Eagles mock draft: Trades can result in selecting Alabama’s Will Anderson and Jahmyr Gibbs

The predraft process is finally giving way to the real thing.

The first night of the NFL draft quickly approaches and the onslaught of smokescreens and speculation has reached its peak.

The Eagles will enter the draft’s first night with two selections and an opportunity to add an elite talent. Here’s my best guess at what their draft haul might look like by Saturday night.

There’s a scenario where one of the three premier pass rushers (Anderson, Jalen Carter, and Tyree Wilson) fall into the Eagles trade-up range. It would require three quarterbacks to go off the board along with at least one cornerback, which seems plausible. The tricky part is determining which of the top rushers makes it to the Las Vegas Raiders at No. 7 overall and whether the Eagles are able to broker a deal if it’s a player they covet. In this scenario, the Cardinals take Wilson and the Seahawks select Carter, leaving Anderson within reach for the Eagles.

Recent history would suggest moving up three spots would require sending two Day 2 selections. The Bills sent two second-rounders to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2018 to go from 12th to seventh in order to take Josh Allen. For a non-quarterback, perhaps a future second and third rounder would suffice, especially for a smaller leap.

In Anderson, the Eagles would add a rock-solid edge rusher prospect who was productive for multiple seasons in the Southeastern Conference. The 6-4, 235-pounder has the explosiveness off the ball and bend around the edge you’d look for when drafting an edge rusher this early in the draft. Even with a smaller frame, he was able to affect the run in college as well.

With the Eagles, he’d join Brandon Graham as a rotational rusher behind Haason Reddick and Josh Sweat and give the team a chance at a cost-controlled difference maker at a premium position for years to come.

Another trade with the Raiders that results in an Alabama player.

Trading back eight spots nets the Eagles the 100th and 141st picks, filling out the middle-round picks they entered the draft wanting. Value charts say the Eagles come out just ahead in this deal, but the potential of Hendon Hooker being available and the Raiders’ motivation to draft him in the first round to get a fifth-year option on his rookie deal is worth a slight overpay here.

Gibbs is the consensus No. 2 running back in the class and the type that can impact the passing game enough to justify a premium pick on a non-premium position.

At 5-foot-9, 200 pounds, Gibbs won’t round out the Eagles’ current running back rotation as much as other prospects could, but he’s the most talented offensive player likely to be available at this point in the draft. He has drawn well-deserved comparisons to the Saints’ Alvin Kamara. While he might not have the contact balance Kamara did in his prime, he can bring a similar amount to the passing game while also being a dynamic runner.

It’s also important to note Jalen Hurts’ effectiveness in short-yardage situations when evaluating what type of running backs the Eagles should target in the draft and free agency. Hurts has managed to be efficient getting critical yards while typically avoiding punishment, opening the Eagles up to building a running-back committee with smaller, quicker backs such as Gibbs.

» READ MORE: The Eagles can’t afford to splurge on Texas superstar Bijan Robinson — or any running back

Phillips makes a good deal of sense for the Eagles both because of what they’ve valued and what they’ve overlooked in the past.

The Utah corner’s instincts, short-area quickness, and ball skills are special. He had six interceptions as a junior last season and returned two of them for touchdowns. That type of ball production should appeal to a coaching staff that prioritizes explosive plays and turnovers as much as Nick Sirianni’s.

Phillips won’t be an ideal fit for every team because of his length, though. He’s 5-9 with 29-inch arms, both of which are worrisome for an outside cornerback in the NFL. Still, the Eagles haven’t been scared away with shorter corners with limited wingspans in the past. Avonte Maddox and Josiah Scott both had similarly concerning measurements at the combine. So did Grayland Arnold, who had a brief stint with the Eagles in 2020. Even if Phillips can’t stick outside, he’d provide value as a depth slot cornerback option who could potentially facilitate Maddox spending some time at safety next season.

» READ MORE: Eagles draft: Sizing up deep cornerback class after Birds bring back Darius Slay, James Bradberry

The Eagles could use a big-bodied receiver to work into 11-personnel formations and few prospects fit that bill as well as Perry.

The 6-3, 198-pounder has an 81-inch wingspan and is capable of utilizing it on jump balls and vertical routes. He’s a “security blanket”-type receiver who can make a quarterback right because of his long arms. He’s also a skilled route runner and ran a 4.47 40-yard dash, suggesting he could be a deep threat.

Perry would make sense as a depth receiver who could challenge Quez Watkins and Olamide Zaccheaus for snaps in three-receiver sets.

At some point, giving Jeff Stoutland a developmental offensive lineman will become necessary.

Enter Saldiveri, who is an athletic offensive tackle prospect with ideal size. He was a three-year starter primarily at right tackle in college but is athletic enough to suggest he could play multiple spots at the next level. At 6-6, 318 pounds, Saldiveri’s biggest flaws consist of technique issues. Sounds like a job for Stoutland.

» READ MORE: Eagles draft: Which offensive tackle prospect will become the heir apparent to Lane Johnson?

The quarterback factory keeps on churning.

Thompson-Robinson visited the Eagles during the pre-draft process both at the NFL scouting combine and for a top-30 visit. He’d make a ton of sense at this point in the draft as a potential backup to Hurts down the road.

The former Bruins quarterback is a plus athlete with extensive experience in a run-pass-option scheme, meaning he’d be able to keep things afloat as a Hurts backup if the Eagles’ franchise QB misses time.

» READ MORE: Eagles meet with QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson of UCLA at NFL combine

Pinpointing seventh-round picks is a difficult pursuit. Miller comes from a big program and would have a chance at making the team because of the Eagles’ thin linebacker depth chart.

The Eagles didn’t address defensive tackle earlier, so Johnson gets the nod with the final pick with a chance to make the roster as a developmental player.