Could Eagles now be going defense in the first round after Friday’s trade with Dolphins?
NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah thinks the Eagles' best first-round options could be on defense after Friday's trade-down with the Dolphins.
Eagles general manager Howie Roseman likes to make deals. So Daniel Jeremiah wasn’t surprised Friday to learn that the Eagles had swapped first-round spots with the Miami Dolphins.
The Eagles moved down from 6 to 12 and picked up a 2022 first-round pick from Miami. They also swapped a fifth-round pick in next month’s draft (No. 156) for the Dolphins’ fourth-rounder (No. 123) this year. The Eagles now have five of the first 123 picks in the draft.
“If you told me there was going to be a day in the NFL where there was going to be a lot of action and lot of movement, I would’ve bet a lot of money that Howie would be involved somehow,” said Jeremiah, the NFL Network’s senior draft analyst and a former scout for the Eagles. “I’m nor surprised that they got into the mix today.”
The Dolphins also were involved in the other big trade Friday. They initially had the No. 3 pick in the draft, but traded down to 12 with the 49ers in exchange for first-round picks from San Francisco in 2022 and 2023 and a third-round pick next year.
When the Eagles owned the sixth overall pick, the popular thinking was that they would take an offensive player, either a quarterback, a wide receiver or the draft’s top tight end, Florida’s Kyle Pitts.
But Pitts, an Archbishop Wood product, won’t be around at 12, and the top three wide receivers – LSU’s Ja’Marr Chase and Alabama’s Devonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle – all could be off the board as well.
Jeremiah thinks the Eagles could now turn to defense. He said cornerback or edge-rusher are the most likely possibilities for them if they stay at 12.
» READ MORE: The Eagles have traded down six spots in the first round and acquired a 2022 first-round pick from Miami
“I think they put themselves in range for a really good defensive player,” he said. “When you look at the corners, (Caleb) Farley (of Virginia Tech) is an intriguing guy. I don’t know what’s going to happen with him because of the back situation he’s dealing with.”
Farley is considered the best cornerback in the draft. But he had out-patient surgery on his back this week and wasn’t able to participate in Virginia Tech’s Pro Day. He supposedly will be cleared for all football activities prior to training camp in July. But after what happened with 2017 draft pick Sidney Jones, the Eagles might be reluctant to take a chance on another injured player.
“Take him out of it and you still have (Alabama’s) Patrick Surtain and (South Carolina’s) Jaycee Horn as really intriguing corner options at 12,” Jeremiah said.
“And then you’ve got the edge-rushers, if they want to go that route and get a little younger there. Guys like (Michigan’s) Kwity Paye or (Miami’s) Greg Rousseau. I think those two positions make a lot of sense for where they’re going to be at 12.”
Don’t discount the possibility of the Eagles going for an offensive lineman. Alijah Vera-Tucker of USC had an excellent Pro Day this week and is expected to be a top 15 pick. Vera-Tucker played left tackle at USC last year, but is projected as a guard at the next level because of short arms.
“I think it would’ve been a little bit early on some of those guys at 6,” Jeremiah said. “But now, they’re able to collect some extra stuff and go back and get somebody at a position that makes sense for them.”