PHILADELPHIA -- Eagles faithful might want to avoid looking at the standings altogether this season, but if they must, it's best viewed from the bottom up.
Thanks to offseason trades with the Miami Dolphins and Indianapolis Colts, and slow starts from all parties involved, the Eagles are currently projected to have the sixth, 10th and 15th picks in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft, according to ESPN's Football Power Index (FPI). But if the season ended today, the Eagles would have the second, eighth and ninth picks.
How rare of territory is that?
Well, no team in the Common Draft Era (beginning in 1967) has had three top-10 picks in a single draft, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. The closest a team got to that was the 1967 Vikings, who picked three times in the top 15 (Alan Page, Clint Jones, Gene Washington).
The 1965 Bears were the last team to pick three times in the top 10, back when it was a 14-team league. They got Dick Butkus (No. 3), Gale Sayers (No. 4) and Steve DeLong (No. 6). Butkus and Sayers are Hall of Famers. DeLong went sixth overall in the American Football League draft as well and opted to play there with the Chargers.
That's quite a haul. While no one should reasonably expect a similar return in Philadelphia, it's at least fair to say that such an opportunity has the potential to alter the trajectory of your franchise. If FPI's projection holds and the Eagles don't get all three picks in the top 10, Philadelphia will still be the first team to have three selections in the top 15 in more than 50 years.
The debate about how the Eagles should use those first-round resources has already started. Should they try to acquire a star quarterback? Or is it better to move forward with incumbent QB Jalen Hurts, give him time to develop into a star himself and surround him with blue-chip prospects?
There's still plenty of season left before such questions are answered, and there are lots of variables at play that will determine the ultimate value of those draft choices. Here's a closer look at all three selections, including the teams' remaining strength of schedule and the likelihood those picks end up in the top-10.
Miami Dolphins (1-5)
Remaining SOS: 30th
Top-10 pick odds: 78%
Analysis: This is shaping up to be the Eagles' most valuable pick. They acquired it by trading down from No. 6 to 12 overall in last April's draft. Philadelphia then traded back into the top 10 to nab one of its top targets, receiver DeVonta Smith, while Miami selected his teammate at Alabama, Jaylen Waddle, sixth overall. Miami has played the fourth-most-difficult schedule to this point, according to ESPN Analytics, and now enters an easier stretch that includes two games against the New York Jets (1-4) and matchups against the Houston Texans (1-5) and New York Giants (1-5). There are plenty of winnable games ahead, but when you are one of the worst teams in the league, the opponent views the game the exact same way.
Indianapolis Colts (2-4)
Remaining SOS: 27th
Top-10 pick odds: 26%
Analysis: This is the biggest wild card in the bunch. The conditional pick was acquired when the Eagles dealt Carson Wentz to Indianapolis, and it is tied to his playing time. It becomes a first-rounder if Wentz plays at least 75% of the Colts' offensive snaps, or if he plays a minimum of 70% of the snaps and the Colts reach the playoffs. Otherwise, it's a second-rounder. This is such a point of interest in Philadelphia that multiple outlets created a Wentz snap tracker. To date, he has played close to 99% of the snaps despite offseason foot surgery and multiple ankle sprains. A Week 6 win against the Texans moved Indy up three spots to 15th in ESPN's Football Power Index. With two games remaining against the Jacksonville Jaguars (1-5) as well as a rematch against the Texans and a home tilt against the Jets still on the docket, the Colts are the biggest threat to Philadelphia missing out on the top-10 trifecta.
Philadelphia Eagles (2-4)
Remaining SOS: 31st
Top-10 pick odds: 43.9%
Analysis: The Eagles have played the third-hardest schedule to this point, a slate that included last year's Super Bowl representatives, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs. That was no help as first-year head coach Nick Sirianni and the 23-year-old Hurts tried to get their footing. It's an easier climb from here. They still play the Giants and Washington (2-4) twice and also have the Lions (0-6) and Jets. The Eagles don't get on a plane after Nov. 15. But injuries have hit both the offensive and defensive lines. The offense has been in a rut the past couple of weeks, thanks in part to questionable playcalling by Sirianni. It's to be determined how the players will respond to their coach now that the pressure has been ratcheted up.