After this year’s NFL Combine, it seems likely that four quarterbacks could go in the top 10 of next month’s draft. There are a lot of quarterback-needy teams in the NFL, and four prospects seem to have solidified their chances of being top-10 picks: Anthony Richardson (Florida), CJ Stroud (Ohio State), Bryce Young (Alabama), and Will Levis (Kentucky). The Eagles, sitting at #10 overall – thank you, New Orleans – stand to be a big beneficiary of this potential scenario.
Among the nine teams picking ahead of the Eagles, five have a pretty big need at quarterback – Texans, Colts, Raiders, Falcons, and Panthers. None have either a franchise QB, a young promising prospect, or even a solid veteran to get them by for a few years. You could even throw the Seahawks in that group, too, since would you really trust Geno Smith as a long-term answer? Let’s leave them out, though, for now.
Five teams need a quarterback. Four quarterbacks generally consider heads and shoulders above the pack. That is great news for the Eagles. Richardson has seen his draft skyrocket since the end of the season, and his historic performance at the Combine only enhanced it even more. Young and Stroud have been considered elite prospects for months, and Young checked the boxes on his size when he measured in. Levis has been considered a top-10 pick despite having a drop-off in production this year for Kentucky.
The Eagles would be beneficiaries of this because:
- The Eagles have their franchise quarterback in Jalen Hurts
- Having four quarterbacks go before they pick means they’d have the option to draft one of the top-6 non-QBs in the draft if they keep their pick.
- If they don’t use their pick, there will be a big market for their pick if quarterbacks start flying off the shelves.
If all four get selected before the Eagles pick, the Eagles will have the chance to aff a legit day-one difference maker at a key position like EDGE or corner. If, say, three of the four get picked, the Eagles will have a chance to move the 10th pick and acquire more assets.
Even if there isn’t a market for the 10th pick because one of the four quarterbacks is still available, there will be a market for it since some elite players will be available.
Depending on who is available for the Eagles, it might be hard to justify trading the pick, even if Howie Roseman can get a huge haul for it. If you can get a day-one starter on the defensive line to take over for Javon Hargrave (assuming he leaves in free agency) or a corner to start in place of James Bradbury (assuming he too leaves in free agency), Howie might have to do it regardless of whatever offers are out there. If the four QBs go in the first nine picks, Roseman will have the option to draft one of those two potential replacements.
Given all the free agents the Eagles are expected to lose and the fact that they will be facing the impact of a potential $50m a year cap hit at quarterback in the near future, the best long-term scenario for the Birds might be trading the 10th pick, as hard as it might be if an elite player is there.
The Eagles have two first-rounders this year, but they don’t have an abundance of assets this year. Next year the Eagles will have a lot more assets thanks to the 2nd rounder coming to them from the Saints and a likely haul of compensatory picks. This year though, the Eagles could use more assets. In a draft with four potential top-10 quarterbacks, Roseman should have every opportunity to acquire more assets if he wants them.
Roseman’s draft history has been up and down over the years. He absolutely slayed the 2018 Draft on the heels of the Eagles’ Super Bowl win. In the next two years, however, Roseman swung a lot more than he missed, even if he did land Miles Sanders (2019) and Jalen Hurts (2020) this those drafts. Hello Andre Dillard, JJ Arcega Whiteside, and Jalen Reagor!
One thing he has consistently been great at, however, is maneuvering the draft. He moved up to snatch Devonta Smith in 2021 right under the nose of the Giants, and then last year moved up to snag Jordan Davis, who is about to slide into the starting lineup. With a likely strong market to develop for the 10th pick, Howie could take advantage of some GM who thinks the missing link for their franchise fell to #10 just the way he fleeced the Saints last year.
If four quarterbacks do get selected before the Eagles pick, and the worst-case scenario is landing one of the top-6 non-quarterbacks in this draft, that’s an enviable situation for a team that just reached the Super Bowl and doesn’t need a quarterback.
