Report Says Eagles Passed on 35th Pick for Foles
PHILADELPHIA (973espn.com) - The Eagles passed on significant value for Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles, according to a report from the NFL Network.
The Cleveland Browns offered the No. 35 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft for Foles before the start of the new league year and Philadelphia turned it down after running the scenario by Foles, who expressed a desire to remain with the Eagles even though Carson Wentz will return to the starting position once healthy.
Once rebuffed the Browns went to Plan B for their bridge quarterback, acquiring former Buffalo starter Tyrod Taylor. The Eagles, meanwhile reworked Foles' deal, giving him a $2M bonus and the opportunity to earn significantly more if he plays, an unlikely scenario with Wentz seemingly well ahead of schedule in his return from a torn ACL and LCL.
Georgia RB Nick Chubb was ultimately selected by Cleveland at No. 35 and the players that went directly after and would have been available to the Eagles were South Carolina State LB Darius Leonard, Auburn OG Braden Smith, Southern Cal RB Ronald Jones, and Iowa C James Daniels.
An NFL source told 973espn.com that the Eagles had significant interest in Jones.
-John McMullen covers the Eagles and the NFL for 973espn.com. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
Want more NFL? Check out John's piece on why the comparison between Jared Goff and Mitchell Trubisky needs a little more nuance at GetMoreSports.com.