With less than eight hours to go before the NFL draft, things are starting to heat up on the rumor mill.
According to ESPN senior NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler, Philadelphia has been discussing with other teams about trading up, and many of those teams in the top-10 range feel that the Birds are trying to jump over Dallas in order to grab a cornerback.
Both the Eagles and Cowboys have been frequently linked to the two premiere cornerbacks in the weeks leading up to the draft (Alabama’s Patrick Surtain II and South Carolina’s Jaycee Horn).
For Philadelphia, however, a trade up may be necessary in order to secure one of the two. If they sit and wait at #12, they’d run the risk of losing both Horn and Surtain II, because neither one is guaranteed to fall there.
As for who the Eagles might trade with is anyone’s guess. The Bronco’s #9 overall pick has drawn plenty of interest, and it’s one pick before Dallas. Hopefully trying to trade up doesn’t turn into a bidding war and end up costing the Eagles a good chunk of draft capital.
This Report Isn’t Exactly New, But It’s Definitely More Specific
This isn’t the first report that’s signaled the Eagles are looking to get back into the top-10. The Athletic’s Ben Standig said a few weeks ago that Philadelphia was exploring options to get in front of Dallas and the New York Giants due to their WR/CB preferences.
The real difference here is that Fowler said nothing about wide receiver, only mentioning how cornerbacks factor in. That could give us an idea of what the Eagles might be planning for tonight.
The big question is, who would the Eagles go for? Horn and Surtain II both have great skillsets and would both be solid picks that could contribute immediately. I feel that Surtain II would be the pick if the Eagles trade up.
If this trade-up scenario actually occurred, it would be icing on the cake to steal a player that Dallas is coveting. The Birds have done it before- they traded up in the second round of the 2018 draft to pick Dallas Goedert, who many thought the Cowboys would take one pick after.
In any case, it seems tonight is gearing up to be an exciting one.
