Every year football fans get more and more access to their teams' inner workings, and a new clip from the Denver Broncos' official Twitter account took us literally inside the Draft room as their general manager was wheeling and dealing with the No. 9 overall pick.
It's a wild glimpse at how trade talks go down in real time, and it showed Eagles fans an alternate timeline where Howie Roseman's first-round trade up was with Denver, not Dallas.
Check out the full clip below, and see if you can catch where Broncos general manager George Paton chats with the Eagles' decision maker:
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Right around the 0:25 mark Paton goes, "Hey Mickey. Hey Howie." There, he's chatting with Saints general manager Mickey Loomis and Roseman as both try to jockey for the pick.
It's not surprising that Roseman was calling Paton about the No. 9 pick, considering he was clearly worried about the Giants taking Smith at No. 11.Â
However, I also wonder what the Eagles' pick would've been if they had pulled off a trade with the Broncos.
NFL
Word out of the weekend is that Roseman was smokescreening the Eagles' interest in a cornerback leading up to the draft, and that they were always focused on a wide receiver. It's totally possible that this is true, and that Roseman's plan worked.
But it's also possible that Roseman had two names in mind when he was trying to trade up a few spots: Smith, and Patrick Surtain II.
The Broncos wound up standing pat at No. 9 and selecting Surtain, considered by many to be the most complete defensive back in the draft. If Roseman trades up to No. 9 and both are available, there's at least a part of him that would've been considering taking Surtain... right?
The Eagles haven't had a young stud corner in years. They haven't drafted a corner in the first round since Lito Sheppard in 2002. It would've broken from tradition - particularly after a trade up - but Surtain might be good enough to warrant it.
It's a fascinating thought experiment, and one definitely worth entertaining after such a chaotic first round. Teams always have plans, but sometimes the board falls unexpectedly and you have to adapt. Roseman handled the first round well - and he nearly handled it well in a different way.Â
What a wild event.
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