Shockwaves were sent around the NFL early this afternoon when the Miami Dolphins agreed to trade the No. 3 overall pick in the NFL Draft to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for the No. 12 pick, a 2021 third-round pick (SF’s comp pick for Robert Saleh hiring), and first-round picks in 2022 and 2023. But Miami didn’t hold onto that No. 12 pick for very long. Minutes later, the Eagles agreed to trade the No. 6 overall pick and the No. 156 overall pick in exchange for Miami’s recently-acquired No. 12 pick, the No. 123 overall pick, and a 2022 first-round pick.
When the news of the first trade broke, it seemed like great news for the Eagles in that one or both of Kyle Pitts and/or Ja’Marr Chase would be on the board when they selected at No. 6. Apparently, the Howie Roseman and co. felt that moving back and acquiring more picks provided better value than either of those players since neither is likely to be available at 12.
However, Benjamin Solak provided an interesting list of names that could be available at No. 12 overall:
This, of course, will be the case if four quarterbacks are selected in the first 11 picks, which feels likely at this point. This is a strong list of players and includes many names that have been projected as Top 5 picks in mocks by analysts, so there is value here. Time will tell if this is the right move, but the Eagles have added the ammunition necessary to add a mountain of talent in the future.
Why did the Eagles make this trade?
There are a number of answers to this question. Shortly after the news broke, I provided some immediate thoughts on Twitter:
But the short answer is this: Howie Roseman and the Eagles valued the future picks more than the players who would be available at No. 6.
It’s likely that they are as impressed with Ja’Marr Chase and Kyle Pitts as everyone else, but this means that they have other players in that top tier that they like a lot, too. They don’t make this move if they don’t have a handful of players they are comfortable taking at No. 12 who they know will be there and who they would have considered at No. 6. Jaylen Waddle is a name that makes a lot of sense if he makes it all the way to No. 12, but you could justify any of the names on the list Benjamin Solak provided.
Does this mean that Jalen Hurts is the long-term answer or that the Eagles are convinced he can be? No. But it does mean they are going to give him the opportunity to prove himself in 2021. If he isn’t the answer, they could have three first-round picks to utilize to figure out the position. And if he is the answer, they are in a really good spot with a ton of assets available.
But wait, there’s more
While this trade looked at least initially like the Eagles were all-in on Jalen Hurts (at least for 2021) and were not interested in drafting a quarterback, Ian Rapoport shared on Twitter (and then later deleted) that the Eagles like Zach Wilson and attempted to trade up in the draft in order to be in a position to take him.
Rapoport followed this up by saying that the Eagles are high on Zach Wilson but felt moving back and collecting a future first-rounder provided more value. That may very well be true, but that also sounds like something the Eagles quickly wanted out there after Rapoport’s initial report. The fact of the matter is that the Eagles were interested enough in Wilson to inquire about moving up in the NFL Draft for him.
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Mike Maher is the editor and publisher of The Birds Blitz and Juiced Ball Era. Follow him on Twitter @mikeMaher and @TheBirdsBlitz and check out his archive for all of his latest stories about the Eagles and the NFL.
