Eagles beat writers weigh in on trading away the sixth overall pick in NFL draft

The Eagles swapped first-round spots with the Miami Dolphins last week, trading down from 6 to 12 in exchange for a first-round pick in the 2022 draft and a fourth-round selection in next month’s draft. They also gave the Dolphins one of their two fifth-round picks in next month’s draft. The Inquirer’s Eagles beat team breaks down the merits — and shortcomings — of the deal:

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As much as it pains me to give Howie Roseman credit for anything, this trade gets a hearty thumbs up from me.

Yeah, moving down from 6 to 12 in this year’s draft means they’ve kissed any chance of getting LSU wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase or Florida tight end Kyle Pitts goodbye.

But they’ve added another first-round pick in next year’s draft in addition to a fourth-round pick next month, and there still are going to be a lot of very good players for them to choose from at 12.

If they stay at 12 — which probably is unlikely given Roseman’s insatiable appetite for draft picks — and walk away with DeVonta Smith or Patrick Surtain or Alijah Vera-Tucker or Travis Etienne — they’ll get a thumbs up from me.

The Eagles have four of the first 84 picks and five of the first 123 in this draft. This is the first time they’ve had four picks in the top 85 since 2005, and the first time they’ve had five in the top 125 since 2012.

So, they now have the wherewithal over the next two drafts to create a quick turnaround and put a smile back on the faces of Eagles fans. Particularly if Jalen Hurts pans out.

Yes, Roseman and his people still have to make the right decisions. And, based on the last few drafts, you certainly are justified in wondering whether they’re up to the job.

But at least they have put themselves in position to succeed.

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This is a heart-vs.-head appraisal. Certainly, gaining a first-round pick next season and exchanging a fifth-rounder this year for a fourth-rounder is good value for moving back from sixth to 12th in the first round this year.

Here’s my quibble: Historically, it’s much harder to screw up the sixth overall pick than the 12th. To me, what the Eagles most critically lack are difference-makers, guys you can look at and say, “He’s one of the best two or three players at his position in the NFL.” That’s what I wanted to see with that sixth overall pick. Someone who has more than a decent shot at being pretty good.

A Monday Sports Illustrated report indicated that the Eagles think there’s a good chance Cincinnati will take Chase fifth overall. That certainly would take a little air out of picking sixth, though Philly’s own Pitts would have been a solid alternative as a difference-making receiver. Could Pitts still get to the Eagles at 12th? If he does, then my thumbs flip to up. But I really don’t like the idea that the Giants or the Cowboys could take him and torture Eagles fans with him for a decade or so.

One variable here is the new coaching staff. Twelfth is a dandy spot to get a really good cornerback, if you can get comfortable with ignoring the Eagles’ crying need for a top-shelf offensive weapon. Maybe new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon — who still hasn’t been made available to talk with reporters — places a much, much bigger emphasis on Pro Bowl-level corner play than Jim Schwartz did. We dunno.

I was hoping for Chase/Pitts at sixth, or even Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields. If Hurts makes the Pro Bowl this coming season, with the group the Eagles are assembling around him, then I guess I’ll have to shut up.

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I’m not a fan of these thumbs-up-or-down takes, to be honest. I’m a reporter first and foremost. My job isn’t to give opinions. I can provide context or analysis and I think that’s what I did in my column after the Eagles traded back Friday. Very rarely do I feel strongly about a move as to lean one way. Sometimes the evidence is so overwhelming, as it was in the Hurts draft pick, that it’s hard not to come out on one side. That was objectively a questionable decision.

My reason for the positive review here is based primarily on the strategy. The Eagles could end up botching the execution. That is fair. But if they can’t draft a quarterback they like and see just a marginal drop in talent from the sixth pick to the 12th, isn’t getting another first-round pick in 2022 worth the gamble? If four quarterbacks go in the first four picks, and Chase goes No. 5, that could leave Pitts as the next best available talent on the Eagles’ board. But would it make sense to draft Pitts when you already have Dallas Goedert? When tight end isn’t a premier position? Maybe. If you knew he was to develop into Tony Gonzalez, you’d do it.

But that’s quite a projection. There are a couple of tackles the Eagles could have taken at No. 6. But is that a position of need right now? It’s possible one of those offensive linemen drops. If receiver is the play, Alabama’s Jaylen Waddle or Smith could be around at No. 12. The trade back also doesn’t preclude Roseman from moving back up a few spots to snag a target. The Eagles have the ammo with two third-rounders. But staying put at 12 also expands the pool of players. Are there as many blue-chip talents? Maybe not. The Eagles clearly think so.

The bigger picture reason for the trade back, though, has to do with quarterback. The Eagles are in position to give Hurts a year as they rebuild. If Zach Wilson was available, it may be a different story. But he’ll likely go early, possible to the New York Jets at No. 2. Two of the three remaining first-round-ranked quarterbacks are likely slotted to the 49ers and Falcons at Nos. 3 and 4. And trading up would have cost more than a transitioning team like the Eagles was willing to forfeit. The roster needs overhauling and it’s likely to take a few years to get there.

But getting an additional first-rounder next year gives the Eagles the assets to get a starting quarterback if Hurts wasn’t to pan out. They can target one early in the draft and move up, if necessary, or they can go after an established talent like Deshaun Watson or Russell Wilson, who could be available in a trade. Nothing’s guaranteed, but they have the means to get something done. And if Hurts solves the quarterback problem, or warrants another season, the Eagles have draft capital to build around him.

I understand the Eagles’ thinking and agree with their assessment of how the early portion of the draft will play out. Does that mean they will select the right players or find the right quarterback? Their recent track record suggests otherwise. But just because they’ve had three poor offseasons and one bad season doesn’t mean that every decision they make henceforth will be wrong.

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The Process has returned to South Philly.

No, the Eagles aren’t about to undergo a Sam Hinkie-style rebuild in which they rip the team down to the studs, but this trade is the type of forward-thinking move those clamoring for a rebuild should embrace.

As my fine colleagues mentioned, the indication is that Chase is unlikely to make it to the sixth pick and Roseman wasn’t willing to wait and find out. I wouldn’t count on Pitts being there at 12, either. Both players are easy projections into the league because of their college production and physical profiles, but let’s not lose sight of just how weird this draft has the potential to be.

Sometimes lost in the day-to-day draft minutiae is how severely the pandemic has impacted the information teams have on these prospects. Medical checks, in-person interviews, and accurate athletic testing are limited. A good amount of the best players, Chase included, didn’t even play last season.

There will likely be big misses — even bigger than usual — on players because of character or medical red flags that weren’t uncovered. Considering that, dropping back six spots in order to get another first-rounder in what we all hope is a more normal draft process next year isn’t such a bad thing.

The Eagles could miss on each of their three potential first-round picks next season and make all of this null and void. Chase or Pitts could also go on to have dominant careers and join DK Metcalf and Justin Jefferson in the next “almost an Eagle” Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

Still, stockpiling draft assets in anticipation of a rebuilding year, especially considering the variance this draft should have, is a good idea.