The Philadelphia Eagles have already made the first big move of the 2022 NFL Draft. They completed a trade with the New Orleans Saints that saw some major draft capital on the move.
The Eagles had three first-round picks in this year’s draft, but now they have two and added more future draft capital in the process. Philadelphia traded two first-round picks, No. 16 and 19, to the Saints, along with a 2022 sixth-round pick (No. 194). In exchange, the Saints sent them the No. 18 overall pick, along with No. 101 (a third-round pick) and No. 237 (a seventh-round pick). Philadelphia also picked up a 2023 first-round pick and a 2024 first-round pick.
For Philadelphia, this trade was a no-brainer deal to make. Virtually every value chart believes they came out ahead on this deal and depending on where the Saints finish in the standings, it could look even more lopsided. Given the current status of their roster, there is a chance New Orleans is in the bottom half of the league in 2022.
That would be excellent news for the Eagles, who are keeping their flexibility in the future with the added draft capital. Figuring out what they are going to do this year, however, isn’t an easy task.
Philadelphia has some needs depth-wise defensively. They could use some help at the second and third levels of their defense, as linebacker and cornerback are a little shaky. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see them select a player at both positions with their first-round picks this year.
What would be a bit of a surprise, however, is if they selected a quarterback. They could surprise a lot of people as some within the organization believe that Matt Corral is the real deal in this year’s draft.
Does that mean the Eagles are going to select Corral should he be on the board when they come on the clock? Not necessarily, but it is certainly something to keep an eye on. They have said all of the right things when it comes to Jalen Hurts as the starter, but he does need to show more.
If they are high on a specific quarterback prospect, they may not pass up the chance to select one. Adding all of the future draft capital that they have was likely in part to protect themselves in case they need to find a new quarterback should Hurts not show the development they were hoping for.
Corral might be the best pure quarterback in this draft, but he doesn’t benefit from the size and physical advantages that the other top-rated passers in this draft class possess. With true dual-threat abilities, Corral is a perfect fit for an Eagles scheme that had them lead the NFL in rushing in 2021, with Hurts leading the team.
