Philadelphia Eagles trade up in the first round, draft Alabama WR DeVonta Smith at No. 10

As it turns out, the Eagles will once again face a wide receiver comparison, but this time it will be two Alabama teammates after the Eagles traded up two spots with the rival Dallas Cowboys to take DeVonta Smith.

The Eagles sent their pick at No. 12 and the second of the Eagles' two third-round picks at No. 84 overall. The Eagles got that pick when they traded quarterback Carson Wentz to the Indianapolis Colts.

The Eagles were clearly afraid that the New York Giants at No. 11 were going to take Smith.

So they moved ahead of the Giants to get Smith, the Heisman Trophy winner, who had 1,856 yards receiving last season for the national champion Crimson Tide.

Smith's size, however, has been an issue as he reportedly weighed in at 166 pounds when he was measured two weeks ago in Indianapolis.

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For the Eagles to get the player they wanted, several things had to fall their way.

That began a month ago, when the Eagles initially traded down from No. 6 to No. 12 only minutes after the 49ers traded up to No. 3, thereby ensuring that quarterbacks would be taken with the first three picks.

The comparisons with whom the Eagles could have taken at No. 6 weren't with Florida tight end Kyle Pitts, who went No. 4 to Atlanta, followed by LSU wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase, who went No. 5 to Cincinnati.

Instead, it was with Smith's teammate at Alabama in Jaylen Waddle, who went No. 6 to Miami.

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Both Waddle and Smith caught passes from current Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. 

"I know for sure we're going to work every day," Smith said about reuniting with Hurts. "We're ready."

The trade up with the Cowboys was necessitated when two of the top five quarterbacks were not taken in the top 10. Both Carolina at No. 8 and Denver at No. 9 instead took cornerbacks Jaycee Horn and Patrick Surtain, respectively.

The Cowboys, at No. 10, were no doubt hoping to draft one of the cornerbacks, while the Giants, at No. 11, could have taken Smith.

After Smith was taken, the Giants traded back with the Chicago Bears so the Bears could take quarterback Justin Fields.

The Eagles desperately needed a playmaking wide receiver. In the previous two drafts, the Eagles got burned at the position when they took Jalen Reagor in the first round in 2020 and J.J. Arcega-Whiteside in 2019 over Justin Jefferson and DK Metcalf, respectively.

Arcega-Whiteside has 14 receptions in two seasons, while Reagor missed five games with a thumb injury and had just 396 yards receiving. Jefferson had 1,400, setting an NFL rookie record.

Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @Mfranknfl.