Could Earl Thomas be the Eagles' first-round pick?
According to Peter King of SI.com, the Eagles are seriously looking to move up into the first half of the first round and take one of the top safeties in this year's draft.
"The Eagles are in a very small club (of) teams that want to jump up from low in the first round to the upper half," King writes. "I believe Philly wants one of the two safeties in the draft -- Eric Berry of Tennessee or Earl Thomas of Texas. With the 24th, 3(7)th, 55th and 70th picks, the Eagles absolutely have the ammo to move up."
Eric Berry and Earl Thomas are the guys getting specific mentions from King, but Thomas seems like the most viable option as he could be available as late as the early 20's, whereas Berry could very well go in the top-five picks.
It would take a lot for the Birds to move up into the top five, probably a second- and third-round pick, so that's not going to happen. Andy Reid will make a move up if he feels there's a player good enough to warrant it, but he seems to have a limit on how far he wants to move.
The Dolphins keep getting mentioned as potential trade partners, but it would make more sense that the Eagles trade up to No. 10 with the Jacksonville Jaguars who are, by all accounts, desperate to move back. If they're truly as desperate as they sound, they might be willing to give Reid a deal -- something he can never turn down.
But, that being said, the Eagles will only move up as far as they believe they need to. If they think there's a chance the Dolphins could grab Thomas at No. 12, then it wouldn't shock me in the slightest to see them pull the trigger, trade up to 10th overall with the Jags, and grab him first.
The one thing Reid and his cohorts cannot do is wait around and risk another team snagging Thomas. If they sit and wait as Thomas slips past No. 13, 14, 15, etc., they risk losing him to a team like the Falcons, Texans, or Bengals who could use a safety and would probably be ecstatic to see Thomas still on the board.
My guess is that the Birds won't have a choice but to make a deal with the Jags. I think the Dolphins would probably want too much to move down and that they'd be happy drafting Thomas if they can't find anyone willing to give them what they want.
The 24th pick, along with the 70th (third round) and a later pick will probably be enough for the Jags, whereas the Dolphins might push for that 55th pick (second round).
When Reid wants someone specific, he gets him. So I'd be very surprised if Thomas is not a Philadelphia Eagle by April 23rd.
