NFC Draft Rumors: Seahawks, Eagles, Redskins, Packers

The Seahawks have proven to be the wild cards of the NFL Draft under general manager John Schneider and coach Pete Carroll. One of their constants, though, has been the move to trade back in the first round to collect a higher volume of picks.

ESPN’s Brady Henderson looks into the team’s history of trading back and wonders if this may be the year it decides to stay put. The Seahawks hold the No. 18 overall pick in the draft.

One reason the team may look to stay at No. 18 is that trading All-Pro safety Earl Thomas, which has been rumored throughout the offseason, would certainly bring back high-value picks. The wealth of quarterbacks set to go in the first round could also lead to a quality player slipping down the draft board.

As it stands, the Seahawks don’t have a pick in the second or third rounds of the upcoming draft. They’ve never had fewer than two picks through the first three rounds under Schneider and Carroll.

Here’s more rumblings from the NFC side in regards to the draft:

  • Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Inquirer looks into the Eagles’ historically weak draft position this year. The team holds the No. 32 overall pick in the first round and doesn’t have a pick in the second or third round. The team has averaged four selections through the top 125 picks over the last 15 drafts and the last time they picked less than twice in the first three rounds came in 1977. It’s definitely possible that the Eagles could trade down from the No. 32 pick with a team targeting a specific player. They could also use players like Ronald Darby and Mychal Kendricks as trade bait to collect more picks. Lastly, they could bank on their likely compensatory picks for the 2019 draft, due to a large group of players departing in free agency this offseason, and use their current 2019 picks to collect more draft capital.
  • Rich Tandlerof NBC Sports Washington examines the five safest picks for the Redskins in the draft. Those players include Washington DT Vita Vea, Auburn RB Kerryon Johnson, Ohio State OL Billy Price, Boise State LB Leighton Vander Esch and Colorado CB Isaiah Oliver. The Redskins currently hold the No. 13 overall pick in the first round.
  • Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Video link) believes that the Packers decision to bring in Virginia Tech linebacker Tremaine Edmunds for a visit was not just for show and signaled genuine interest by the team. Silverstein notes that the Packers would likely have to trade up from their No. 14 overall pick to land Edmunds (or Georgia’s Roquan Smith) but Edmunds’ ability to possibly be moved outside could make a potential trade worth their while.
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