Eagles could have drafted Patrick Peterson (or J.J. Watt or Julio Jones) if the NFL lockout didn't happen

Hey Philadelphia Eagles, want to hear a depressing story? The Eagles could have drafted Patrick Peterson. Or J.J. Watt. Or Julio Jones.

How is this possible, you ask? Well, according to a story from former Eagles president Joe Banner on NFL Insiders, the Eagles were supposed to have the No. 5 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft due to the Kevin Kolb trade. Instead, the NFL lockout prevented player trades from happening so the Eagles had to wait until the lockout was over, which came after the 2011 NFL Draft. Here's how Banner explained the deal, hat tip to Crossing Broad:

"When we were in Philadelphia, we traded Kevin Kolb to the Arizona Cardinals for Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and a second-round draft pick. The original trade was the fifth pick of the draft – which we were targeting Patrick Peterson for – and the second round pick the next year. Because there was a lockout, we weren’t allowed to make trades going into the draft or else Patrick Peterson would have been a Philadelphia Eagle."

The Eagles drafting Peterson could have changed a lot. First, the Eagles would have gotten a really good cornerback, which is something they haven't had in a long time. Second, maybe it could have prevented the Nnamdi Asomugha signing.

Peterson wasn't the only good option there at No. 5. As I mentioned earlier, the Eagles could have had Watt ... or Jones ... or Tyron Smith ... etc. Maybe the Eagles could have flipped that No. 5 pick for the bounty of picks the Browns got from the Falcons in the Jones trade in exchange for No. 6. Or maybe the Eagles could have screwed it all up by taking Danny Watkins at No. 5! The possibilities are numerous.

If you needed a reminder that the NFL lockout was awful, here you go.