Eagles GM Howie Roseman's Comments About 2020 NFL Draft Should Pump up Philly Fans
By Jerry Trotta
The Philadelphia Eagles surprisingly passed on strengthening their wide receiving corps in free agency. Now, it's widely speculated the team will do so in next week's NFL Draft, where they currently hold the No. 21 overall pick.
This year's WR class is incredibly deep, so the Eagles will likely get their hands on a promising prospect, but that's not good enough for general manager Howie Roseman, who admitted that he's open to trading up to land one of the top dogs.
I've been told that the #Eagles are aggressively pursuing a trade-up in next Thursday's #NFLDraft2020. CeeDee Lamb is the "apple of his eye" for Howie Roseman. Roseman is "absolutely in love" with Lamb. Hearing if that fails or top 4 WR are gone, PHI will be bailing out of 21.
— Joe Tordy (@JoeTordy) April 15, 2020
"I think when we are moving up in any round -- first round, second round, third round, fourth round -- I think we just look at the value of the player, where the board drops off," Roseman told reporters in a conference call on Thursday. "If we see a big gap and there's a big drop off, then we'll look at that. If we feel like there's a group of guys that we really like that we can choose from, then we'll probably stay put or move back."
While I think the #Eagles are best-served trading back in the first round (depending on the board), Howie Roseman said something very interesting on Thursday’s call.
— Mike Kaye (@mike_e_kaye) April 18, 2020
Could the Eagles repeat their 2010 strategy with a trade-up?
https://t.co/6ocFu8eRdg
That quote should pump up Eagles supporters, who have been begging the franchise to equip quarterback Carson Wentz with more reliable playmakers on the perimeter. Roseman showing flexibility to move up or down to get the players he wants is the exact kind of aggression Eagles fans want to see.
?? The @Eagles will be drafting remotely this year but that won't stop them from getting top talent. "There's really no excuses for our setup right now," GM Howie Roseman said on a conference call. https://t.co/ER6UB27eS1 @NBCSPhilly #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/k4Q3tieoRU
— NBC10 Philadelphia (@NBCPhiladelphia) April 17, 2020
Philadelphia doesn't boast as much trade capital as it did heading into the offseason. The franchise unloaded a third- and fifth-round pick in this year's draft in a trade with the Detroit Lions for star cornerback Darius Slay.
With that being said, the Eagles could unload their second-round pick (No. 53 overall) or some 2021 picks on top of their first-rounder. That could put them in a position to draft one of Jerry Jeudy, CeeDee Lamb, or Henry Ruggs, who are the three most coveted wideouts.
Based on this news, Philly fans have every right to be looking forward to next Thursday. Roseman appears ready to do whatever it takes to draft a stud receiver.