Eagles fans waited all night … so they can wait a little more.
The Birds held on to the No. 32 pick all night, but traded it to the Ravens when they finally got on the clock. The Ravens moved up to get quarterback Lamar Jackson from Louisville.
The Eagles in return got picks 52 (second round), 125 (fourth) and a 2019 second-round pick. The Ravens got 32 and 132 (fourth).
Basically, the Eagles moved back 20 spots from 32, moved up seven spots in the fourth round, but the big pickup is that second-rounder in next year’s draft.
Last week, Eagles de facto GM Howie Roseman said the Eagles were “open for business” and the Ravens were buyers on Thursday night.
“We felt like the value was right for us, where we are as a football team,” Roseman said after the round concluded (more from him here). “Where the value was in this draft. There were a bunch of players that we still like and are optimistic to get tomorrow.”
This is the exact scenario the Eagles were hoping for — that a quarterback fell to the 32nd pick and a team would be willing to go up and get him. It happened when the Vikings moved up to get Teddy Bridgewater.
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Coming into this draft, Jackson was on a list the Eagles compiled of players who could garner interest if they slipped to 32. They were concerned, however, that one of the teams just before them would also be willing to trade down.
“There was a bunch of phone calls,” Roseman said. “It’s interesting, as you get closer to your pick and guys get excited about guys and you get some guys that bail out. They call and say, 'That was our guy, we’re out.’ And then you’ll have guys come in. We just try to keep track of that.”
Even as the Eagles were on the clock at 32, they were fielding offers from multiple teams. Roseman said it came down to value. And the value of a second-round pick, even though it won’t help them this year, was too much to turn down.
Roseman hinted that his relationship with Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome helped pull off the trade. The two have had discussion about this type of hypothetical before, so when the situation arose, both sides were ready.
Here are the Eagles’ six draft choices heading into Friday:
2 (52)
4 (125)
4 (130)
5 (169)
6 (206)
7 (250)
The Eagles came into the draft with just six picks, tied for the fewest amount in the league. They still have six.
The second and third rounds of the draft kick off on Friday night at 7 p.m. and the Eagles will actually have a pick to make. The fourth through seventh rounds go on Saturday, starting at noon. The Eagles have five picks on Saturday.