How the Eagles' tanking the last game affected the entire NFC East in the draft

Now that the NFL draft is over, we can finally see the permutations from a decision to "tank" the fourth quarter of a meaningless regular season finale for the Eagles that completed a moribund 4-11-1 season.

The immediate result was Washington, by holding on to beat the Eagles 20-14, won the NFC East while the Giants missed the playoffs. Had the Eagles won the game, then the Giants would have won the NFC East with a 6-10 record and Washington would have missed the playoffs.

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For the Eagles, the loss meant that they improved their draft position from ninth in the first round to sixth.

As it turned out, the Eagles helped themselves in a lot of ways, beginning with getting the same player that they would have gotten whether they won that last game or lost in Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith.

1. More draft picks

The Eagles traded the No. 6 pick to Miami for the No. 12 pick. In that deal, the Eagles also swapped their fifth-round pick for Miami's fourth-round pick. They're also getting the Dolphins' first-round pick in 2022.

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If the Eagles had stayed at No. 6, they likely would have taken Smith because the top two receivers were gone in Florida tight end Kyle Pitts, who went No. 4 to Atlanta, and LSU wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase, who went No. 5 to Cincinnati.

Miami, with the Eagles' pick at No. 6, took Smith's teammate, wide receiver Jaylen Waddle. It's possible, and likely, that the Eagles had Smith rated higher than Waddle.

Sure, the Eagles could have gone with offensive tackle Penei Sewell, or either cornerback Jaycee Horn or Patrick Surtain, at No. 6. But it seemed like Smith was their guy all along.

"DeVonta was standing out on our board, his grade, the type of player he is, the type of person he is, so we just wanted to make sure we got him," Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said. "Just really think he can be a difference-maker on and off the field for our football team."

That's a net gain of a first-round pick in 2022, plus picking in the fourth round instead of the fifth. The Eagles used that fourth-round pick on Texas Tech cornerback Zech McPhearson.

2. Trading back up ahead of Giants

As it turned out, the Eagles had to move back up to get Smith once the Eagles realized the Giants were going to take him at No. 11.

So Roseman made a deal with Dallas to get to No. 10. 

Once Horn and Surtain, who went eighth and ninth, respectively, were taken, the Cowboys switched their attention to Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons. They knew the Giants and Eagles weren't going to take him.

The Cowboys moved back two spots, got the player they wanted, and an extra third-round pick from the Eagles.

For the Eagles, the third-round pick was the pick they received from Indianapolis (No. 84 overall) in the Carson Wentz trade. They still have a second-round pick from the Colts in 2022, which can become a first-round pick depending on how much Wentz plays.

As for the Giants, they compensated for losing out on Smith by trading back with the Bears and getting an extra first and fifth-round pick. They also received the Bears' fourth-round pick in 2022. 

With the Bears' pick at No. 20, the Giants took wide receiver in Kadarius Toney. If he turns out better than Smith, then the Giants will have done extremely well. But many draft experts projected Toney as a second-rounder.

The Giants used the fifth-round pick from the trade with the Bears as part of a package to move up five spots in the third round to select cornerback Aaron Robinson.

3. Passing on a QB

It became evident that the Eagles weren't taking a quarterback unless it was either Trevor Lawrence or Zach Wilson, who went 1-2 to the Jaguars and Jets, respectively.

One of the main reasons Roseman made the trade with the Dolphins was because Miami had already traded with the 49ers, with the Dolphins going from No. 3 to No. 12. The 49ers then took North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance.

At that point, if the Eagles really wanted a quarterback, they could have picked Justin Fields at No. 6, No. 9 or No. 10.

Even if they had stayed at No. 12, it's possible they could have taken Fields because the Giants would have taken Smith rather than trading with the Bears. 

4. The NFC East effect

By tanking the fourth quarter, Washington turned out to be the loser in the scenario. Sure, the Football Team got the automatic playoff berth with a 7-9 record. Predictably, it turned out to be brief as Washington lost in the first round to eventual Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay.

But Washington needed a quarterback in the draft. And by picking 19th for making the playoffs instead of 11th, Washington missed out on both Fields and Mac Jones, who went at No. 15 to New England.

Instead, Washington took linebacker Jamin Davis. And Washington's quarterback this season will be 38-year-old Ryan Fitzpatrick.

Dallas wasn't affected at all by the Eagles losing the last game, and ended up with an extra third-round pick by making the trade with the Eagles. The Giants, albeit angry at missing the playoffs, ended up faring better by using the better draft position to get a wide receiver and an extra first-round pick in 2022.

So the decision to tank the fourth quarter by the Eagles ended up helping them, the Giants and Dallas, but not Washington.

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