the intel that Howie does due to having two former teammates on his defense and the fact he interviewed Carter’s co-defensive coordinator at Georgia — for their own vacancy before hiring Sean Desai.

Charlie Campbell is a respected analyst and what he’s reported here would definitely make sense. Whether it comes to fruition is anyone’s guess, with the Draft forever throwing up surprises from the unlikeliest of places.