PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Eagles tied an NFL record for most trades in a seven-round draft with eight. They join the 2023 Houston Texans and 2018 New England Patriots for most draft-day trades since 1990.
The wheeling and dealing by general manager Howie Roseman kicked into overdrive on Saturday, as Philadelphia executed five different trades on Day 3.
The goal was twofold, per Roseman: “to get as many of the guys that we targeted on Day 3 as we possibly can and at the same time see if we can accumulate picks for the future.” To that end, the Eagles acquired 2025 third-, fourth- and fifth-round picks via three separate trades, believing they were a little light on selections for next year.
And they were still able to land some of the prospects they had zeroed in on, including a pair of Clemson players in running back Will Shipley and linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr.
They entered the day with seven draft picks and exited with six players and three future picks.
“We know what we’re trying to do here, we know what sounds good and when a trade sounds good,” Roseman said, when asked how they keep track of all the movement. “We know what we’re trying to execute.”
The rest of the league had a quiet year on the trade front. There were only 28 over the past three days, tied for the fewest in the past eight drafts, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. Last year’s draft set a record with 43 trades.