Eagles, Saints Swap First-Round Picks

NFL Draft – The Philadelphia Eagles and New Orleans Saints have agreed to a trade that will involve first-round picks over the next two seasons. Full details to follow, but the big-picture is this: the Eagles are sending two first-round picks to the Saints in exchange for a first-rounder this year, another first-rounder next year, and a second-rounder in 2024, with a handful of later-round picks changing hands to make the point charts happy. 

A major shakeup to this year’s draft.

More ahead on ESPN’s NFL Live on the air now. pic.twitter.com/CYOwDEAymn

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 4, 2022

OK, so … why? The Saints move up from 18 to 16, passing the Eagles and also the L.A. Chargers. Perhaps they were worried the Chargers might take their preferred player, though that would involve forecasting a lot of moving parts several weeks ahead of draft day. It also gives them a pair of first-rounders this year, which is more immediate capital than they had on hand; maybe they’ll bundle those picks into the top 10 or something.

For the Eagles, it’s delayed gratification. They still have two first-rounders this year (15, via a trade with the Dolphins, and 18), and now they have two first-rounders in 2023 as well. In a draft class that’s weak on quarterbacks, their plan might be to just grab two good players this season to get Jalen Hurts all the help he needs. And if Hurts fails to impress, they’ll be able to trade up for a new quarterback next year.