Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer is reporting that the Eagles could have interest in trading with the Cleveland Browns to move up to the #4 pick in this month’s draft.
Cabot says that the Eagles, the St Louis Rams and at least two other teams could be in the mix for the #4 pick and that Browns are "likely" to trade. The Eagles would be well positioned for a move up as they’ve got four picks in the top 88, including a pair of second rounders.
The Eagles have the ammunition to make a move up, but do they have a target? A move from #15 to #4 is significant and would only be something a team does if they are absolutely in love with one of the elite players in the draft. And even then, the guy would have to be at a position of real value.
Like say… Quarterback? Namely, Ryan Tannehill? It’s been widely reported that the Eagles have held a private workout in Texas with Tannehill and have at least done their due diligence on him. If they came to the decision that he’s a franchise level QB, then it makes some sense why they’d do whatever it takes to get him. Michael Vick is signed for several more years, but the Eagles commitment to him, in terms of guaranteed money, is all but up after this season.
Still, it would be a pretty dramatic message to send to Vick and the rest of the team if the Eagles moved up to #4 for a QB. It all but guarantees that Tannehill would be the starter in 2013 and that 2012 would be Vick’s final year in Philadelphia. Is that the move a team wanting to win now would make?
Of course, there’s a chance the Eagles are looking into the price of the #4 pick in case an elite prospect like Matt Kalil falls to #4. It could also be that this story is a complete and total fabrication put out by the Browns to intensify negotiations with teams that actually might want to trade up to #4 for Tannehill.
Either way, when the Browns go on the clock this year, it’s going to be a pretty tense few minutes.