Before the draft, many fans and pundits expected the Eagles to be aggressive in moving up to try to get Marcus Mariota and other players in order to strengthen the roster, putting current players and future draft picks on the trading block in order to create packages to go after prospects they valued highly.
They did trade up once in the early rounds to select Eric Rowe, but actually leave the weekend without trading any players and actually managed to come away with an extra 2016 third-round pick after trading their fourth-round pick to the Lions.
Here are a few notes surrounding the Chip Kelly and the Eagles on trades and the NFL Draft:
- Evan Mathis is one player who has been rumored to be available, but he remains an Eagle even if he has a strenuous relationship with his head coach. Kelly said that Mathis has been available for two years now, and no team has made an offer for him yet, according to Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News (via Twitter).
- No offer may have been on the table, but Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that the Lions had some interest in Mathis before acquiring two guards in the first round (Laken Tomlinson at No. 28, and Manny Ramirez via trade from the Broncos).
- Kelly also confirmed that controversial prospect La’el Collins was removed from the team’s draft board following his recent legal issues, despite his first-round talent, according to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter).