March 28, 2024

Eagles acquire No. 2 overall pick in NFL Draft

The Philadelphia Eagles have traded with the Cleveland Browns to move up in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft.

Eagles' mascot Swoop. Photo courtesy of creativecommons.org. No changes made.

After several days of speculation that the Cleveland Browns would trade the No. 2 overall pick in next week’s NFL Draft, the team finally provided an answer. They agreed to trade the pick to the Philadelphia Eagles earlier today.

With new coach Doug Pederson taking over in Philadelphia, there have been major changes to both the team and the organization this offseason. This trade now puts the team in position to potentially land a franchise cornerstone — a player the Eagles can built around for years to come.

The Eagles receive the No. 2 overall pick and a conditional fourth-round pick in 2017 from the Browns. Cleveland receives the No. 8 overall pick this year, a third and a fourth round pick this year, a first-round pick in 2017 and a second-round pick in 2018.

This marks only the second time in the past four decades that the top two overall picks have been traded in the same year.

Conventional wisdom states that the Eagles have moved up to the second pick in an attempt to secure a franchise quarterback. If that is the direction that the team is going in, that means either Jared Goff or Carson Wentz will end up in the City of Brotherly Love.

According to Howie Roseman, the executive vice president of football operations for the Eagles was clear about Sam Bradford being Philly’s starting quarterback. This presents the team with the enviable position of being able to draft a rookie quarterback and sit him on the bench to continue his development.

The Tennessee Journalist will continue to provide updates on NFL Draft news as it continues to draw closer. The first round of the 2016 NFL Draft is set to begin next Thursday, April 28, at 8 pm EST.

Edited by Nathan Odom

Featured image by Kevin Burkett

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Adam is the Assistant Sports Editor for the Tennessee Journalist and a Junior at UT. Most of his free time is spent watching sports, listening to good music, and enjoying life. If you wish to contact him, you can email him at amillike@vols.utk.edu, follow him on Twitter, @AdamMilliken14, or find him at https://www.linkedin.com/pub/adam-milliken/109/a89/a32.