Philadelphia Eagles Looking to Play it Safe Following Latest Draft Pick Swap

The Philadelphia Eagles were doing anything but flying high over the course of the 2020 season. Since they were suffering at the bottom of the NFC East with a dismal 4-11-1 record, the franchise knew that much work needed to be done. 

And the Eagles got to work straight away. Only a few days into the offseason, the franchise parted ways with Super Bowl-winning Head Coach Doug Pederson and even traded 2020 QB1 Carson Wentz. 

But towards the end of the season, Wentz wasn’t the side’s guaranteed starter. Instead, it was rookie Jalen Hurts who took over the starting role for the last couple of games. 

In hindsight, it was the right call given Wentz’s poor showing. But even with Hurts in the pocket, the Philadelphia Eagles were a far cry from the side that won the Super Bowl back in 2018. 

This prompted many to speculate over the future starting QB role for the franchise. With the 6th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the franchise was in striking distance of QB talents Justin Fields, Zach Wilson, and Trey Lance. 

But instead, the franchise traded their pick to the Miami Dolphins for the 12th overall pick in the draft and also a 2022 first-rounder on Thursday. So with the recent shakeup, how could things pan out for the franchise on draft day and beyond? 

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Philadelphia Eagles ready to be patient with Hurts

Trading down the pecking order, the Eagles will most likely miss out on the quarterback talent pool a lot of other franchises are after. But that’s something that they seem to be okay with given that they have QB Jalen Hurts. 

Hurts, who started 2020 as the backup, will get to start his first full season in 2021. The QB has shown promise but still is a raw talent who will need time to bloom into a regular starter.

But to do that, he also will need the tools required to push an offense to the next level. That, of course, is something the franchise can expect to provide Hurts from the draft. 

Being as quarterback heavy as this season’s draft is, a lot of elite talent will fall further down the draft order. Including the likes of several D1 wide receivers. 

The two standout wide receivers who could fall to the Philadelphia Eagles include 2020 Heisman winner DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle. The Alabama natives are lethal route runners, who can prove to be quite a handful for opposition cornerbacks. 

The trade with the Dolphins also provides the franchise with the first overall pick f0r 2022. A year when the Eagles will have a better idea as to whether Hurts really is their QB for the future or not. 

If not, then the Eagles could use that pick to draft a new QB prospect to address the deficiency. Overall, the Eagles are playing it safe.

They are prepared to be patient with their young QB and build a team around him in the future. And the upcoming season will be the perfect litmus test for this experiment.

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