Philadelphia Eagles: Top trade-up targets in 2020 NFL Draft

The defensive line seems to be one of those positions that Roseman can never get enough of. Not only does the Philadelphia Eagles general manager keep four elite starters on the roster. They also like to keep four back-ups that would be legitimate starters on any other NFL team. This is the reason the defensive line looks fresh going into the fourth quarter of most games and finds pressure on almost every play.

The Philadelphia Eagles and their defensive end roster, while elite, is still missing a comparably good back-up player. Starters Brandon Graham and Derek Barnett are great pass-rushers, but Graham is 31-years old and Barnett is in the fourth year of his rookie deal. Barnett had 6.5 sacks in 2019 and 22 quarterback hits. Graham had 8.5 sacks and 17 quarterback hits, including 15 tackles for a loss. Both edge rushers are elite but whether Barnett remains past 2020 is a mystery.

Behind Barnett and Graham is where the trouble starts to come in. Josh Sweat has been injured a lot of his NFL career, having missed half of his rookie season in 2018. He was available in every game in 2019 but logged in only 10 quarterback hits and four sacks, albeit on only 35 percent of the defensive snaps, per Pro Football Reference.

Barnett has also been an injury risk, having missed eight games in 2018 and has been absent from the last two playoff campaigns in 2018 and 2019. If Roseman and the Philadelphia Eagles are planning on moving off of Barnett or planning for the day Graham retires, they may want to think about drafting an elite edge rusher in 2020.

Roseman has drafted four defensive line players in the first round since taking over as general manager in 2010. He is always adding extra defensive tackles to the roster even though he has one of the top five players at that position (Fletcher Cox) in the NFL on a long-term deal. It is not a stretch to imagine Roseman wanting to get better production on the outside.

If we’re talking about defensive end talent in the 2020 NFL Draft, outside of Chase Young no one compares to A.J. Epenesa from the Iowa Hawkeyes. Measuring in at the Combine at 6-foot-5, 275-pounds, Epenesa has three solid seasons of productive pass-rushing for the Hawkeyes on his résumé. He has the physical traits and power off the edge to keep offensive tackles guessing in the NFL.

He is currently listed 19th on the PFF Big Board, making him a selection just two draft picks before the Philadelphia Eagles first-rounder. The nineteenth draft pick this year is held by the Las Vegas Raiders. The good news for Roseman is that the nineteenth pick is the Raiders’ second first-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

The even better news is the Raiders only have seven picks this year and plenty of holes on the roster. For the Raiders to get another dip in the 2020 draft pool, Roseman will have to sell moving back two spots to their general manager, to get their second-favorite player in the first round. Raiders general manager Mike Mayock is a Philly guy and has connections with the Philadelphia Eagles front office. If Roseman wants to get Epenesa it could be done.

With Epenesa, the Philadelphia Eagles defensive line would be the complete package on all sides. Short of injuries, almost no running lane would be open and time to pass numbers would likely go down across the board for opposing quarterbacks. Epenesa was a prodigious edge defender in college, holding down the Hawkeyes defensive line since 2018.

In two seasons Epenesa has racked up 22 sacks and 30 tackles for a loss. That’s two seasons of back-to-back double-digit sack seasons. Not to mention he finished his college career with 101 total tackles, along with nine forced fumbles.

Roseman clearly values the defensive line more than any other defensive position. He firmly believes that pressure and pass-rush set the tone in the NFL. It would be an embarrassment of riches on the defensive line if the Philadelphia Eagles drafted Epenesa.

Roseman has only drafted one player in his nine seasons as the general manager that did not play an offensive or defensive line position in the first-round. And that was for Carson Wentz.

If history is any indicator, there is a good chance Roseman does it again. If he chooses a defensive lineman, moving up to get Epenesa would be a relatively cheap and smart move.