After months of anticipation, the NFL Draft is a mere three days away. With the Eagles in possession of the most draft capital in the league (10 picks in total, including two first-rounders, as well as two first-rounders in next year’s draft) there is heated debate about if they should use their picks to select some young prospects who could help the Eagles out in the long run, or if they should trade some of them for a proven star like Deebo Samuel or A.J. Brown.
Obviously, there are pros and cons to each of these options. If the Eagles want to keep rebuilding with a young foundation, they should spend their picks on some young talent like wide receivers Garrett Wilson, Drake London, and Chris Olave, or some defensive players like safety Kyle Hamilton, linebacker Nakobe Dean, and cornerback Trent McDuffie. With two top-20 picks, if the Eagles indeed choose to go the draft route, it would obviously make sense for them to choose one wide receiver to help out Jalen Hurts, and one player on the other side of the ball to reinforce the defense. There is downside in using the picks to select young prospects, though.
Firstly, you can never know what players will succeed in the NFL and what players won’t. After years and years of scouting college players, no one is able to really know what traits lead to success in an NFL player, least of all Howie Roseman (see J.J. Arcega-Whiteside over D.K. Metcalf in 2019 and Jalen Reagor over Justin Jefferson in 2020). Additionally, even the players that do end up panning out typically don’t come in ready to help win games. It almost always takes some time for rookies to come in and be difference makers.
Peyton Manning, one of the best quarterbacks to ever do it, went 2-14 in his first year and set the record for most interceptions thrown by a rookie (28), a record that stands to this day. Now obviously, there are exceptions to this. Randy Moss torched the league in his rookie season in 1998, as did Ja’Marr Chase last year (but don’t sleep on DeVonta Smith’s production as a WR1). But these instant successes are quite sparse, and if the Eagles want someone who can contribute now, they should not rely on the draft.
With that being said, if the Eagles think they are just a few pieces away from solving the puzzle and winning now, they should trade some draft capital for a proven star. The two names most mentioned for the Eagles to trade for are 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel, who is publicly disgruntled with the 49ers and has requested a trade to a team on the East Coast, and Titans wide receiver A.J. Brown, who has requested a trade from Tennessee and has been working out with Jalen Hurts in California over the last week. Both of these players are proven stars who are looking to get paid.
If the Eagles trade for one of these players, it would give Jalen Hurts the weapons he hasn’t had thus far in his NFL career. With Hurts’ performance last year, there is reason to believe that he could be the quarterback for a Super Bowl contender, and with a true star receiver, as well as DeVonta Smith lining up opposite him, the Eagles’ offense could do some damage.
Despite Hurts’ relatively impressive 2021 year, according to sources within the Eagles organization, the front office is on the fence regarding their faith in Jalen Hurts. They think that Jalen Hurts could be their franchise quarterback, but they aren’t fully convinced and are hesitant to start building around him right now. It’s every teams’ nightmare to go all-in and trade draft capital to acquire some more pieces, just to find out that they weren’t quite there yet, screwing them over years into the future. This is the risk in trading for Deebo Samuel or A.J. Brown.
While Hurts has shown some promise, if he does not have the skill to go deep in the postseason, trading picks for a star receiver would backfire tremendously. Another reason against trading for a star receiver is the massive contract that the Eagles would have to sign to acquire his services. Ever since Christian Kirk signed a four-year, $72 million deal that was well above what he deserved, the wide receiver market has experienced some serious inflation. Davante Adams signed a five-year, $141.25 million extension with the Raiders, and Tyreek Hill signed a three-year, $75 million extension with the Dolphins. Elite wide receivers, such as Deebo Samuel and A.J. Brown, saw that and now want to get paid like their peers.
The 49ers and Titans don’t have the salary cap room for these huge deals, hence the trade request. The Eagles do have the cap room, but history suggests that it is more effective to give smaller contracts to many good players than it is to give one big contract to one great player. The great thing about drafting players is that they are on small deals for the first few years of their careers, allowing teams to build around them successfully. Because of the salary cap issues that arise, it is much harder to build a team around a player on a mega-contract.
So, with all this being said, what should the Eagles do? Personally, I believe that they should trade for a star wide receiver, preferably Deebo Samuel, for two reasons. First, I have faith in Jalen Hurts. I believe that his production during his first full year as a starter, helping the team to a playoff berth, and his incredible work have earned him the starting job. He hasn’t had a star to target, let alone a star AND a star in-the-making named DeVonta Smith. If Hurts has those weapons, I can see him having a breakout year. Second, with Howie Roseman’s tendency to botch first round picks, I feel a lot more comfortable with a proven star than I do with a Howie Roseman-drafted player. While I would prefer a trade, I’ll be alright regardless of what happens, because neither of these options are poor choices. Now we just wait for Thursday night.
