The first night of the 2021 NFL Draft was an eventful one, and it even included the Philadelphia Eagles trading with the Dallas Cowboys to move up and draft Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith. In fact, every NFC East team except Washington made a trade on Thursday night. After the Eagles and Cowboys made their swap, the Giants moved back from No. 11 to No. 20 as the Chicago Bears moved up to take Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields.
For the Eagles, it was their second swap of first-round picks during this NFL Draft process. After previously moving back from No. 6 to No. 12 in a swap with the Miami Dolphins that netted them a 2022 first-round pick, they sent No. 12 and a 2021 third-round pick to the Cowboys to move back up to No. 10. Here’s a snapshot of what the Eagles sent vs. what they received in these moves:
In the end, they moved from No. 6 in the draft to No. 10 and traded away a 2021 third-round pick and 2021 fifth-round pick in exchange for a 2022 first-round pick and a 2021 fourth-round pick and used No. 10 to take DeVonta Smith. Another way to look at it: they moved back four spots and gave up a third-round pick for a future first-round pick and a fourth-round pick.
That’s a win no matter how you look at it because they still landed the player they wanted and added a future first-round pick in the process.
As for Smith himself, Howie Roseman, Andy Weidl, and Nick Sirianni spoke to the media about why he was the choice last night. Here’s a video of the full press conference:
The Giants were going to draft Smith at 11
The Giants had been linked to DeVonta Smith for several weeks once it looked like the talented wideout might actually be available at that spot. So, once wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Jaylen Waddle and cornerbacks Jaycee Horn and Patrick Surtain were all drafted in the first nine picks, the Eagles knew they were probably going to have to jump the Giants in order to get Smith.
And as Bo Wulf pointed out on Twitter, the fact that the Giants ended up moving back in the draft and taking wide receiver Kadarius Toney pretty much confirms that Smith would not have made it to No. 12 to the Eagles.
Giants beat writer Zack Rosenblatt confirmed as much on Friday morning, reporting that the Giants were indeed set to take DeVonta Smith at No. 11.
The thought of the Giants adding a player like DeVonta Smith after already signing Kenny Golladay in free agency is a scary one for an Eagles team that already has to face the Dallas Cowboys and their trio of talented wide receivers twice a year. So, the Eagles drafting Smith instead of the Giants is a huge net win for Philadelphia. For the Giants, Toney is an intriguing talent who may be destined for the slot in the NFL.
Friday
Rounds two and three of the NFL Draft get started at 7pm ET on Friday. After dealing one of their third-round picks in Thursday’s deal with the Dallas Cowboys, the Eagles now have two picks on Friday and nine picks remaining in the entire draft. However, expect Howie Roseman to be aggressive in moving up and down in the draft, and he will likely continue to dangle veteran tight end Zach Ertz in trade talks.
Drafting DeVonta Smith was a good first step for an Eagles team that desperately needs to get more production from the wide receiver position. Now, we’ll see if they can use their remaining picks to beef up their secondary, linebacker corps, and offensive and defensive line depth.
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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.
