Eagles Day 1 picks: Grading Philly’s moves for Jalen Carter and co.

The Philadelphia Eagles have had a whirlwind few months. Following their narrow loss in the Super Bowl to the Kansas City Chiefs, GM Howie Roseman has been busy. They brought back stars Jason Kelce, Darius Slay and Lane Johnson. They also added Terrell Edmunds and signed Jalen Hurts to what was briefly the biggest contract in NFL history.

Entering the draft, they had picks 10 and 30 thanks to their runner-up finish and a trade with the New Orleans Saints. The Eagles were the NFL's most complete team last year, but with new deals for Hurts and others, other positions had to sacrifice, so the draft was their shot at filling those holes with cheap, effective players.

Philadelphia was one of just a few teams with multiple first round picks this season and they made effective use of both of them.

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How the Philadelphia Eagles approached this draft

As the pieces fell into place, Howie Roseman worked his magic. He sent the 10th overall pick and a fourth-round pick from 2024 to the Chicago Bears to move up to ninth overall and select Jalen Carter.

Many pundits believed that Carter, off-field issues notwithstanding, was the best talent in the draft. Now, Philly's vaunted front seven adds him and only had to give up an extra future fourth-round pick to do it.

Grade: A

With the 30th pick in the NFL Draft, their original draft spot, Philadelphia opted to go with Nolan Smith, an outside linebacker from Georgia. Smith was projected to go much higher and he fills a need for the Eagles.

Smith was ranked as ESPN's 16th best prospect overall and Philadelphia had a bit of an exodus on defense in free agency. This is an excellent pick and Roseman didn't even have to trade up for him.

Grade: A+

With just one pick remaining in the NFL Draft, Philadelphia opted not to make a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs and rather stuck with their two first-round picks. It was an excellent first round for the team.

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