Philadelphia Eagles GM Howie Roseman loves to swing trades and move around the draft board, and he may have hinted at more Day 1 fireworks for 2025 when he told reporters this week: “We don’t have 32 first-round grades in this draft.”
If that’s not a signal that Roseman will be looking to make a move at pick No. 32 overall, we’re not sure what is.
The Eagles currently hold eight selections in the 2025 NFL Draft, but four of them are in the fifth round. Their three top-100 picks (Nos. 32, 64 and 96) could be improved by trading back into Day 2.
Of course, a move up the draft board is always in play, and analyst Chad Reuter of NFL.com predicts the Eagles will swap Day 2 picks with the Los Angeles Rams for breakout Ole Miss defensive lineman Walter Nolen:
“Nolen’s quickness and motor would make him a perfect replacement for Milton Williams, who left in free agency after helping power the Eagles’ Super Bowl run,” Reuter wrote. “Philadelphia sends its second-rounder to the Rams for this pick and a third-round selection.”
Replacing Williams will be a must in this draft, as Philly lacks depth behind Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Moro Ojomo and Thomas Booker IV. Davis’ looming fifth-year option should create even more urgency to reinforce the defensive line.
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Nolen was able to boost his draft stock after transferring to Mississippi from Texas A&M in 2024, piling up 35 total pressures and six sacks as an interior pass rusher. His work in the run game also can’t be ignored, as PFF gave Nolen an elite 91.6 grade in that category.
The Rams, meanwhile, land a key replacement of their own in star Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden III in Reuter’s projections. Burden would slot in immediately alongside Puka Nacua after the team cut ties with Cooper Kupp this offseason.
Los Angeles currently doesn’t have a second-round pick, so in this hypothetical, they turn their third-rounder, No. 90 overall, into Philly’s second-round pick, No. 64. While Nolen is a fine prospect, bowing out of the second round completely doesn’t make a ton of sense for the Eagles, given their limited draft capital inside the top-100 this year, and Roseman’s elite track record of landing impact starters in the second round:
Howie doesn’t miss in the 2nd round ?#FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/mQepxvGF4l
— The Philly Times ? (@the_phi_times) April 17, 2025
Unless there’s a home-run prospect on the board, like Georgia safety Malaki Starks, expect the Eagles to consider trading back from pick No. 32 overall.
