2011 NFL Draft: Will the Eagles Trade Down in the First Round?

If there is one thing the Philadelphia Eagles have shown they are not afraid to do in the first round of the NFL draft since Andy Reid became the head coach, it is that they will not shy away from trading down in the first round. Even though the Eagles may be locked out of trading players in the draft, such as backup quarterback Kevin Kolb, due to the lack of collective bargaining agreement in place Philadelphia may still manage to trade down during the draft next week.

The Eagles may not be able to trade Kolb to a team looking to pick up a quarterback, but many of those would-be suitors could still be prepared to make an offer to Philadelphia in exchange for the 23rd overall selection. There should be plenty of quarterbacks available at that point in the first round.

“Especially where we are in the first round, I think that’s where you anticipate some of the quarterbacks coming up,” Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said in a story by the Associated Press. “Obviously we’re a great place in the draft to get some of those quarterbacks where they’re slotted to go if someone wants to come up and get some of those quarterbacks.”

This philosophy comes as no surprise to Eagles fans, who have seen their favorite team make 29 trades during the draft in the last eight seasons, including a trade down to ultimately draft Kolb. Philadelphia made six trades in last year's draft.

“We’re open to explore any options that we think make us better, and whether that’s moving up or moving down, we’re definitely open,” Roseman said.

The Eagles have draft needs just as every franchise does, but the secondary may be one of the top priorities. The two most talented players in the secondary may not be around by the time the Eagles have their first pick of the draft come up in the order. LSU corner back Patrick Peterson is expected to be drafted highly and Nebraska's Prince Amukamara has a chance to be gone before Philadelphia makes a pick.

“There are a couple guys at the top that are very talented and probably will go early," Roseman said in a Q&A segment with CSNPhilly.com's Reuben Frank. "Then there’s a group that I think that if you took 32 teams you’ll probably have 32 different boards of the next five or six guys about where they come off and how they have them ranked. I think people are just going to take who they like at that. I think in years past there’s more consensus top 5 and right now I think you’d get a lot of different views on the top 5 corners.”

Unless the Eagles make any moves up in the draft there are a lack of options deemed first-round worthy to help improve the secondary. There could be enough secondary options by the time the Eagles come up in the second round, including Clemson safety DeAndre McDaniel.

"We don’t want to force a particular need if the right player is not there," Roseman said. If there is better value in picking up an extra pick in a later round, expect the Eagles to strongly consider trading out of the first round to a team looking for a quarterback.

Kevin McGuire is the national college football writer for Examiner.com. Follow his college football discussion on Twitter   @CFBExaminer.