Revisiting Yannick Ngakoue's Trade Demands

Even now, on the eve of the 2020 NFL Draft, the Eagles would be wise to see what it would take to pry the disgruntled pass rusher away from the Jaguars

It’s been a while since checking in on Jaguars defensive end Yannick Ngakoue.

The pass rusher, who has never had less than eight sacks in a season and only recently turned 25, still wants out of Jacksonville and is making his feelings about that known very clear, engaging in a Twitter feud with owner Shad Khan’s son, Tony, earlier in the week.

Ngakoue has tweeted out such things as #FREEYANN and on Monday this: “To my new future team whomever it may be. I can’t wait to bring great discipline, integrity, and work ethic to that new city. Wherever I may land your (sic) going to get the hardest working defensive end in the league!”

My colleague who covers the Jaguars for SI.com, John Shipley, talked about Ngakoue in this video:

/nfl/video/2020/04/21/yannick-ngakoue-twitter-fight

My stance on the Eagles sending their first-round pick to Jacksonville in this draft was made clear more than a month ago – do it.

Even now, on the eve of the 2020 NFL Draft, beginning with Thursday night’s first round (8 p.m.), my view has not changed.

As painful as it would be to sit out the first round, especially since it is so close, acquiring a not-yet-in-his-prime pass rusher with a track record of success is better than anything the Eagles could get with pick No. 21.

Maybe it wouldn’t cost this year’s No. 21. Perhaps the Eagles could send a No. 2 this year and next year as well as a player. The Jags need cornerbacks, right?

Philly could include Sidney Jones or Rasul Douglas and safety Rudy Ford or Marcus Epps.

There are ways to do it.

The Jaguars won’t give Ngakoue away, but they can’t hold on to him, either, though with Jacksonville, it wouldn’t be a surprise because they are an organization not known to be exactly player-friendly.

There has already been one trade that shook up the NFL world, when the Patriots sent tight end Rob Gronkowski to Tampa Bay along with a seventh-round pick and got a fourth-round pick back.

Trading Ngakoue wouldn’t reverberate as loudly as the Gronkowski deal did throughout the NFL world, but in Philadelphia it would be create some major shockwaves.