Why Howie Roseman is OK that the 1st-round pick in the A.J. deal is in 2028

Why Howie Roseman is OK that the 1st-round pick in the A.J. deal is in 2028 originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The 2028 NFL draft is 23 months away, and that’s a long time to wait for the A.J. Brown trade to pay dividends.

But in Howie Roseman’s mind, a 1st-round pick is a 1st-round pick, no matter when it’s for.

When you’re GM for life and you’ve built three Super Bowl rosters and won two Lombardi Trophies and you already have a loaded roster moving forward, you can afford to play the long game.

If there’s one thing about the Brown trade that might seem outwardly frustrating it’s the fact that the 1st-round pick the Eagles got from the Patriots is in 2028.

Howie can wait. And it’s not like anybody was offering a 2027 1st-round pick, so there weren’t a ton of options.

And a 1st-round pick in 2028 is much more valuable than a 2nd-round pick in 2027.

“It’s hard to get 1st-round picks,” Roseman said Monday after shipping Brown to the Patriots.  

Roseman said if the Eagles made a deal with the Patriots before the draft, not only would the cap implications have been more damaging, they would have also been locked into No. 31.

By acquiring a later pick, there’s a chance it will be higher. If the Patriots have a mediocre 2027, they could wind up with a pick in the middle of the first round.

It’s two years off, but the Eagles will be OK till then.

“I think for us to take a 2026 pick and you know, that’s a late 1st-round pick and obviously also have to deal with the cap consequences that come with making a trade prior to June 1,” Roseman said Thursday afternoon, after finally finalizing the trade. 

“It made some sense for us to look at at future picks. You know, we do scout future drafts not just the ‘26 draft but also ’27, ‘28. And I think for us, you know, we’ve always been in the mindset of a pick is a pick. 

“A 1st-round pick is a 1st-round pick. It doesn’t matter. The team’s still going to be playing football in 2028. And we did that with Hassan (Reddick), with the Jets, where we took a 3rd-round pick two years later (which became 2026 pick Markel Bell) because it was really important for us to get the right value. 

“And I think from our perspective, getting a 1st-round pick for our team, having two 1st-round picks in 2028, is a huge, huge part of this move. You know, I think that when you look at that and obviously the options of what you’re able to do with having multiple first round picks, it’s a huge game changer.”

The Eagles also acquired a 5th-round pick in next year’s draft from the Patriots, and it’s important to remember that even though those are future picks, the Eagles already own those assets, so Roseman could turn them into better or earlier picks. You know how Howie can’t sit still during the draft and is always making trades. 

This all plays into the Eagles’ organization-wide philosophy that building through the draft is the best way to build a winning team. You’re getting the players you want on relatively cheap rookie deals. That’s why Roseman is always trading single picks for multiple picks. More chances to hit on players.

The 2024 Super Bowl champions had 23 players start more than six games, and 17 of them began their careers here either as a draft pick or undrafted free agent. That’s all but Brown, Darius Slay, Mekhi Becton, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Zack Baun and Saquon Barkley.

And the more money you save with home-grown players, the more money you have to sign top free agents. 

Now the Eagles have another way to add through the draft. Just not for two years.

Also important to note that as of now the Eagles have a number of key players under contract through 2027, including Lane Johnson, Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith, Cooper DeJean and Jalyx Hunt.

Now, they won’t all hit free agency, but Roseman can’t keep everyone, and 2028 seems like it will be a transition year, and an extra 1st-round pick could be awfully valuable during that process.

“I feel very, very confident that those picks are the most valuable things that you can add as you’re building your team,” he said. “And I know there’s a lot of attention on the 2027 draft, but at the same time, looking at the ‘28 draft, (I) feel confident that that’s going to be a good draft as well, and that we’ll be in a position to really improve our football team.”

from https://ift.tt/mJXRpkl