April 21, 2026
Ethan Morrison/for PhillyVoice
The 2026 NFL Draft will take place across Pennsylvania in Pittsburgh this weekend.
It feels like trade season for the Eagles. Especially if you believe the rumors and chatter circulating right now, leading to the NFL Draft later this week.
AJ Brown could be as good as gone, heading to the Patriots for a future first-round pick. Edge rusher? The Eagles need one and they could be trading with the Vikings for Jonathan Greenard. A lot of possibilities are on the table right now and are surely front of mind for Eagles fans.
But the most likely, and perhaps most imminent trade for the Eagles is in Thursday's first round, where a bevy of pontificators are expecting Howie Roseman to deal and either move up or down. We selected a sampling of some of these projected trades and submit for your entertainment and anxiety, a look at some potential mock first-round moves the Eagles could make (with some analysis):
The Inquirer's Devin Jackson has the Eagles making a minor move up four spots, ahead of several teams in need of offensive line help, to snag top tackle target Freeling, who could be the top-tier successor to 36-year-old All Pro Lane Johnson. The Eagles would throw in their third and a sixth round picks to make the move. Philly has plenty of ammo to maneuver this draft and many expect them to move around to target players they covet.
A lot of these mock drafts are written by national football writers who aren't necessarily attuned to the Eagles' own tendencies and likelihoods. Thieneman is one of the best safeties in a top-heavy position in the draft and he plays at one of the few starting spots the Eagles have open, but safety has never been an Eagles priority and spending the 23rd pick on one is probably a pipe dream, let along trading up for one. Thieneman is a ball hawk who can play both safety spots and will be a top 20 pick. The fit for this trade happening is there. Last year Howie Roseman bucked several organizational trends in picking linebacker Jihaad Campbell, so you never know.
A more expensive trade up than the Inquirer's 19 overall move — eight spots with the Bucs, who are eventually tagged to take tight end stud Kenyon Sadiq at 23 — the Eagles could aggressively pursue their offensive line target. Nothing is more Eagles than moving up to select a guy who could be an anchor on the line for a decade.
The CBS Sports trade is suspicious. Setting aside the potential reported trade between these two teams for AJ Brown, another trade would be strange. The Eagles, trading back so that the Patriots can take an offensive tackle they would also be targeting — this mock has the Pats snagging Max Iheanachor — doesn't make a lot of sense. Nor does the Eagles stretching in that spot for Lawrence, who might actually be gettable with a move up in the second round. There are few impact o-lineman with first round-worthy grades. The well is deep with pass rushers in the second and third rounds.
Talk about splashy. Connor Orr at SI.com is picking the Eagles to trade two first rounders to move up and select stud safety Caleb Downs. We already mentioned how out of character it would be for the Birds to take a first-round safety. Not only have they never done it in the history of the franchise, Quinyon Mitchell in 2024 and Lito Sheppard in 2002 are the only two defensive backs the Eagles have ever taken in the first round. Andrew Mukuba joined a long list of second-round safeties last spring, including Nate Allen, Wes Hopkins and Brian Dawkins. Downs does have 15th overall pick value — some mocks even have him going in the top 10. Perhaps the Eagles would be willing to make this trade knowing they had another first round pick in hand from a Brown trade?
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