February 01, 2017

Eagles have far better draft success trading up than trading back

By Jimmy Kempski
PhillyVoice Staff

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.

McDougle: The only bust of the trade up group, largely because he got shot.
Andrews: Stud RG for a few years, then he got his Michael Phelps on.
Maclin: Developed into a very good starting receiver, had 1300+ receiving yards the year before bolted for Kansas City in free agency.
Graham: Highly criticized pick for years, but Graham is now one of the best players on the team.
Cox: Star DT.
Wentz: Looks a whole lot like the Eagles found their franchise quarterback.

• Traded back (3 times): Kevin Kolb, Trevor Laws, and Marcus Smith.

Kolb: In his first game as "the guy," he was pummeled by Clay Matthews and lost his starting job to Michael Vick before being dealt to Arizona. The Eagles selected Kolb, Stewart Bradley, and C.J. Gaddis with the picks acquired from Dallas in that trade.
Laws: 45 career tackles and five sacks in an underwhelming career. However, this trade netted Laws, Mike McGlynn, Quintin Demps, and Carolina's first-round pick in 2009, which the Eagles then traded along with a fourth-round pick and a sixth-round pick for Jason Peters. I'd say that trade worked out.
Smith: By moving back four spots and selecting Smith, who is already a bust, the Eagles also drafted Jaylen Watkins and Taylor Hart.

• Stayed put (9 times): Donovan McNabb, Corey Simon, Freddie Mitchell, Lito Sheppard, Mike Patterson, Brodrick Bunkley, Danny Watkins, Lane Johnson, and Nelson Agholor.

McNabb: Franchise QB for more than a decade.
Simon: Impact player early in his career, declined rapidly at around 27.
Mitchell: Made one huge play, talked like he was an All-Pro.
Sheppard: Quality starting corner for years, although like Simon, he too declined rapidly at around 26.
Patterson: Meat and potatoes guy on the interior of the defensive line. Decent career for a late 1.
Bunkley: Imposing interior defender, did not live up to vast potential.
Watkins: This was the stupidest pick the Eagles made over the last 20 years. He was freaking 26!
Johnson: Great pick in a weak draft class.
Agholor: Ugh.

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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