So the Birds traded down.
Fair enough, yea? They had the fewest picks in the draft this year, just six, and really didn’t have many holes to fill because, well, they are <Bruce Buffer voice> the REIGNING, DEFENDING, undisputed Super Bowl champions.
Here’s the trade with Baltimore:
- Eagles gave up picks #32 (1st round) and 132 (4th round)
- Eagles received picks #52 (2nd round) and 125 (4th round), plus a 2019 second round pick
They flipped a 1st and a 4th for a 2nd, a 2nd, and a 4th. And if you think about pick #32, that’s really just a glorified second rounder anyway, so I think they positioned themselves nicely for the future.
That said, 52 is fairly deep into the second round. You’re going to have 19 teams picking before the Birds finally hit the board, unless Howie Roseman wants to repackage and move back up. They can still pursue a trade with the Colts, who have three second round picks tonight. Cleveland is sitting there at 33 and 35, but God knows they need all the help they can get.
We did see a bit of reaching in the first round, which caused some talented guys to fall into the second, so that’s a boon for Friday night. On the flip side, that means the Eagles had a shot at multiple guys that looked like a good fit for this team, but obviously didn’t feel like there were any pressing roster needs to fill at 32. The theme seems to be that they’re already set for this title defense and won’t approach a more meaningful roster adjustment until 2019.
Today, however, the consensus is that a lot of defensive backfield talent remains on the board. You’ve also got a couple of good tight ends out there. There are a chunk of solid running backs available and some offensive linemen, too, if you want to stash and build behind Lane Johnson, Jason Kelce, and company.
Here are some of the names still on the board:
