Christmas Day has arrived for frustrated, hungry and antsy Philadelphia Eagles fans. On Thursday night at approximately 8:30 p.m. ET, the Eagles—barring a trade—will announce their highest draft pick since Donovan McNabb. 

This pick could very well define the Chip Kelly era in the same way McNabb helped define the Andy Reid era, so you can't overestimate how important it is. And it goes beyond that, because this entire draft class will have to play a crucial role in the rebuilding process in Philadelphia. 

We've picked the draft apart from all angles, so we'll avoid jumping into more conjecture and falling victim to more smokescreens, and instead just leave you with a few final thoughts on what we believe the Eagles should be thinking in the war room as the clock nears 8 p.m. ET.

Forget quarterbacks

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It's mathematically impossible for every team to trade down in the first round, but it seems almost everyone with a first-round pick in this year's draft wants to do it. Add the New York Giants to that list, based on word from WFAN's Paul Dottino.

Dottino "believes there is a good possibility" the G-Men trade down, according to Ian Taubin at Big Blue United. 

Of course, wanting to trade down and having the ability to trade down are two very different things, especially when the supply and demand are as imbalanced as they are this year. 

The Giants have a slew of needs on defense, but this is a deep draft for defenders. There will be plenty of quality safeties and corners available later in the first round and in Round 2, and there's a chance the draft's top two inside linebackers—Alec Ogletree and Manti Te'o—are still available at those points.

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Luke Joeckel, Eric Fisher, Star Lotulelei, Sharrif Floyd, Dee Milliner, Dion Jordan, Geno Smith. 

All seven of those prospects have been projected to go to the Philadelphia Eagles fourth overall in various spots around the web. But a darkhorse candidate who is picking up some steam differs greatly from the rest of the guys listed above, mainly because he hasn't been viewed by anyone as a top-five pick, but also because the Eagles already have two good starters at his position. 

Regardless, Tavon Austin talk is picking up. The West Virginia wide receiver would be one hell of a toy for Chip Kelly to have at his disposal, but such a marriage seemed far-fetched throughout the spring because the Eagles have more pressing needs and Austin certainly won't be considered the best player available in that No. 4 spot. 

The multi-dimensional Austin had over 1,200 receiving yards and over 600 rushing yards while scoring 15 touchdowns during his final year in Morgantown. But surely the Eagles, who already have DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin on board and who have LeSean McCoy, James Casey and Bryce Brown at their disposal as well, wouldn't spend their highest pick in 14 years on a guy like Austin, right?

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Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has never been one to sit tight in the NFL draft. Jones has executed 59 draft-day trades since he bought the team in 1989, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, and has only stood pat in Round 1 on six occasions. 

That's why it should surprise nobody to hear the always-candid Jones admit that trading down in Thursday night's first round is a distinct possibility. 

From the San Antonio Express-News:

The Cowboys, you'll surely recall, traded up in last year's opening round in order to grab Morris Claiborne. And three years ago, they moved up a few spots to take Dez Bryant. But those scenarios were different. 

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With the 2013 NFL Draft only three days away, the Washington Redskins have some very clear areas of weakness and some very clear strengths. In order to get an accurate feel for those strong points and weak points, we've drawn up a depth chart for the 'Skins entering the draft. 

The chart is color-coded. Those in blue are solid contributors who are worthy of the roles they currently play. Those in green could be upgraded upon or are still question marks. And those in red must either be replaced or demoted.

There are 55 names on the above chart, but the suspended Tanard Jackson won't be reinstated until Aug. 31 at the earliest, and it's safe to assume they won't keep four quarterbacks, so Rex Grossman or Pat White will be cut if Kirk Cousins isn't traded. 

Beyond that, they'll have to cut a few more of these guys to make room for draft picks. The ideal candidates are Crawford and/or Minnfield, Gomes, Doughty and Pugh as the 'Skins look to give the secondary a makeover.

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The Philadelphia Eagles will continue to revamp themselves at the dawn of a new era when the 2013 NFL draft gets underway on Thursday. And in order to get a better feel for exactly where things stand with Philadelphia's roster prior to the draft, we've drawn up a depth chart.

The chart is color-coded in order to establish the state of the roster from position to position. Those in blue are solid contributors who are worthy of the roles they currently play. Those in green could be upgraded upon or are still question marks. And those in red must either be replaced or demoted.

There are exactly 53 players listed below, so consider that every draft pick that makes the roster will have to do so in place of one of the guys on the chart. 

This really confirms what the Eagles have to focus on in the draft. Forget this Dion Jordan talk, because they're in good shape at outside linebacker, especially if Vinny Curry is groomed to play both roles.

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With the 2013 NFL draft looming just three days away, let's take a broad look at the state of the New York Giants by drawing up a depth chart and then breaking it down. 

The current projected depth chart has been color-coded. Those in blue are solid contributors who are worthy of their current roles, those in green could be upgraded upon or are still question marks and those in red must be either replaced or demoted.

It should also be noted that this chart (along with three unmentioned special-teamers) would give the Giants 55 players. Thus, in addition to replacing some of these players with draft picks, at least two will have to be cut outright. Expect a bunch of the fat to be trimmed on defense, where there is quite a lot of red and green.

The colors really demonstrate how strong the offense is and how weak the defense is, which shouldn't be surprising considering New York's offseason losses as well as the fact that the Giants scored more points than all but five NFL teams last season while surrendering more yards than all but one.

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A lot can and will change between now and Sunday, but let's get a feel for the state of the Dallas Cowboys by drawing up what their depth chart should look like entering the 2013 NFL draft.

Our current projected depth chart has been color-coded. Those in blue are solid contributors who are worthy of the roles they currently play. Those in green could be upgraded upon or are still question marks. And those in red must be either replaced or demoted. There are also three openings in red (at tight end, defensive end and cornerback) and one in green (middle linebacker) which, if filled, would give Dallas a 53-man roster (along with a kicker, a punter and a long snapper).

As you can see, I believe Dallas has every reason to be confident in 18 of its 22 starters, and I think center Phil Costa could pan out just fine if he can stay healthy. However, Doug Free, Will Allen and Mackenzy Bernadeau are weak links. That's why the offensive line and the safety position have to be large points of emphasis in this draft. 

The Cowboys could also use depth at defensive end, tight end, middle linebacker and cornerback. The starters are golden in all four spots, but Kyle Wilber isn't a very experienced option behind DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer, and they'll need to replace departed free agents John Phillips at tight end and Mike Jenkins at corner. 

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