You knew Howie couldn’t resist.
The 2022 draft is still three weeks away, but the Eagles are already busy trading picks.
The Eagles on Tuesday traded two of their three top-20 picks in this year’s draft – No. 16 and No. 19 – along with their 6th-round pick (No. 194 overall) to the Saints in exchange for the 18th pick overall in this year’s draft, a 2023 1st-round pick, a 2024 2nd-round pick and two additional picks in this year’s draft: No. 101 overall, which is a late 3rd-round pick, and No. 237 overall in the 7th round.
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The Eagles held onto No. 15 overall, which had been their first of three 1st-round picks and came from the Dolphins. The 16th pick is the one the Eagles got from the Colts in the Carson Wentz trade, and the 19th was their original 1st-round pick.
So the Eagles now have these picks in this year’s draft:
- 1st round: No. 15 overall [from Dolphins]
- 1st round: No. 18 overall [from Saints]
- 2nd round: No. 51 overall
- 3rd round: No. 83 overall
- 3rd round: No. 101 overall [from Saints]
- 4th round: No. 124 overall
- 5th round: No. 154 overall [from Washington]
- 5th round: No. 162 overall
- 5th round: No. 166 overall [from Cards]
- 7th round: No. 237 overall [from Saints]
They now have two 1st-round picks in next year’s draft as well as single picks in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 7th rounds in addition to two 2nd-round picks in 2024.
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Even with the trade, this remains the first draft since 1995 in which the Eagles have five picks in the first three rounds (as of now).
It's also still the first time since 1973 the Eagles have had two top-20 picks. In 1973, they drafted offensive tackle Jerry Sisemore No. 3 overall and tight end Charle Young No. 6 overall. Both became multiple Pro Bowlers for the Eagles.
One thing this move does is give the Eagles flexibility to go after a quarterback next year if they feel after the 2022 season that Jalen Hurts is not the long-term answer. With two 1st-round picks in next year’s draft, Roseman will have the assets to move up if he needs to get a quarterback in what many experts believe will be a stronger QB draft than this one.
MORE: Eagles mailbag: Which draft positions are a draft priority?
A lot can obviously change (see Spencer Rattler), but as of now guys like Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud, Alabama’s Bryce Young and Florida’s Anthony Richardson are all considered potential top-10 picks next year.
If the Eagles stayed at 15, 16 and 19, they would have been only the seventh NFL team since 1960 to draft three players in the top 20 and the first since the 2000 Jets.
One by product of the trade is a smaller rookie wage scale salary cap hit. The 15th, 16th and 19th picks added up to $7.8074, and No. 15 and No. 18 add up to $5.2374 – a cap savings this year of $2.57 million.
