We can talk about tanking all day, and we should, since it’s an interesting sports topic, but the more tangible and practical discussion on Monday should center around the fact that the Eagles are drafting 6th instead of 9th, come April.

It doesn’t seem like much on the surface. This isn’t the NBA, where a generational superstar might be available at pick number two, but not at pick number five, just three selections later in the draft. However, landing in this particular spot gives the Eagles a ton of “optionality” based on the strength of this year’s quarterback class.

The thinking goes something like this:

We can assume that Trevor Lawrence will be off the board at #1 overall, going to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jets or Falcons might take Justin Fields as the second quarterback off the board. That leaves BYU quarterback Zach Wilson as quite possibly the next best QB on the board and a guy that teams might want to target at #6 overall.

It gives the Eagles multiple avenues to traverse here. They could trade out of #6 overall for picks, and use that return to fill myriad holes on both sides of the ball (LB, WR, DB, etc.) They could perhaps stand pat and draft one of Ja’Marr Chase or DeVonta Smith, the pair of stud wide receivers who might not be there at #9 overall. Another option would be to select Penn State’s badass linebacker, Micah Parsons, or, in a cavalier and spectacular move, they could trade one or both of Carson Wentz and Jalen Hurts and use the #6 pick on a quarterback instead.

They really cannot explore all of these options if they are drafting at #9 overall. Smith and Chase are likely off the board by then. The Lions and Panthers pick at #7 and #8 and might grab a quarterback, or trade back for another team who really likes Wilson, or even Trey Lance, who is the consensus QB4 right now. Then the Eagles might find themselves in a situation where they’re taking Jaylen Waddle or Patrick Surtain, which would be a great selection, but not as exciting as one of the aforementioned possibilities.

That’s the gist of the article. Drafting #6 overall gives you a lot of flexibility with the chance to perhaps trade down for more picks. Just look at the 2020 draft and consider the fact that three quarterbacks were off the board by pick #6, and the third, Justin Herbert, went on to set rookie records. Josh Allen went #7 overall in 2018. With the benefit of hindsight, that 4-7 range is a nice spot for the QB2 or QB3 to come off the draft board.

And when you think about it, there are a lot of teams that should be in the market for a franchise quarterback. New England and Indy need a QB. Washington Football team, too. Detroit, Atlanta, Tampa, and Pittsburgh have veteran guys who won’t be around much longer. There are numerous potential trade partners for the Eagles to work with.

Of course, Howie Roseman is making the decisions, so there’s no guarantee he gets this right. He’ll probably screw it up. But, on paper, the Eagles did the right thing by tanking Sunday night’s game and putting themselves in a stellar draft situation.