Should the Philadelphia Eagles consider trading back come draft night?

In mock drafts all around the NFL, there seems to be a general consensus when it comes to the Philadelphia Eagles: they should take either Ja’Marr Chase or DeVonta Smith at pick #6. In the potential scenario where both receivers are off the board at that spot, most mocks then have the Eagles drafting CB Patrick Surtain II.

While a lot can ultimately change between now and draft night, there definitely appears to be a vibe around the Eagles that signals the need for a real difference maker at the top of the draft. They’ve been selecting towards the back of the first round for the last four years due to the team’s recent success, leaving them few opportunities to land an elite prospect.

Set to select in the top ten for the first time since they drafted Carson Wentz, the opportunity to take an elite WR or CB feels too good to pass on.

With that said, there’s a serous argument to be had in regards to potentially trading back come draft night, and accumulating further draft compensation.

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The Philadelphia Eagles should at least consider trading back.

4-11-1 record aside for the moment, the Philadelphia Eagles are in a pretty bad spot compared to the rest of the NFL. They’re way over the projected salary cap, they have little to no elite young talent, and their depth across the board is objectively bad. They’ve already handed massive contracts to the likes of Wentz, Fletcher Cox, Darius Slay, Brandon Brooks, Javon Hargrave, and others, meaning the only real way for the roster to improve moving forward is via the draft.

Of course, this type of strategy usually requires a haul of draft picks, which the Eagles do not have.

The Eagles might be able to snag an extra third/fourth rounder for the likes of Zach Ertz, but ultimately speaking, the front office has minimal draft assets to quickly improve their roster. Compare that to the likes of Miami, Jacksonville, and New York (Jets) who all have a plethora of recently acquired first and second round picks.

If the Eagles are sitting there at pick #6, and calls are coming in for a potential trade up, they should give it a serious consider. If one of the top quarterbacks is still on the board, the Eagles could likely demand a pretty sweet haul in return to move back 5-10 spots.

From there, Philadelphia could still see themselves land with the likes of WR Jaylen Waddle or CB Jaycee Horn.

The NFL Draft is always an unpredictable beast, so it’s fairly impossible to predict who will “still be on the board” in event of a trade down. There’s definitely scenarios where Philly opts to move back a few spots, just to miss out on all of the top WR/CB prospects.

However, even with that in mind, the opportunity to stack up extra picks via a trade down should not be understated. The Eagles desperately need an influx of young talent this offseason, and they simply don’t have enough draft capital to reasonably achieve that. By moving down a couple of spots, Philadelphia could restock their roster with a plethora of elite, young talent – as opposed to just one.

Of course it’s never that simple, as more draft picks means more *correct* picks have to be made. With Chase, Smith, and Surtain II looking like such slam dunk prospects, it’d be tough to opt against that should one still be available at pick #6.

Truly is a scenario where Philly cannot have the best of both worlds when it’s all said and done.