Howie Roseman…don’t screw this up! Eagles fan worldwide, including myself, have been dreaming at the chance to draft a prospect like Ja’Marr Chase or Kyle Pitts since the day Doug Pederson essentially chose the 6th pick over a win against the Washington Football Team. Well, the Eagles threw all that away when they elected to trade that pick, along with and pick 156 to the Miami Dolphins for picks 12 and 123 overall, plus an additional first round pick next season owned by Miami.
While many fans around the league, including Philly’s own are baffled by the move, I actually am in favor of the move to trade in this situation. For the Eagles, they tried trading up to select BYU QB Zach Wilson with the 3rd pick, but when they felt worrisome that he wouldn’t be there, the Eagles opted to trade back instead of up.
By doing this, they improved their overall draft selections for this offseason, as well as next year’s offseason by getting another 1st round pick owned by Miami. Would Ja’Marr Chase or Kyle Pitts have been amazing to have? Yes! However, the Eagles are so depleted of young talent on this roster, they need as much help and potential as they can get, so the more picks the better.
The trade down also signals 2 things: For one, the team is truly starting to rebuild. With so many older veterans on larger contracts, expect for Philadelphia to eventually part ways with these players as the next few seasons inch closer. Secondly, they are committed to Jalen Hurts at QB. Believe it or not, this trade’s biggest winner may have been Jalen Hurts. In the event a QB fell to pick 6, Philadelphia surely could have taken them. Now, the likelihood of there being a realistic QB option at 12 is slim to none, and Philadelphia can focus on their true positional needs most.
Even though Philadelphia likely lost an opportunity on Ja’Marr Chase, there’s always a slim possibility Kyle Pitts falls in the draft, even though I doubt he falls past Dallas at 10. I find it highly possible that Devonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle are both available when Philadelphia has their opportunity to pick at 12, and they couldn’t go wrong with either.
With such a loaded class of receivers, I could see Philadelphia taking whoever is remaining of the top 3 corners as well in this draft, between Patrick Surtain, Caleb Farley, and Jaycee Horn. However, that position also is loaded in rounds 2 and 3. Philadelphia has options, and now it’s up to Howie Roseman.
Photo Credit: Matthew Emmons
