NFL Philadelphia Eagles

2015 NFL Draft: Philadelphia Eagles Should Be More Inclined To Trade Down Than Up

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The Philadelphia Eagles’ draft strategy has been dissected more than any other team in the NFL. From the cost of trading for the No. 1 overall pick, to trading up into the top-five, who’s going to drop to No. 20 and every possibility in between, NFL general managers have to have the most detailed outline on their position ever.

I think there’s another scenario on the table that hasn’t been spoken of much, if at all, and that’s the possibility of the Eagles trading back.

Doing that would certainly mean the end of the Marcus Mariota hopes. But if you’re a fan of staying put at No. 20, trading back sort of doubles down on your reasoning. The Eagles’ holes are pretty well known at this point; the secondary is a mess, linebacker depth could be boosted, offensive line depth would be addressing a future hole early and another wide receiver could help too. Now this isn’t to suggest that those spots could be filled all at once, but extra picks would go a long way in doing that.

Stocking up those extra picks also gives the Eagles ammunition to target the exact players they want. If they’re not going to throw numbers at these holes and hope one or two pan out, they’ll be able to pick the exact guy they want and have the ability to go get him. Imagine how much better Eagles fans would feel if they were able to walk away with, say, Brett Hundley and an extra draft pick. If the Eagles are ultimately going to move on from Nick Foles, the ideal way to do it is to get a high-upside player and more draft picks rather than a high-upside player and no first-rounders for the next two years.

Of course this strategy is going to depend on where the players they covet project to go. Between the Combine and the pro days, those answers will factor in heavily on whether the Eagles decide to move down or not.

In the end I think the primary option is to move up for Mariota; I don’t know if that’s at No. 1 or No. 5, but I don’t think the Eagles know that right now either. Hundley is plan B. His stock could shoot up drastically if he shows well between now and draft day, so I think a lot is going to depend on where he winds up sitting on the board. Trading down would be the distant third option, but it’s one I think the team would consider if the board falls a certain way.

Doug Green is a Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com covering the Philadelphia Eagles and the NFL.  Follow him on Twitter @DGreenNFL.

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