February 01, 2017
Heading into any draft, there are always arguments to be made about trying to trade up for a better prospect, trading back and acquiring more draft picks, or just staying put at your spot and picking a player.
The Eagles tend to move around in the first round more than most. A recap of the last 18 years (since the beginning of the Andy Reid era):
Green = Traded up | Blue = Stayed put | Red = Traded back
| Year | Player drafted | Traded up, traded back, or stayed put |
| 2016 | Carson Wentz | Traded up |
| 2015 | Nelson Agholor | Stayed put |
| 2014 | Marcus Smith | Traded back |
| 2013 | Lane Johnson | Stayed put |
| 2012 | Fletcher Cox | Traded up |
| 2011 | Danny Watkins | Stayed put |
| 2010 | Brandon Graham | Traded up |
| 2009 | Jeremy Maclin | Traded up |
| 2008 | (Nobody in first round) - Trevor Laws first pick in 2nd round | Traded back |
| 2007 | (Nobody in first round) - Kevin Kolb first pick in 2nd round | Traded back |
| 2006 | Brodrick Bunkley | Stayed put |
| 2005 | Mike Patterson | Stayed put |
| 2004 | Shawn Andrews | Traded up |
| 2003 | Jerome McDougle | Traded up |
| 2002 | Lito Sheppard | Stayed put |
| 2001 | Freddie Mitchell | Stayed put |
| 2000 | Corey Simon | Stayed put |
| 1999 | Donovan McNabb | Stayed put |
The tale of the tape:
• Traded up (6 times): Jerome McDougle, Shawn Andrews, Jeremy Maclin, Brandon Graham, Fletcher Cox, and Carson Wentz.
• Traded back (3 times): Kevin Kolb, Trevor Laws, and Marcus Smith.
• Stayed put (9 times): Donovan McNabb, Corey Simon, Freddie Mitchell, Lito Sheppard, Mike Patterson, Brodrick Bunkley, Danny Watkins, Lane Johnson, and Nelson Agholor.
By far, the best players are from the "trade up" group, and it's not even close.
"When we look back and we look at our drafts, specifically looking at where we were in the 20's, we've had some good success at 20 and higher," said Howie Roseman, speaking at the Senior Bowl. "I think there is a line where you don't get a difference maker. This is your opportunity, in the first round of the draft, to find a difference-making player. That's our first priority, is bringing in a difference maker to the Philadelphia Eagles.
"By trading back and getting extra picks, but not having somebody who can affect the game... I mean, you're watching these championship games, and you're seeing that there are difference makers making big plays in these games, so we need to make sure that we come out of (the draft) with that."
It feels a lot like the Eagles will be trading up, not back, if at all.
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