Last season, he jumped up two spots from the 21st pick to grab wide receiver Jeremy Maclin. In 2004, he advanced 12 places to get offensive lineman Shawn Andrews at 16th overall. The year before, Reid went after defensive end Jerome McDougle, moving from the 30th pick to the 15th.
Eagles general manager Howie Roseman has been banging away on his BlackBerry looking for a trade partner. Kansas City GM Scott Pioli reportedly has been shopping the fifth overall pick, but it could cost the Eagles a number of their 10 overall picks.
A more realistic match could come with teams slotted to select from No. 10 to No. 12 – Jacksonville, Denver and Miami. Safety Earl Thomas (Texas), cornerback Joe Haden (Florida), and defensive end Derrick Morgan (Georgia Tech) could be still be available by then, and they are players the Eagles are believed to covet.
"I think you [trade up] on a case-by-case basis," Roseman said last week. "By the same token, if you see somebody who's just a great value, and obviously we have the ammunition to do some things, you don't want to be sitting on your hands."
Trading up can excite a fan base, although it doesn't necessarily guarantee success (see: McDougle). Trading down could mean the Eagles would go the first day of the draft without a pick. But it may be the prescient move in a draft considered to be deep.
In 2007 and 2008, Reid traded out of the first round, each time receiving three draft choices in return. With as many as 23 roster spots to fill by next week's minicamp, the Eagles will get several players over the next three days - probably not by the conventional route, though.
As one member of the Eagles' front office recently said, "I'm not sure if we'll pick where we are now, but I feel fairly confident we'll use all of our picks."
