2010 NFL Draft: Current Eagles Who May be Trade Bait

A week has gone by since the Philadelphia Eagles officially announced there would be a new starting quarterback in 2010. Some fans were elated, and some were disgusted. 

While I enjoyed Donovan McNabb’s time here and would’ve loved for him to have won a Super Bowl in Philly, it’s time to move on. 

It’s a little over a week until the 75th annual NFL Draft. All 32 teams are finalizing their strategies in order to land as many players as possible that they desire.

Not every player a team desires is a draft-eligible individual. One team’s failure could be another’s treasure. Would linebacker Chris Gocong have held so much value if Cleveland (Tom Heckert in particular) didn’t believe he could flourish in a 3-4 defense? Probably not. 

The Eagles have proven, especially these last two offseasons, that no player’s job is safe. It doesn’t matter how beloved you are to the fans or how many Pro Bowl trips you earned, if the front office believes the team can be competitive without you, Adios!

In addition to their 11 current draft picks, the Eagles still have a few players on the roster that, via trade, could a) give them additional draft picks or b) help them move up in the draft. 

As I said earlier, no player’s job is safe. If the right offer is put on the table, Kevin Kolb, Trent Cole, or even DeSean Jackson could be gone tomorrow. 

Having said that, these are five players that could very well be traded during the draft next week. Also included are situations that would have to fall in place for the trade to make sense. 

Michael Vick—QB: Everyone knows of Vick’s desire to be a starting QB.  I doubt a team will give up a second round pick for him, but if Jim Clausen doesn’t land in Buffalo, things will get interesting.

Stacy Andrews—G/T: Why would the Eagles strongly recommend that Andrews restructure his contract in an uncapped year, especially when everyone knew his ACL wasn’t 100 percent? I believe it was to make him more marketable for a trade. If the Eagles draft Mike Iupati, keep your eyes open.

Victor Abiamiri—DE: Abiamiri’s injuries make this highly unlikely. But if a team is willing to accept him as part of a package to move up, he’s as good as gone.

Trevor Laws—DT: Laws has been a huge disappointment for the Eagles. He was a healthy scratch toward the end of 2009, being replaced on the depth chart by undrafted rookie Antonio Dixon. That being said, a team like Indianapolis may they could get more productivity out of him.

Omar Gaither—LB: Gaither’s trade value is extremely low right now. He’s coming back from a season-ending injury. Before that, he seemed to have trouble holding onto his spot as a starting linebacker. Some team out there (Tampa Bay?) may offer a late round pick for him. 

Of course, there are other questions heading into next week.  Are the Eagles truly satisfied with Ellis Hobbs as a starting corner? Would the Eagles be willing to part ways with one of their starting defensive tackles (Mike Patterson and Broderick Bunkley), if they found a better interior pass rusher in 2010? Is it true that Asante Samuel isn’t buying into defensive coordinator Sean McDermott’s scheme?  If so, what will they do with him? 

We shall receive our answers in 12 days...