Just hope they don't trade with the Cowboys, again.


I've already said I believe the Eagles will select the best defensive end on the board, but what if there isn't a defensive end available?

Would the Eagles simply take the best player on the board, or could they trade out of the first round for the third time in four years? Many of the draft analysts believe this is one of the deepest drafts in a long time, so could the Eagles be tempted to move down, get more picks, and potentially get more quality players who could fill a need, rather than just standing pat?

While I think it's definitely a possibility, I believe it's a long-shot -- even with Andy Reid's willingness to trade down. For the Birds to trade down, they would have to honestly feel like there's not a player on the board worthy or the 24th pick and, with the draft being so deep, that's unlikely.

It is, however, possible that Sergio Kindle, Sean Weatherspoon, Earl Thomas, Taylor Mays, and all of the big defensive ends could be off the board. If that's the case, should the Eagles really just pick an area in which they're already deep and move on to the next round?

Eagles fans don't want to hear about the possibility of trading down, but if all of the linebackers, defensive ends, and safeties are off the board when the pick, I would give my vote to moving down and potentially grabbing some quality players in the second and third rounds.

My draft philosophy is to always pick the best player on the board, but what good does it do for the Eagles to draft, let's say, another quarterback? Or how much sense would it make for them to select another receiver or left tackle?

It would be a waste of a pick that could have been used on an area of need in the later rounds, so if presented with such a predicament, the Birds must move down.

It's no secret they're looking for guys to come in and play immediately, so drafting a guy who has no shot of doing that doesn't help anyone. They will be using the draft to plug holes, and they won't be able to do that by simply taking the best player available as is usually Reid's philosophy.

This could be the first year in a while that some first-round talent spills over into the second round, so trading down might not be such a bad thing.

Again, it's not likely, but it's certainly a move that Reid will make if he doesn't feel comfortable with the options given to him while the Eagles are on the clock.