Cooper DeJean is an Eagle thanks to a draft-day trade with the Commanders that Josh Harris helped encourage

The Eagles wouldn’t be in the NFC championship game without their rookie class, including a pair of breakout defensive backs in Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, both of whom are finalists for Defensive Rookie of the Year. The Washington Commanders wouldn’t be here without their rookie class, either. Jayden Daniels, an Offensive Rookie of the Year finalist, is the big name, but cornerback Mike Sainristil picked off the Lions twice in the divisional round to help pull off the upset.

But it almost didn’t happen that way. A draft-day trade between the Eagles and Commanders helped DeJean and Sainristil find their new homes. Here’s a look back at how it went down.

After drafting Mitchell in the first round, the Eagles went back to grab another cornerback, DeJean, in the second. General manager Howie Roseman first attempted to trade up with the Carolina Panthers before the Los Angeles Rams beat him to it. He nearly worked out a deal with the Commanders but waited to ensure that the Rams would not take the player he wanted: DeJean.

After the Rams selected Braden Fiske, another standout rookie with the 39th overall pick, Roseman traded picks 50, 53, and 161 to Washington for picks 40, 78, and 152. Then the Birds selected DeJean with the 40th pick.

» READ MORE: Jake Delhomme isn’t walking through that door. Previous lessons give Eagles a big edge vs. Commanders

The teams shared behind-the-scenes videos that detailed some of the negotiations from both perspectives.

In the Eagles' version, viewers see Roseman seemingly resigned after the Rams trade up, thinking they’re going to pluck DeJean right out from under him. And when the Rams go in a different direction, the mood of the entire room shifts.

“I think that’s what makes the draft so interesting and so much fun,” Roseman said in the Eagles’ video. “You don’t know how everyone else sees things. We know how we see things, and you get into your own head where you’re going, ‘Everybody’s got to see it the same way,’ but it never works out that way. And I think that’s just what makes it an amazing three days and three nights of fun and a great opportunity to improve this team.”

But from the other side, we saw a lot more of the back-and-forth, and it didn’t seem as fun.

While Washington ultimately agreed to the trade, it was not without some heated negotiations that led to general manager Adam Peters calling Roseman “a pain in the [butt]” and Commanders (and 76ers) owner Josh Harris saying, “He’s unbelievable.”

» READ MORE: Eagles’ Jalen Hurts on track to play in the NFC title game despite knee injury: ‘There won’t be any excuses’

“I think he’s going to do it. But he’s like, ‘Let me talk it back: 50, 53′ — I said 161,” Peters said in the Commanders’ video, explaining that Roseman was trying to send Washington the 210th pick instead of 161.

Harris encouraged Peters to continue: “Just keep saying no, they’re going to do it.”

DeJean stepped into a starting role this year midseason for the Eagles and has shined. In addition to being a finalist for Defensive Rookie of the Year, he was named to the Pro Football Writers’ all-rookie team alongside Mitchell at cornerback. Since DeJean became a regular in the starting lineup in the slot, the Eagles have allowed just 166.6 passing yards per game.

With the 50th pick that the Eagles sent back, the Commanders took Sainristil, who has become a great cornerback in his own right in his first NFL season. Sainristil started the year at nickel but moved outside in Week 5 and has improved every week. Against the Lions, Sainristil picked off Jared Goff and wide receiver Jameson Williams to secure the win for the Commanders, in their deepest playoff run since 1991.

» READ MORE: Eagles’ A.J. Brown says lack of playoff production is circumstantial: ‘Right now, none of that matters’