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Trade Shows 2018 NFL Draft Is All About the Future for Eagles

As was widely anticipated, the Eagles did not make a selection in Round 1 of the 2018 NFL draft.

What was perhaps unexpected, however, was the Eagles dealing the pick for future considerations - even if it was obviously the correct call.

"For us, we want to win this year, but we want to continue to win," said Howie Roseman, Eagles executive vice president of football operations. "We want to win in 2018, and we want to win in 2019, 2020.

"There's not many times when you get the opportunity to move back in a draft and pick up a second-round pick. For us, we thought it was the right value."

The Eagles traded the No. 32 choice in the draft late Thursday evening, along with No. 125, for picks No. 52, 132 and an additional second-rounder in 2019 (see story). In summary, they moved out of the first round altogether, and back quite a bit, then up in the fourth round ever so slightly.

Most important of all, the Eagles didn't gain so much as a single pick this year. Which, in retrospect, actually makes a lot of sense (see story).

The prevailing theory was the Eagles wanted or needed to add picks in '18. That passed for consensus thinking, given the only selection the club was scheduled to make in the first three rounds was 32.

Except the Eagles don't necessarily need a ton of help in '18. After all, they did just win the Super Bowl.

"Our balance was the short term over the long term for the trade offers and we decided it's just too hard to get a second-round pick," Roseman said.

"When we look at the draft, the difference in value when you're picking in the second round versus even picking in the third round, it's just too good. It allows you a lot of flexibility."

If you stop and think about it, dissect the depth chart, how many roster spots are truly open for the Eagles right now? Maybe 11 or 12? Depending on how you classify a starter, something like 20 or 21 of 22 are returning? And the team is still in possession of five picks in Rounds 4 through 7.

The 2018 draft was never going to be about 2018 at all. It's about the future, in which case, adding a future pick was the correct call.

"We still have a chance to go back to the Super Bowl," Roseman said. "We don't want to be totally short term.

"A second-round pick is still a second-round pick. We just have to wait for it."

Trading down and simultaneously obtaining an immediate impact player was a sweet goal. At the same time, it wasn't realistic.

Draft night proved to be boring for the Eagles, which was to be expected to a degree coming off a world championship. However, the big trade didn't prove to be immediately beneficial.

Disappointing as that might be, it certainly isn't a problem. The Eagles have their eyes set beyond '18 and are determined not to force anything in the present.

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