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I think Howie has been pretty transparent when it comes to his draft philosophy. He values the trenches. He just doesn't value certain positions and he's been pretty deliberate and obvious about that.
When the Eagles draft in the first round each year, I rule out specific positions (RB, LB, TE, and Safeties). WR is a first round position in Howie's eyes but he has lost his confidence after hitting that cold streak. That's why he traded for Brown last year.
That leaves the lineman as the logical choice in the first round. Now the question is what side of the ball will he target. I have to assume best player available. Unfortunately, I don't think Howie will be able to get Carter and Chicago may get the best offensive lineman.
This is where I think they're screwed. If Carter is off the board, the Eagles should trade down the draft board. This is not a strong draft. After the top tier is drafted early, it becomes a crapshoot (Yes, I know the draft is always a crapshoot but it really get tough with this draft class). I still have no faith this team can draft a lineman later in the first round. Van Ness and Nolan have a lot of red flags. Skoronski is far from a sure thing. These corners appear to be second tier.
I would rather they accumulate more draft capital in next year's draft and hope the quality is better.
They have the 10th and 30th pick. If one of the four QBs drop down the board, these two spots are actually almost perfect. Tennessee has the 11th pick and they may target a QB. A team like TB or Minn may be willing to leapfrog Tennessee to get a QB. Howie should do this if he can get another first rounder for next year. I prefer TB because the pick is better and I think they will struggle this season. The 30th pick is similar to when the Eagles traded their pick after the Super Bowl to Baltimore for them to get Lamar Jackson. That netted the Eagles a second rounder to drop to pick 52. I wouldn't hate that either.
While I'm not a draft guru, I know what I would want on the surface. I want two players: Jalen Carter and Jahmyr Gibbs. This will take some maneuvering. I think Howie will need to make a couple of trades to make this work. I would trade one of the two second round picks they have next year to move up and get Carter (if possible). Unfortunately, unless he really bombed his interviews, I don't see him getting past Seattle or Detroit. If they miss out on him, trade down and cross your fingers Howie chooses the right lineman. If possible, I would hope Howie could get Gibbs in the second round. This will be somewhat risky because I think Dallas is taking a running back. I think they're getting either Robinson or Gibbs. It's just their MO. That may mean they miss out on Gibbs.
All of this being said, this is a year where the Eagles have two first round picks. I don't have much of a history to compare when it comes to 'luxury picks'. I know Howie ended up with AJ Brown last year and I certainly didn't see that coming. Howie could do something unexpected again. It certainly will be interesting.
When the Eagles draft in the first round each year, I rule out specific positions (RB, LB, TE, and Safeties). WR is a first round position in Howie's eyes but he has lost his confidence after hitting that cold streak. That's why he traded for Brown last year.
That leaves the lineman as the logical choice in the first round. Now the question is what side of the ball will he target. I have to assume best player available. Unfortunately, I don't think Howie will be able to get Carter and Chicago may get the best offensive lineman.
This is where I think they're screwed. If Carter is off the board, the Eagles should trade down the draft board. This is not a strong draft. After the top tier is drafted early, it becomes a crapshoot (Yes, I know the draft is always a crapshoot but it really get tough with this draft class). I still have no faith this team can draft a lineman later in the first round. Van Ness and Nolan have a lot of red flags. Skoronski is far from a sure thing. These corners appear to be second tier.
I would rather they accumulate more draft capital in next year's draft and hope the quality is better.
They have the 10th and 30th pick. If one of the four QBs drop down the board, these two spots are actually almost perfect. Tennessee has the 11th pick and they may target a QB. A team like TB or Minn may be willing to leapfrog Tennessee to get a QB. Howie should do this if he can get another first rounder for next year. I prefer TB because the pick is better and I think they will struggle this season. The 30th pick is similar to when the Eagles traded their pick after the Super Bowl to Baltimore for them to get Lamar Jackson. That netted the Eagles a second rounder to drop to pick 52. I wouldn't hate that either.
While I'm not a draft guru, I know what I would want on the surface. I want two players: Jalen Carter and Jahmyr Gibbs. This will take some maneuvering. I think Howie will need to make a couple of trades to make this work. I would trade one of the two second round picks they have next year to move up and get Carter (if possible). Unfortunately, unless he really bombed his interviews, I don't see him getting past Seattle or Detroit. If they miss out on him, trade down and cross your fingers Howie chooses the right lineman. If possible, I would hope Howie could get Gibbs in the second round. This will be somewhat risky because I think Dallas is taking a running back. I think they're getting either Robinson or Gibbs. It's just their MO. That may mean they miss out on Gibbs.
All of this being said, this is a year where the Eagles have two first round picks. I don't have much of a history to compare when it comes to 'luxury picks'. I know Howie ended up with AJ Brown last year and I certainly didn't see that coming. Howie could do something unexpected again. It certainly will be interesting.
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