Philly Leader

The 2018 NFL Draft, marked by memorable moments, saw David Akers, the Eagles Hall of Fame kicker, enthusiastically announce the selection of Dallas Goedert as the 49th pick in the Draft. In a significant first move after their Super Bowl LII victory, the Eagles traded their first-round pick, No. 32, to the Baltimore Ravens. Baltimore would use the pick to draft quarterback Lamar Jackson.

Eagles Executive Vice President and General Manager Howie Roseman at the time highlighted the strategic value of the trade. "We felt the value was right for us where we are as a football team, where the value was in this draft," Roseman explained. "There are a bunch of players that we still like that we're optimistic and excited to get (on Friday). And we'll start working on that now."

The details of the trade culminated in Baltimore acquiring the No. 32 pick, which they used for Jackson, and a fourth-round pick (No. 132), with which they selected WR Jaleel Scott. Meanwhile, the Eagles received second and fourth-round picks in the 2018 Draft (No. 52 and No. 125), and a second-round pick in 2019 (No. 53). Philadelphia capitalized on this, using these assets to acquire players such as Avonte Maddox and Miles Sanders, pivotal during their subsequent campaigns, including another Super Bowl title in Super Bowl LIX.

Roseman elaborated on their decision-making process, stating, "We felt like what we were going to get at 32 would be a strength as well, so let's go add a second-round pick for next year." He acknowledged the risk and benefit in opting for trade by remarking, "We had a group of guys at 32 we would've been really excited about picking. Will they be there at 52? I don't know, but that helped us make the trade because we felt there's a cluster of guys that were together for us."

As Philadelphia looks ahead to their position at No. 32 once more, the outcome of their decision in the upcoming Draft remains to be evaluated over future seasons.