Eagles make a deal ahead of the trade deadline after all [UPDATE]

It looked like the NFL trade deadline passed without the Philadelphia Eagles making a trade. As it turns out, they did get a deal in under the buzzer. The Birds traded a sixth-round pick in 2022 NFL Draft to the Denver Broncos in exchange for cornerback Kary Vincent Jr.

KVJ was a seventh-round pick out of LSU in the 2021 NFL Draft. The Eagles must like something about his potential to give up a selection higher than the round he was taken in. Kind of reminiscent of Howie Roseman surrendering a 2021 fourth-round pick to acquire Genard Avery, originally a fifth-round selection, right before the 2019 trade deadline. (And we all know how that was a sensational acquisition.)

At the same time, the Eagles clearly didn’t like KVJ — who went No. 237 overall — enough to take him with one of their nearby picks at No. 224 (JaCoby Stevens) or No. 234 (Patrick Johnson).

Regardless of the process, KVJ is here now. Here’s a scouting report on him from NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein:

Slot corner with average size but exceptional speed and athleticism. He could see his draft stock rise given his workout potential. Vincent has the hips, feet and burst to stay tight with routes as a pro, but only if he shows marked improvement with pattern recognition and his coverage technique. He’s played (and practiced) against NFL-caliber competition and brings a resume full of experience against quality competition. His best football could be ahead of him, but he needs to fully transition from athlete to cornerback for that to happen.

And here’s a spider graph via Mockdraftable. Looking at his speed, it might not come as a shock that KVJ was a track team sprinter in college. He boasts 4.39 40-yard dash speed:

Dating back to the offseason, the Eagles have made multiple investments in young defensive backs. They used a fourth-round pick on Zech McPhearson and a sixth-round pick on the aforementioned Stevens. The Eagles also traded a 2023 sixth-round pick for Josiah Scott, signed Mac McCain off the Broncos’ practice squad, and acquired Tay Gowan in the Zach Ertz deal.

There’s hardly a guarantee that any of these low-cost investments pan out. But the Eagles are hoping that at least one of these fliers turns out to be a keeper.

Philly’s starting secondary is set for the short-term but there are certainly questions about the future outlook. Darius Slay is the only starter under contract past 2021 and he turns 31 in January. Steve Nelson, Avonte Maddox, Anthony Harris, and Rodney McLeod are all currently set to be free agents after this year.

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A note on the compensation: my BGN Radio co-host Jimmy Kempski notes that the Eagles gave up whichever turns out to be the lesser of their two sixth-round picks to the Broncos. Philly owns one sixth-round pick from the Indianapolis Colts from the Matt Pryor trade and another one from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers due to the Joe Flacco trade with the New York Jets. The Bucs pick is obviously likely to be lower.

TL;DR - The Eagles essentially traded Joe Flacco for Kary Vincent Jr.

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Here’s an updated look at the Eagles’ future draft picks.

2022 NFL DRAFT

1 - from Miami Dolphins

1 - Eagles’ own pick

AD

1 - from Indianapolis Colts*

2 - Eagles’ own pick

3 - Eagles’ own pick

4 - Eagles’ own pick

5 - Eagles’ own pick

5 - from Washington Football Team

5 - from Arizona Cardinals

6 - from Indianapolis Colts

6 - from Tampa Bay Buccaneers** [Lesser pick goes to Broncos]

*The Colts will send a first-round pick to the Eagles if one of the following two conditions is met: 1) Carson Wentz plays 75% of Indy’s snaps ... OR ... 2) Wentz plays 70% of Indy’s snaps AND the Colts make the playoffs.

**The New York Jets will send a fifth-round pick to the Eagles if Flacco plays more than 50% of the snaps in four games this season. Otherwise, they’ll send the Bucs’ sixth-round pick to Philly. And due to the Kary Vincent Jr. trade, the lesser of Philly’s two sixth-round selections [from Indy and Tampa (via Jets] will go to the Broncos.

2023 NFL DRAFT

1 - Eagles’ own pick

2 - Eagles’ own pick

3 - Eagles’ own pick

4 - Eagles’ own pick

5 - Eagles’ own pick

7 - Eagles’ own pick