2021 NFL Draft: Cincinnati Bengals influence Philadelphia Eagles to move down to No. 12
The Philadelphia Eagles shocked a lot of NFL fans when they decided to send the sixth overall pick to the Miami Dolphins. Philadelphia moved down in the draft to the 12th overall pick instead. They had a prime opportunity to draft one of the three top wide receivers in the 2021 NFL draft class at No. 6 but now they may miss out after moving down to No. 12.
If there is one fan base in the NFL that is outspoken about what their team does, it's the Philadelphia Eagles fan base. Friday's trade between the Dolphins and Eagles has fans baffled. Ja'Marr Chase, Devonta Smith, Jaylen Waddle or, if the Eagles wanted to shake things up, Kyle Pitts are the options that they had at No. 6.
Instead, the Philadelphia Eagles moved down. This left their fan base with one question. Why did the Philadelphia Eagles trade down to No. 12?
2021 NFL Draft: Why did the Philadelphia Eagles move down to No. 12?
Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer reported that the Eagles moved back to No. 12 because general manager Howie Roseman was convinced that the Cincinnati Bengals were going to select the player they wanted at No. 5.
Albert Breer wrote this about the Eagles decision:
"And with the Eagles believing there is a pretty good chance the Bengals will take LSU's Ja'Marr Chase at five, Philly felt comfortable with the difference in talent between six and 12 and also operated with the knowledge that it'd be hard to get a future first in exchange for moving down closer to the draft, particularly if it looked like the top four picks would be QBs."
Howie Roseman may have made a good deal by trading back to No. 12. Cincinnati has a good shot at taking Ja'Marr Chase at five because of the chemistry between Chase and Joe Burrow. Their chemistry stems back to LSU when the two shredded every secondary in college football in the 2019-2020 season.
Howie Roseman may regret this decision because he could've still had a wide receiver or even the best offensive tackle in the draft to protect his quarterback. If the Eagles are 100% committed to Jalen Hurts, then why not get help to keep him healthy? Now the Eagles are gambling and hoping that no one grabs Jaylen Waddle before the Eagles pick at No. 12.
Also check out: Complete 2017 NFL Draft Results