The funny thing about the buildup to the NFL Draft is that by draft day, months of coverage and rumors meant absolutely nothing. Most teams haven't even figured out their draft plans until the last minute, and well-connected experts are just throwing darts for most of the offseason.
But every year, we see the picture start to really clear up in the last day or two before the draft.
This year's clarity is painting a picture that suggests an incredible trade opportunity for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders' stock has been plummeting through April, and the latest report on Thursday is that the Pittsburgh Steelers aren't interested in drafting him at No. 21. But why is that such good news for the Eagles?
What's the QB situation tonight? @DMRussini says: "The Pittsburgh Steelers, from what I can tell right now, they're not taking a QB at 21. I've even heard they want out of that pick."
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) April 24, 2025
At this point it's really starting to look like Sanders isn't a first-round pick. The Steelers are the last QB-needy team in the round, and if they pass on him then there's nobody left to jump on the opportunity. Until pick 32.
The significance of the Eagles' pick is that it's the last one that gives teams a fifth-year option on their rookie's contract. The No. 33 pick gets just a four-year deal, while the 32 pick gets a contract with an option that the team can elect to pick up or decline for a fifth year.
That's always significant, but it's especially important when you're talking about a potential franchise quarterback. The Eagles have seen this first-hand, as they traded their last No. 32 pick to the Baltimore Ravens back in 2018, which was used on Lamar Jackson.
So a team that may realistically view Sanders as an early second-round pick (say, the Cleveland Browns, who have the first pick of Round 2) has every reason to pay for a small jump into Round 1.
That means the Eagles hold an important pick that should have multiple suitors, allowing them to benefit from a bidding war that should net them some extra draft capital simply for moving down a few spots.
That could lead to a boring Thursday night for Eagles fans, but it's the kind of value that smart franchises are quick to cash in on.