INQUISITR.COM / Sports

Philadelphia Eagles Rumors: Eagles Could Trade Down In The First Round Of The Draft

By Phillip Dengler
Published on: 08:18 PST, Apr 10, 2016

With only a few weeks to go until the 2016 NFL draft, rumors are swirling around the Philadelphia Eagles and what they are going to do in the first round. After acquiring the No. 8 overall pick from the Miami Dolphins, the Eagles have been linked to some of the top players in this year’s draft class. Some reports have even stated that the Eagles are interested in trading up for the No. 1 overall pick. While there is a chance that the team trades up or keeps their current pick, the latest expert report believes there is a real chance that the Eagles trade down in the first round for more picks.

As previously reported by The Inquisitr, the Eagles have most notably been connected to Ohio State Buckeyes running back Ezekiel Elliott, Notre Dame defensive tackle Ronnie Stanley, California Golden Bears quarterback Jared Goff, North Dakota State Bison quarterback Carson Wentz, and Memphis Tigers quarterback Paxton Lynch. Besides Lynch, trading down would take all of those players off the table.

As CBS Sports reports, the Eagles’ recent apparent interest in trading up could be all for show.

“The more I hear about the Eagles and quarterbacks — Carson Wentz is the flavor du jour today — the more I continue to believe they will be looking to trade down, pick up draft picks, and address other positions in the draft. I’m not buying any of this, and I continue to hear from shrewd execs on other teams that they believe this is all for show from Philly as well. Here is some food for thought — from the start of the 2015 league year until the start of the 2016 league year — the Eagles spent $201 million on payroll in real dollars, way more than any other team in the NFL (Miami was next at $187 million, according to NFL management council figures). That includes their big splurge on QB Sam Bradford and re-signing Vinny Curry and Zach Ertz and all of those guys, and it doesn’t even include the big bucks they gave backup QB Chase Daniel. Owners don’t do that to then go out, in a year in which they are clearly in win-now mode in a watered-down NFC East, and then go spend another $25 million on a quarterback in the draft when they still have many other needs.”

And all of that makes sense from a logical perspective. While the Eagles have failed to make the playoffs the past two seasons, the NFC East is not exactly one of the better divisions in the NFL. The Dallas Cowboys are expected to be a better team this year, but none of the teams are expected to run away with things. The Eagles have improved their roster through various free agency signings, but they still have a lot of work to do if they have any hopes of making noise in the playoffs.

While drafting a top quarterback is always exciting for fans, none of the signal callers in this year’s class are viewed as sure things. Trading up to draft Wentz or Goff could set the franchise back a few seasons if things do not work out. Elliott and Stanley have the best odds out of the group of being sure things, but the Eagles could look to address the running back position and offensive line later in the draft. If the Eagles truly want to draft a quarterback in the first round, they would still have a great shot at landing Lynch if they traded down.

The current Eagles’ quarterback situation is somewhat peculiar. In re-signing Sam Bradford and signing Chase Daniel, the Eagles are guaranteeing a lot of money to the quarterback position over the next two seasons. The good news is that both deals are structured so the team can get out of them fairly quickly if things do not work. Regardless, the Eagles are on the hook to pay Bradford and Daniel’s hefty salaries this season. Whether or not they want to use first round money on another quarterback remains to be seen, but that would be a lot of money invested in one position.

Rumors will continue to come out regarding the Philadelphia Eagles and what they are going to do with the No. 8 overall draft pick. While the Eagles just traded up to acquire the pick, there is a very real chance that they trade down in order to acquire more assets.

[Photo by Elsa/Getty Images]

Share this article: Philadelphia Eagles Rumors: Eagles Could Trade Down In The First Round Of The Draft
More from Inquisitr