NFL Perception Turns Toward Eagles' Exec Who Likes The Trades

The belief around the NFL is that the Eagles will try to move up in the first round for the fifth time in six years.

Mar 1, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Alabama defensive back Terrion Arnold (DB02) works out. / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

PHILADELPHIA - Draft week is finally here.

The perception around the NFL is that Eagles GM Howie Roseman will do what he typically does on Day 1 of the draft, target a small group of players and be aggressive in moving up to get one of them.

Roseman himself highlighted the trade talk at his pre-draft media availability.

"I like the trades," he smiled when asked what he likes most about the draft season.

"You know, this is fun. … I like talking to the other teams in the league and trying to figure out if there are opportunities to work together. I like doing that."

Deals involving draft picks can go two ways, up or down. There you can look toward recent history with the Eagles when making an educated guess.

Roseman has moved up in the first round in four of the past five years with the lone outlier being 2020 when Philadelphia stayed put at No. 21 and made the colossal mistake of choosing Jalen Reagor over Justin Jefferson.

The winners write history and that mulligan has since been pegged on the dismissed coaches rather than the personnel department, who supposedly preferred the then-LSU star who has since developed into perhaps the best receiver in football with the Minnesota Vikings.

In Roseman’s other four other recent moves up: Andre Dillard (2019), DeVonta Smith (2021), Jordan Davis (2022), and Jalen Carter (2023), the GM is batting .750 with Smith firmly established and just getting a $75 extension, Davis blossoming into a top-tier run defender, and Carter en route to becoming one of the better interior defenders in the league.

When it comes to Plan A also understand Philadelphia is perceived as a contender again so you can forget about the volume of picks and trading down, the Eagles’ goal will be about finding a difference-maker that can help them turn the corner.

The odds on who that might be land on two Alabama players: cornerback Terrion Arnold and offensive lineman JC Latham. The former is perceived as the best fit among the top-rated corners for Vic Fangio’s scheme and the latter is a perfect candidate for the idea of starting at right guard before kicking out to replace Lane Johnson at right tackle in a few years.

The wild card might be edge rusher Laiatu Latu with one former personnel executive pointing to Roseman’s “vacuum” talk on the Haason Reddick trade.

“That spoke to me,” the personnel exec said. “That’s an indication another move is coming at some point.”

The caveat with Latu is that he must be cleared by the Eagles’ medical staff which isn’t any kind of rubber stamp considering the former UCLA star was forced to medically retire from the University of Washington at one point after neck fusion surgery.

The fact that Philadelphia brought Latu in on a top-30 visit indicated the due diligence has likely been pretty deep. That said, you can’t just assume the information gathered is necessarily going to be positive.

Other potential fits in a trade-up scenario are Florida State edge defender Jared Verse and Washington O-Lineman Troy Fautanu.

Wherever Philadelphia lands on the prospect front, there are no sure bets but the best one remains trade.

While you need two to tango, If the Eagles can’t move up from No. 22, the goal should then be to move down. Not for the volume but because the difference between prospects No. 22 and 32 and even beyond should be negligible.

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