What we remember from the 2018 NFL Draft is David Akers, Eagles Hall of Fame placekicker, standing at the podium in Dallas to announce Philadelphia's second-round selection, screaming into the microphone to announce the 49th pick.
"What's up Dallas! We heard you in Philly last year (the site of the 2017 NFL Draft). Dallas, the last time you won the Super Bowl, these draft picks weren't born!" Akers said, beyond excited. "Tonight, we are welcoming into the Eagles' family, the 49th pick in the 2018 NFL Draft … Dallas Goedert! He is a tight end from South Dakota State …"
That was the first pick of the draft for the Eagles after winning Super Bowl LII. When the 2018 NFL Draft began, the Eagles held pick No. 32 in Round 1, and when it was time for them to select, they traded the pick to Baltimore, which used No. 32 to select Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson.
It turned out to be a win/win deal.
"We felt the value was right for us where we are as a football team, where the value was in this draft," said Eagles' Executive Vice President/General Manager Howie Roseman on that Thursday night. "There are a bunch of players that we still like that we're optimistic and excited to get (on Friday). And we'll start working on that now."
This is how the original deal looked: Baltimore received 2018 1st round, Pick No. 32 (QB Lamar Jackson) and a 2018 4th round, Pick No. 132 (WR Jaleel Scott).
The Eagles received 2018 2nd round, Pick No. 52 (Would be traded to Indianapolis), 2018 4th round, Pick No. 125 (Avonte Maddox), and a 2019 second-round pick (No. 53, RB Miles Sanders).
Philadelphia traded No. 52 overall in 2018 to move up to No. 49 and select Goedert, dealing No. 52 (DE Kemoko Turay) and a fifth-round pick in 2018, No. 169 overall (RB Jordan Wilkins) to the Colts.
The net/net for the Eagles: They traded No. 32 and got back Goedert, Maddox, and Sanders. Goedert and Maddox played key roles in the team's trip to Super Bowl LVII and the World Championship victory in Super Bowl LIX, while Sanders reached the Pro Bowl in 2022 and helped the Eagles win the NFC Championship that season.
Trades sure do have a funny way of taking twists and turns, as Baltimore ended up with Jackson, a multiple-time Most Valuable Player in the NFL.
"We felt like what we were going to get at 32 would be a strength as well, so let's go add a second-round pick for next year," said Roseman in 2018. "We had a group of guys at 32 we would've been really excited about picking. Will they be there at 52?
"I don't know, but that helped us make the trade because we felt there's a cluster of guys that were together for us. We had an order of them, and we were ready to pick, but we're excited about going back and seeing if we can make magic happen."
Magic was made, even if it took a few seasons to come true.
That brings us to now. On Thursday night, the Eagles will again be in position to make a decision at No. 32 overall. Which direction will they take? In reality, it could take a season or two or three to evaluate fairly the decision the Eagles make.
