Prisco: Why trading up huge risk for the Eagles

At the NFL scouting combine in February, word began to trickle out.

“The Eagles want to trade up in the draft and get a quarterback,” an opposing general manager told me. “They are serious about it.”

We now know how serious they would get. After making an initial move to the eighth spot in a trade with the Miami Dolphins in March, the Eagles made the leap to the second spot Wednesday with a blockbuster deal with a clear eye on a quarterback.

The Los Angeles Rams moved up to the top spot last week in a trade with the Tennessee Titans to land a quarterback, and it’s believed that quarterback is California’s Jared Goff.

If that’s the case, the Eagles would be left with North Dakota State’s Carson Wentz, which is the guy league insiders say they wanted all along. To get in position to take Wentz, the Eagles gave up a boatload of picks to the Browns.

The Browns get the Eagles pick in the first round (eighth), their third (77th) and fourth (100th) and their 2017 first-rounder and 2018 second-rounder.

#Eagles have agreed to a trade with the Cleveland Browns to acquire the second-overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. pic.twitter.com/SdJSegMy4m

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) April 20, 2016

That’s a lot of ammunition to move up. The Browns, who have a roster without a lot of talent, need the players and they could still take a quarterback at No. 8 or in the second round. They have maneuvering power now.

I thought all along the Browns coveted Goff more than Wentz, and when it became apparent the Rams preferred Goff that helped make the decision more. If they don’t love Wentz, that makes sense for the Browns.

They do need to make sure they get some sort of quarterback in this draft, a player who can be groomed. They can hit all those picks the next two …

continue reading in source www.cbssports.com