Eagles Have Another Convincing Victory Over Cowboys With Draft Day Trade -- Even With a Slight Overpay

The optics appear the Philadelphia Eagles gave up a lot in their draft-day trade with the Dallas Cowboys in Round 1. And they did.

A first-round pick and both fourth-round picks to move up three spots in the draft? That's a lot of capital to part ways with to be aggressive for one player.

That player was one the Eagles wanted -- Makai Lemon -- who significantly fell due to the run of offensive linemen taken and the Los Angeles Rams pulling off the stunner of the draft in selecting Ty Simpson.

This became the Eagles gain, as Lemon was a top-15 player on their board. They couldn't pass him up if they could get him. If the Eagles saw an opportunity to move up a few spots and get Lemon, they had to strike.

The Cowboys weren't taking Leon at No. 20, and the Steelers revealed they wanted Lemon at No. 21 (actually picked hem when the Eagles traded up).

How did the Eagles and Cowboys fare in this draft-day trade?

Eagles: A

Received: 2026 first-round pick (No. 20 overall), 2027 seventh-round pick

I like the player the Eagles selected in Lemon. The Eagles needed a WR2 with the impending trade of A.J. Brown, who won't be in Philadelphia after June 1. Philadelphia has been aggressive in replenishing the wide receiver position this offseason and added significant depth behind Smith in Lemon, Dontayvion Wicks, and Hollywood Brown.

Not only did the Eagles improve the depth at wide receiver, but they got cheaper at that position as well. Smith and Lemon are locked in together for the next three seasons (Lemon's rookie deal ends in 2029) and the Smith, Lemon, and Wicks trio are together for three years.

As for the fourth-round picks the Eagles gave up? Not a significant deal, since this draft class isn't as deep as in years past. The Eagles would rather have a bunch of picks in the 2027 and 2028 draft classes, which the talent pool is deeper on Day 3.

Why be married to a fourth-round pick anyway? The last five Eagles fourth-round picks are K'Von Wallace (2020), Zech McPhearson (2021), Kelee Ringo (2023), Will Shipley (2024), and Ty Robinson (2025). Ringo is far and away the best of the bunch, and he's an elite special teamer.

The Eagles did give up a lot to move up three spots, according to the draft value chart, but it was a price willing to be paid for a top-15 player on their board. Recent history shows when the Eagles trade up in Round 1, they land a premium player.

Cowboys: B+

The Cowboys made a good trade here. Dallas wasn't taking Lemon at No. 20 and the Cowboys were looking to replensih the pass rush anyway. They could afford to acquire more picks and select a pass rusher later in the first round.

Sure Dallas could have taken Lemon, especially with the ongoing George Pickens saga. Perhaps the Cowboys don't have the foresight to envision what becomes of giving Pickens the tag and how they handled the tag with other stars over the past few years, but that's how business is conducted in Dallas.

The Cowboys loved Malachi Lawrence, and it was no secret, Lawrence is a good pass rusher, even if he won't fill the void left when Dallas traded Micah Parsons. The comparisons to Josh Sweat are valid, and new defensive coordinator Christian Parker knows how good of a player Sweat was from his time in Philadelphia.

Lawrence will be a good player for the Cowboys, and Dallas added two fourth-round picks on top of drafting him. How valuable those picks are will be determined in time, but Dallas only had one pick between No. 20 and No. 112. They needed more draft picks to fill some holes on the roster, even in a weaker draft class than in years past.

The Cowboys have three fourth-round picks now. If one of them hits with Lawrence, this was a good trade for Dallas.

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