By: Steve Johnson
It's a question Eagles Head Coach and VP of Football Operations Andy Reid asks himself every year around this time. No it's not what the Eagles war room buffet should consist of for the annual NFL Draft...well OK he has two questions every year. But anyways the main question Reid asks himself and puppets is, should the Eagles trade up, trade down, or stay put in the first round. In 2003 and 2004 Reid traded up in the first round to grab Jerome McDougle, who could never stay healthy, and Shawn Andrews, who could never stay sane. In 2007 and 2008 Reid and his team traded out of the first round completely. In 2009 and 2010 they once again traded up in the first round to snag Jeremy Maclin and then Brandan Graham. Say what you want about some of Reids questionable early round picks, but one thing you cannot question is his ability to stockpile late round draft picks and turn them into starters and sometimes even pro bowlers. So the question this season is, do the Eagles trade up from 15 into the top 10 and try to get one of the few high reward picks, or do they trade down to get a number of picks in later rounds. Here are a few scenarios the Eagles are looking at days before the 2012 NFL Draft.
Eagles Current Picks
Rd 1. Pick 15
Rd 2. Pick 46
Rd 2. Pick 51 (from Arizona in Kevin Kolb trade)
Rd 3. Pick 88 (from Houston, swapped in Demeco Ryans trade)
Rd 4. Pick 114
Rd 5. Pick 153
Rd 6. Pick 172 (from Indianapolis, swapped in Winston Justice trade)
Rd 6. Pick 194 (from Denver, Broderick Bunkley trade)
Rd 6. Pick 200 (from New England, Tracy White trade)
Trade Up Into The Top 10
The Eagles are currently sitting at 15, a spot where there are some good value players, but none of which really fit in terms of need. So why not trade up? St. Louis (6th), Jacksonville (7th) and Carolina (9th) are all possible scenarios for a trade up. These teams are all young and are looking to stockpile as many picks as possible, moving back a couple spots would not hurt them. According to the Draft Value Chart , a chart used by most NFL front offices, the Eagles could move up to say 7th, by giving up their 15th overall pick, their 3rd round pick and an additional late round pick. Doing this could allow them to target a player likely to be taken before 15 such as DT Fletcher Cox, LB Luke Kuelchy, or maybe even a player such as WR Michael Floyd.
Trade Down Into The 20s
If the Eagles can't trade into the Top 10, I believe they'll ending up doing what they've done in the past and trade back to get more picks to fill out their roster. The benefit of doing such a thing this year, is the difference between getting a player at 15 and getting a player in the mid to late 20s is not significant. When looking at teams like Denver (25th) and San Francisco (30th) they could likely want to move up and grab a position of need. Or there's always the craft Bill Belichick and the Patriots, who own 2 first round picks (27 and 31) that are always looking to move around in the draft, and have shown the history to make moves with Andy and crew. A couple players to take a look at in the later part of the first round could be some of the DTs (Jerel Worthy and Michael Brockers) or maybe another secondary player in (Stephon Gilmore, Janoris Jenkins, or Dre Kirkpatrick).
No matter what the Eagles do, General Manager Howie Roseman swears the Eagles are approaching this draft differently, focusing more on game film rather than the pro day and combine stars. Whether you believe them or not, finally admitting they were wrong and addressing a huge need in trading for LB Demeco Ryans was a step in the right direction, the direction Eagles fans have been waiting years for.
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