NFL Draft Rumors: “The Eagles want to try to move up for a receiver”

You know the NFL Draft is nearly here when there are a bunch of conflicting rumors about what the Philadelphia Eagles intend to do.

One commonality from the scuttlebutt is that Howie Roseman is looking to trade up. And that’s not hard to believe given his draft history.

The real question is: who are the Eagles targeting?

There’s no shortage of buzz about the Birds targeting a cornerback or offensive tackle. But what if it’s a different position?

On that note, here’s an interesting passage from NFL insider Dan Graziano (bold emphasis mine):

Trades from the teens into the top five or top 10 for quarterbacks are fun to discuss, but they’re tough to execute because of the expense associated with such deals. The people I talk to think we’re likely to see more trades in the second half of the first round than in the first half. The Colts (No. 15), Jaguars (No. 17), Rams (No. 19) and Eagles (No. 22) are all teams I’ve heard have been making calls about potentially moving up. For the Colts and Jaguars, the target would most likely be a cornerback, which might be interesting to a team like Chicago at No. 9 or Denver at No. 12. Having two division rivals battling it out to trade up for the same guy (maybe Alabama’s Terrion Arnold?) could drive up the price. People I’ve talked to believe the Eagles want to try to move up for a receiver, though one theory I found very interesting and potentially hilarious is that they could move up for tight end Brock Bowers, given their recent predilection for Georgia players. If the Rams move up, it would be to get one of their top targets on defense.

The Eagles trading up for a wide receiver doesn’t really pass the sniff test. The big three of Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers, and Rome Odunze are all expected to be firmly out of striking range. The next tier isn’t considered to be as compelling. And it’s not like there’s a lot of targets to be had for them with A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Dallas Goedert in place.

Could the Eagles move up for Bowers? It’s not inconceivable that they could take a tight end since Goedert is older now than Zach Ertz was when his successor was drafted. But the thinking here is Bowers will also be off the board well before No. 22. And looking at the history of the position, is that a bet the Eagles really want to make? Genuine question: who is the latest first-round tight end selected that was truly worth it? Take a look at this list and let me know what you think in the comments.

So, yeah, I’m not really buying this rumor.

I am buying that the Eagles are looking to move up for an offensive tackle. Or cornerback.