The defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles are among the biggest storylines heading into Thursday’s NFL Draft. They boast the 10th and 30th selections in the first round. General manager Howie Roseman and Co. could go in a number of different directions with these picks.
We’ve already seen Philadelphia linked to former Texas running back Bijan Robinson and Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter with the 10th pick.
But there’s some rumors making the rounds heading into Round 1 Thursday night that might surprise the masses. According to NFL Media’s James Palmer, Roseman has made a number of calls to teams selecting ahead of the Eagles in order to potentially trade up.
Palmer mentions right guard as a need for the Eagles. He also notes that top offensive line prospects Paris Johnson Jr. and Peter Skoronski are likely to be off the board when Philadelphia selects at 10.
Related: 2023 Philadelphia Eagles mock draft
While both played offensive tackle in college, they could very well man the right guard spot until Lane Johnson retires. At that point, moving to tackle would be in the cards. It’s a need for Philadelphia with Cam Jurgens and Brett Toth likely to battle it out at right guard in training camp.
As for the two options mentioned above for the Philadelphia Eagles, Skoronski might make the most sense. Some teams view the former Northwestern star more as a guard at the NFL level. He’s been compared to five-time Pro Bowler Brandon Scherff, who played tackle at Iowa before Washington selected him No. 5 overall back in 2015 to suit up at guard.
While the interior of the offensive line typically doesn’t bring value in the NFL Draft, Roseman loves positional versatility on this unit. He’s also been one to pull off some blockbuster trades during Round 1 of the NFL.
Last year alone, the Philadelphia Eagles acquired A.J. Brown in a blockbuster with the Tennessee Titans. Philadelphia also moved down later in the first round with the New Orleans Saints to pick up the 10th pick it boasts Thursday night.
Either way, these Eagles are going to be one of the biggest stories in the 2023 NFL Draft. It’ll be interesting to see how things shake out.