Philadelphia Eagles Rumors: Kayvon Thibodeaux a trade up candidate?

The Philadelphia Eagles feel like they hold the keys to the 2022 NFL Draft’s first round.

With two first-round picks on the books and eight more selections to play with over the next six rounds, the Eagles could facilitate a playoff team’s desire to draft a quarterback, a team like the Pittsburgh Steelers, for example, or pick up additional draft capital for a team looking to secure a new offensive tackle before all of the “premier” options come off the board. I mean, they’ve already done one deal, surrendering picks 16, 19, and 194 for 18, 101, 237, a 2023 first-round pick, and a 2024 second-round pick, so why not load up on even more assets from which to build out the team for the foreseeable future, right?

But what if it’s the Eagles who want to move up for a player they like, not the other way around? Would the Eagles surrender some of their own additional assets, be that a second-round pick, Andre Dillard, Jalen Reagor, or all three, for a shot at a top-10 player who wouldn’t be available at 15?

Well, according to Ian Rapoport – via JPA Football – that very well could be a possibility, especially if Kayvon Thibodeaux falls out of the top-5.

Is Kayvon Thibodeaux the right trade-up target for the Philadelphia Eagles?

If there’s one philosophy Howie Roseman values above all others, it’s building a team through the trenches.

Since being named the Philadelphia Eagles’ general manager in 2010, Roseman has either personally drafted or helped Andy Reid select six linemen in the first round, including two, Derek Barnett and Andre Dillard, since returning to power in 2016. While some of those selections haven’t worked out too well, most notably Danny Watkins and Marcus Smith, Roseman’s commitment to using a bevy of draft picks in the trenches has kept Philly stocked with some of the best and deepest lines the NFL has to offer.

Could Roseman return to that philosophy in 2022? You bet; Jordan Davis has been heavily linked to the Birds over the last month or two and has to be considered a favorite to come off the board at 15 or even 18 if he lasts that long, but as a general rule, most consider the Eagles’ two biggest needs to be at cornerback and wide receiver, as both positions have pretty big question marks heading into the regular season.

But hey, you know what they say: Talent trumps all. If the Eagles can secure a transcendent performer who will be dominant for years to come – a Fletcher Cox-type, if you will – the idea of drafting BPA may rightfully go out of the window in favor of the pursuit of elite performers.

Do the Eagles view Kayvon Thibodeaux as that level of performer? Potentially so, at least according to Ian Rapoport, as he explicitly mentioned the Oregon defensive end as a potential trade-up target for the Birds should he fall out of the top-5.

Now, before we get too into Thibodeaux, the player, let’s talk about how much it would cost to trade up to the sixth overall pick, which, as you know, is the highest pick outside of the top-5. Well, assuming the Carolina Panthers want out of their draft slot and are willing to do so for fair market value, the NFL Trade Value Chart would suggest that the Eagles would need to surrender a total of 1,600 points in total draft value to get a deal done. Considering pick 15 is worth 1,050 points, the Eagles would also need to package their second-round pick – worth 390 points – and their first third-round pick – with 175 points – to get a deal done.

Unless Roseman is really sold on the Los Angeles native’s ability to dominate at the NFL level, that’s probably a tad rich for the team’s blood. If, however, a team like the Atlanta Falcons were willing to move down from eight to 15, that would only cost 1,400 points or pick 15 and 51 with both third-round picks remaining in Philly’s control.

That feels far more manageable for a trade-up, but only if the Eagles are interested in Thibodeaux’s services, which I’m not convinced they are.

Don’t get me wrong, Thibodeaux is a really good player, and even if his stock has dipped somewhat from being the consensus first overall pick, that doesn’t mean he won’t turn out to be a great pro, but is he, like, an Aaron Donald-level talent who is going to transcend the position and see his jersey hanging from the rafters one day? The consensus appears to be no.

While Thibodeaux does deserve to be a top-10 pick in this year’s draft, one could argue that he isn’t even the highest-upside defensive player who could fall out of the top-5 in this year’s class, as both Derek Stingly Jr. and Sauce Gardner have higher upsides and play a position the Eagles desperately need to fill. If Roseman were to trade up and go after a top prospect instead of Jordan Davis or Jameson Williams, another player they’ve been heavily linked to at 15, it would presumably be for one of those cornerbacks instead of a high-end defensive end who would struggle to see the field early on money downs due to the presence of Josh Sweat and Hasson Reddick.

Do I believe that Ian Rapoport heard that the Philadelphia Eagles are interested in Kayvon Thibodeaux? Yes, it’s entirely possible folks have let that slide to the NFL insider, maybe even Howie Roseman. Do I actually believe that such a deal will come to pass? No, I would be incredibly surprised to see the Eagles move any way but down later this week, and if they go up, it’d be for the same positions they are targeting at 15 and 18, wide receiver, cornerback, and defensive tackle.