PHILADELPHIA — ESPN NFL draft contributor Matt Miller projects five quarterbacks will be taken in the top 10 of April’s NFL draft. By the sounds of it, Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman sees that as a definite possibility.
“When you look at this group as a whole, to talk about maybe five guys going in the top 10, it’s because of the ability that these guys have,” Roseman said. “You see over and over again, this is a quarterback-driven league, and these guys are all really good prospects. We’re going to make sure we do our due diligence on them and every other position that would be a possibility for us in the first round and with the rest of the our 11 picks.”
The Eagles hold the No. 6 overall pick — a position that lends itself to all sorts of possibilities.
They could trade up or hold firm and take one of the top quarterbacks outside of consensus No. 1 pick Trevor Lawrence (Clemson), whether it be Zach Wilson (BYU), Justin Fields (Ohio State), Trey Lance (North Dakota State) or Mac Jones (Alabama).
The Eagles could put their faith in second-year quarterback Jalen Hurts, and the recently signed Joe Flacco, and still target a difference-making playmaker for him. Florida tight end Kyle Pitts, LSU wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase and Alabama wideout DeVonta Smith are in that star-studded group. Philadelphia selects Chase in ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr.’s latest mock draft, and there’s certainly no shortage of buzz in league circles about Philadelphia being high on him.
There is a third, less talked about option that deserves some consideration given the dynamics at play: the Eagles moving back in the draft to gain assets from a team hot for a quarterback.
“For Philly, they need to convince people that Detroit [No. 7 overall] is thinking about moving on from Jared Goff. And they don’t have to convince people that the Carolina Panthers [No. 8 overall] want to move up to get a quarterback. So if you’re a team like Denver [No. 9], San Francisco [No. 12], New England [No. 15], who wants to get ahead of Carolina at 8, then I think Philly is maybe your logical destination because you might not want to go all the way to 3 where Miami is,” Miller said. “Atlanta could stay at 4 and take a [QB]. The Bengals are going to stay at 5 and take an offensive tackle. So Philly is the most logical spot.”
There are a couple of comps to look at to determine proper compensation. In 2018, the Buffalo Bills traded their two second-round picks, Nos. 53 and 56, and their original first-round spot [No. 12] to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to move up to No. 7 and take quarterback Josh Allen. That same year, the New York Jets sent their No. 6, 37th and 49th selections and a second-rounder in 2019 to the Indianapolis Colts to move and select quarterback Sam Darnold at No. 3 overall. For Philly to move back, the baseline appears to be a pair of second-round picks plus the acquiring team’s first-rounder.
A move back to No. 8 or 9, where the Panthers and Broncos are picking, should still allow the Eagles to take a highly prized offensive playmaker such as Alabama’s Jaylen Waddle — a burner, which happens to be the type of wide receiver Roseman tends to covet. Any further back than that and the Eagles might be looking at a different tier of prospects.
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Dan Graziano and Mike Tannenbaum weigh the chances of the Eagles drafting a quarterback.
The question is whether such a maneuver is worth missing out on star players such as Chase and Pitts.
Asked who he would choose if both were available at No. 6, NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah gave a hearty endorsement to Pitts, the uber-gifted tight end/receiver who averaged 18 yards per reception and scored 12 touchdowns for the Gators last season.
“You can make a strong case he’s the best player in the draft,” Jeremiah said. “The defense can’t be right against him no matter what you do. You put big guys out there, he’s going to run away from them. You put small guys out there, he’s just going to pluck the ball off their heads. That to me is what makes him special.”
Added Miller: “Kyle Pitts is an enigma. I just started listing him as an offensive weapon. He’s not fair. He’s not real.”
The Eagles are feeling the weight of this moment. Fortunately for them, they don’t draft this high very often, and know how critical this pick can be to building the roster back up as they transition from an aging Super Bowl squad to a new era under coach Nick Sirianni.
They have a lot of options, which isn’t a bad thing. But they must choose wisely.