The position Eagles are targeting with potential trade up in NFL Draft

In four of the past five NFL Drafts, Eagles general manager Howie Roseman has been aggressive in the 1st round, opting to trade up for his target rather than sitting idly by and taking whatever player was available when Philadelphia was finally on the clock. If you read the tea leaves, it’s possible that you’ll come to the conclusion that in just a few days, Roseman will make it five of the last six drafts, and if he does, it’s anticipated that the Eagles would be targeting a cornerback who likely wouldn’t be on the board when Philadelphia is expected to make a selection at #22.

“If Roseman wants a cornerback at No. 22, as many people around the league believe he could, he might have to move up again,” writes ESPN’s NFL insider Adam Schefter. “Per sources, he already has been calling around, gauging what a trade up might look like to be prepared for what has become a near-annual tradition. It’s also worth noting Roseman, who has been Philly’s GM since 2010, has never drafted a corner, tight end, running back or safety in Round 1.”

Given the state of the Philadelphia Eagles roster, it’s an overwhelming possibility that Roseman will have to buck this decade-and-a-half long trend and bolster a secondary that was 31st in both passing yards and passing touchdowns allowed.

“The Eagles are good at forecasting future needs and getting ahead of them,” Jordan Reid states in an Eagles section of his most recent 7-round mock draft on ESPN.com. “They haven’t drafted a cornerback in the first round since 2002 (Lito Sheppard), but after a defensive collapse in the second half of last season, that might change. Darius Slay and James Bradberry are the projected starters, but they will be 33 and 31 years old at the start of next season, respectively.”

Within this mock draft, Reid anticipates that the Eagles will trade the 22nd, 50th, and 161st picks to the Denver Broncos in order to move up to #12, where Philadelphia would subsequently select Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold, who will likely be the first cornerback off the board on Thursday night. Among the other players that the Eagles could potentially target via a trade is Quinyon Marshall of Toledo, a versatile prospect who is aggressive making plays on the ball.

It’s also possible that the Eagles could decide to hold on to the 22nd pick and make a selection there, depending on how the first 21 picks of the draft unfold.

Brooks Kubena of The Athletic recently published a 7-round mock for the Eagles, and he had Philadelphia standing pat at #22, taking Iowa’s Cooper DeJean, who The Athletic’s Dane Brugler called “one of the best tackling defensive backs in the class.” The only concern with DeJean is that he was unable to partake in much of he pre-draft process while recovering from a broken fibula that he suffered while practicing with the Iowa offense back in November. But even if Philly is concerned with DeJean’s medicals, Nate Wiggins of Clemson and Kool-Aid McKinstry are likely to be available late into the 1st round.