Thanks to a rough start to the offseason that’s featured more net losses than gains in free agency, the Philadelphia Eagles have a number of thin position groups entering the 2025 NFL Draft, specifically on defense.
Philly’s offense is in much better shape, as GM Howie Roseman has made it a point to pay his top talent on that side of the ball. Tight end, however, could be a wild-card position to fill on draft weekend, as starter Dallas Goedert has reportedly been on the trade block and Eagles’ brass has done little to squash those rumors in recent spots with the media.
Roseman, for example, was asked during his pre-draft presser on Tuesday about how Goedert’s uncertain situation with the team could affect the team’s draft plans. Roseman’s response? “It doesn’t really affect us.”
“We try to do as much as we can at any position in free agency to try to make sure that we're not in a position where there are needs,” Roseman added. “Of course, we're not a perfect team and there's always going to be areas that we're looking to improve. Honestly, that's going to happen even the day after the draft. We're going to continue to have areas that when we look at our depth chart, we'll go, 'Man, it would be great to add a player here.' The player acquisition period is a huge part of it, but it's certainly not the end."
If reports of Goedert being on the trade block were being overblown, Roseman could have easily squashed that question by talking up the player and his importance to the roster. He, nor head coach Nick Sirianni, have done that so far this offseason, making it feel more and more likely that Philly will dump its starting tight end on draft weekend, most likely for a Day 3 pick.
With that motive in mind, Vinnie Iyer of The Sporting News believes the Eagles will take an aggressive line for Goedert’s successor — as in targeting one of the draft’s phenom talents at pick No. 32 overall. In his latest three-round projections, Iyer has former Michigan star Colston Loveland falling into Philly’s lap at the final pick of the first round:
“The Eagles need to think about the future of tight end beyond Dallas Goedert,” Iyer wrote, “and Loveland would be a nice third target to groom between A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.”
This hypothetical represents a luxury pick for Philly, which has much bigger needs on defense such as EDGE, defensive tackle, safety and cornerback. Georgia safety Malaki Starks has been a popular projection to the Eagles on Day 1, potentially in a trade up the board, and the team could also be looking for an instant replacement for Josh Sweat or Milton Williams up front.
Offensive guard is another key position of need for the Eagles after 2024 starter Mekhi Becton left for the Los Angeles Chargers in free agency. The team has done its homework on offensive linemen throughout the pre-draft process, so a guard or tackle is also very much in play at the end of Round 1.
Here are all of Philadelphia’s reported visits in a concise graphic that also includes each player’s ranking according to the NFL Mock Draft Database’s consensus big board.
— Anthony DiBona (@DiBonaNFL) April 16, 2025
Utilizing the consensus big board, I assigned a projected round to each player as well. Enjoy! pic.twitter.com/FodD7RhX54
Loveland’s production was hardly off the charts in 2024, as he saw year-over-year declines in yards (582), yards per reception (10.4) and receiving touchdowns (5). Michigan’s passing offense overall ranked 131st in the nation, however, and scouts love Loveland’s route-running and pass-catching upside as a former wide receiver. At 6-foot-5, 245-pounds, he could potentially be a monster in the middle of the field for quarterback Jalen Hurts, working off superstar wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. Frankly, most draft pundits have Loveland going off the board inside the top 20 selections next week.
The Eagles added a pair of free agent tight ends in Harrison Bryant and Kylen Granson, but if Goedert is really on the move, the team will need to find his replacement in this draft. The chance to land arguably the best all-around tight end in this year’s class would be a home-run scenario that Roseman could have a hard time passing up, if Loveland indeed falls to the 32nd overall pick.
