Who could the Philadelphia Eagles be targeting in rumored trade-up?

Jaylen Waddle/DeVonta Smith

If the Philadelphia Eagles do in fact trade up, but are unable to land one of the three before mentioned prospects, doing so to ensure that they’d get first dibs at one of the other elite wide receivers makes the most amount of sense. The Eagles obviously need help at the position, and waiting all the way to pick 12 could see them miss out on some of the top prospects.

Outside of Ja’Marr Chase, DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle are the next best things. Smith is coming off a spectacular Heisman-winning senior season, and Waddle was one of the most explosive players in the NCAA in 2019.

Either player would immediately enter the Eagles as their WR1 moving forward.

While there’s definitely a chance that one of these receivers slips down the board to 12, where the Eagles are initially set to draft, there’s some fear that the Giants are eying up one of the Alabama wideouts as well. Pulling the trigger on a trade-up would ensure that the Eagles get first pick at one of the two receivers, as opposed to being left with whoever the Giants don’t draft.

Last year, the Eagles very infamously didn’t trade up for Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb once he started slipping down the board, and the Cowboys ended up with him instead. That’s a nightmare that the team would likely prefer to avoid during this year’s selection process.