Eagles mailbag: Who should Eagles target with No. 12 pick? originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
I asked for mailbag questions on Friday before the Eagles flipped the world upside down by trading back from 6 to 12.
Thankfully, I had another question come in after that, which is where I’ll start today:
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I would be slightly surprised if the Eagles traded down again but it all depends on how the board is falling. The Eagles view the draft as a way to maximize value. So when they make a trade down to 12 from 6, they know they’re going to miss out on at least a couple blue chippers, but they probably feel confident they’re going to land a very good player at 12. And there’s probably a few players they feel are very comparable, in terms of draft grade, who will be there at 12.
I put together a list of 10 possible names who might be in play. Realistically, some of those names will be gone before the Eagles pick and some of them won’t be the best for value. The one thing we know about this draft is that it’s very offensively top-heavy and while the Eagles do need to pick up another weapon, you can argue that some of their biggest needs are on the defensive side of the ball. So any of those top three corners — Patrick Surtain II, Caleb Farley or Jaycee Horn — make sense to me. Also, a guy like Gregory Rousseau as an edge rusher makes sense too.
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If you’re looking for a weapon, I think DeVonta Smith will probably be gone, but what about Jaylen Waddle? Getting him at 12 wouldn’t be a bad move.
The easiest answer to this question: He stayed healthy.
Flacco played the 2020 season on a one-year, $1.5 million deal with the Jets but when he signed that contract there were serious concerns about his ability to get back on the field after neck surgery. No, Flacco wasn’t great with the Jets last year, going 0-4 in four starts, but he was serviceable and he showed he was healthy enough to play.
I get your point, though. If you looked at his 2020 contract and saw him more than double it, you’re thinking, ‘How the heck did that happen?’ And it’s even fair to wonder if the Eagles should have spent $3.5M guaranteed on their backup quarterback. But it shouldn’t surprise anyone. The Eagles aren’t worried about spending for the backup QB position and it’s not an outrageous price for a backup league-wide. Would I have signed him to this deal? Probably not. If they weren’t going to sign someone to legitimately compete with Jalen Hurts, I would have gone really cheap. But it’s not an awful move either.
First off, I don’t expect the Eagles to draft 11 players. I think we’ll see them move up at some point and with 11 picks they have the flexibility to do that. But drafting multiple corners or defensive linemen is certainly on the table. Of the two, I’d almost be surprised if they don’t take a couple corners.
The Eagles have Darius Slay, Avonte Maddox and then … yeah, they cupboard is pretty bare. I think we see the Eagles take a corner on Day 1 or 2 and then another in a later round.
It’s going to be a beautiful weekend and you’re itching to get outside. I get it. Probably too early to start cutting the grass. So I’d say maybe get some yard work done (I’ve got a deck that needs staining if you’re bored), but leave the mower in the garage. Enjoy this time of year before the grass starts growing like crazy.
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