PHILADELPHIA — As the top 10 slogged by at status quo on Thursday night during the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, Eagles GM Howie Roseman was working the phones.
Roseman had agreed to acquire Tennessee Titans wideout A.J. Brown for the 18th and 101st overall picks, but the GM needed to reach a contract extension with the playmaker before anything could be consummated.
Eagles GM Howie Roseman explains aggressive trades for A.J. Brown and Jordan Davis
So, Roseman and Brown’s agent negotiated as pick after pick went off the board. But before Roseman could complete a deal with Brown, he had another talented player on his mind.
Roseman worked out a quick trade-up with the Houston Texans, sending a fourth-round pick and two fifth-round selections to the AFC South franchise to move from No. 15 to No. 13. The Eagles then claimed Georgia defensive tackle Jordan Davis, a top-10 player on their draft board, with their new selection.
Shortly after the Davis pick, the Eagles agreed to a four-year, $100 million contract extension with Brown. Roseman claims the deal didn’t go through until the Texans, the team’s previous trade partner, had made their selection of Texas A&M guard Kenyon Green at No. 15.
Just a few minutes later, the trade and contract extension for Brown was announced.
“Long night,” Roseman said in his opening remarks after the two trades. “Excited to have these two guys.”
With no movement within the top 10 picks, it appeared that the first round was going to be a bit of a snooze. However, that listlessness was short-lived as nine trades were made in the final 22 selections, including the Eagles’ two monumental swaps.
When Pro Football Network asked Roseman why there was no movement in the top 10, the GM pointed to the QB class, a group that had only one player — Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett — selected on Day 1.
“Sometimes it’s hard with the way that these charts are and the price to move up,” Roseman said. “Usually, if you’re going to move up into the top 10 and pay the price that historically has been paid, that’s usually for quarterbacks. It’s hard to do that, and teams are sitting there, and they are going, ‘Hey, am I going to pass on these good players and maybe not get full value of what the chart says?’ I think that plays a part in it.”
Along with the lack of value in the top 10, teams were seemingly reluctant to drop their prices to trade back.
“You also need dance partners all the time, and I think that’s one of the things like there’s moments to make trades, and trades are hard to make in this league, and timing plays a big factor in trades,” Roseman said. “So, obviously not in the top 10 to speak to those specific discussions, but I probably guess that’s why.”
Adding Brown was about opportunity cost
Brown, 24, has produced 185 catches for 2,995 yards and 26 touchdowns during his three seasons in the NFL. The 6-foot-1, 225-pound receiver is a big-bodied playmaker who can occupy the X role while freeing up last year’s first-round pick DeVonta Smith to play his more suitable Z spot.
With Brown and Smith working the outside, tight end Dallas Goedert and slot receivers Zach Pascal and Quez Watkins should be able to get open across the middle for QB Jalen Hurts.
“This, for us, was the right player and right fit,” Roseman said. “I can’t tell you that we were going to definitely draft a receiver in the first round. We had some other players that we were looking at here. But I think we felt like this particular player, this particular person, the fit was really good for what we had and what we were looking for.”
The Eagles did background work on Brown, including his injury history. Brown underwent surgery on both of his knees in January 2021, so the Eagles needed to investigate his medical records to feel comfortable with him. Brown’s style of play can be rough and tumble, so guaranteeing he can operate at a high level was important for the front office.
“We did do pre-draft medical,” Roseman said. “That’s why we do all this work on these players. We never know the opportunity to get him, and we did work now. You’re talking about a guy who’s going to turn 25 years old and been highly productive. Listen, there’s no guarantee or insurance on any of this stuff. We know what kind of player he is and what kind of competitor he is, and we know what he adds to our football team.”
Davis was worth the price
At 6-foot-6 and 340 pounds, Davis is a massive wall in the middle of the trenches. On top of that, he’s a freak athlete who runs like a tight end, despite being built like a freight train. At the NFL Combine in Indianapolis in March, Davis stunned onlookers by running a 4.78-second 40-yard dash.
Davis is a unicorn at his position. And while some critics want to put him in the two-down lineman box, Davis’ upside is special because of his dynamic first step and overwhelming size. That’s why the Eagles pounced at trading up for him.
“I think that, for us, it was just important to get the player,” Roseman said. “And so, we’ve been in draft rooms — all of us — where you get cute, and you miss out on a guy. We just felt like this guy added so much to our team and completed our D-line to the extent that we wanted to go roll into places in the NFC East. We didn’t want to take that risk.”
While the team went from having 10 picks to just five selections after their two Day 1 trades, Roseman believes the Eagles added a pair of special players to the mix. The Eagles believe Davis will make defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon’s system flow better than it did last year.
“A guy like that, he keeps you strong down the middle of your defense,” said Andy Weidl, the Eagles’ VP of Player Personnel. “And having that strength down the middle of your defense is critical. It starts inside, it starts at the point. And then I think also I wouldn’t limit him to just the point. The guy has the ability to move and play different spots along the defensive line. He has that type of athleticism, the length, the speed, and the lateral quickness to do that.”
Weidl and the Eagles’ scouting staff spent a lot of time in Georgia scouting Davis, and they believe he is a versatile piece who can make a difference opposite Brandon Graham, Javon Hargrave, Fletcher Cox, and Josh Sweat.
“I wouldn’t say just limit him inside at the nose, but he does make us stronger there,” Weidl said. “I think he has the versatility to move up and down the line of scrimmage and help us there.”
A home-run Day 1
In all, the Eagles added a Pro Bowl wideout to their offense and a dynamic run stopper to their defense. With the Eagles lacking in young, homegrown talent, the two newest additions to the depth chart are a leap in the right direction.
Brown will make Hurts, Smith, Goedert, and the passing offense better. Davis will improve the run defense and take on double-teams to free up Sweat, Graham, Cox, and Hargrave.
And the Eagles still have four picks left, including second- and third-round selections. They also have some trade assets that could lead to more picks on Day 2 and Day 3, including QB Gardner Minshew, OT Andre Dillard, G Nate Herbig, and WR Jalen Reagor.
But for now, Roseman, Weidl, and head coach Nick Sirianni will be able to count Day 1 as a massive victory for the roster and the franchise.
“We have a lot of areas we want to continue to improve on this football team,” Roseman said. “That work’s not going to stop. It’s not going to stop Saturday, it’s not going to stop Sunday, and it’s not going to stop really until the trade line. Even then, we are going to look at the waiver wire and keep working, try to get better.”