The Eagles have entered the Jeremiah Smith, No. 1 pick sweepstakes

The Philadelphia Eagles find themselves in a situation that would have been unimaginable a few weeks ago.

The Eagles — Super Bowl champions two years ago, back-to-back winners of the NFC East and a model of success in the NFL — have a better chance of landing the No. 1 overall pick in the 2027 draft than they do winning their division.

It’s true. After Sunday night’s embarrassing loss to the Washington Commanders, the Eagles are on a six-game losing streak with a 2-6 overall record.

Their chances of winning a wide-open (and frankly, bad) NFC East sit at 1%. Their chances of having the top pick in April’s draft? That would be 11%, according to The Athletic.

As we near the midway point of the 2026 season, that puts Howie Roseman and the Eagles in the conversation to land a generational player: Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith.

It’s crazy that we’re at this point. But with Jalen Hurts out for the year, injuries taking their toll, the offense sputtering and the defense crumbling, it’s hard to see where the Eagles are going to pick up any more wins this year.

The Eagles have a minus-65 point differential through eight games, their worst at any point this century. And they’ve been outgained by 816 yards, second-worst in the league only to the 1-7 Tennessee Titans.

Fittingly, the Titans are one of the teams that could secure that coveted No. 1 pick in the draft.

Tennessee has the best odds (34%) of “earning” the No. 1 overall pick, followed by the 0-7 Los Angeles Chargers (23%) and the 1-6 Miami Dolphins (16%). Then, it’s the Eagles.

No one wants to root for the Eagles to tank. But with the way they’re playing, there’s no need to even root for the Eagles to lose. With how this team is constructed and performing, a Heisman Trophy favorite might just fall into their laps.

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Is wide receiver a top need for this team? With DeVonta Smith under contract and having just selected Makai Lemon in the first round, not necessarily.

Watching both the offensive line struggle mightily and the pass rush fail to produce pressure week after week have many thinking the Eagles should address the trenches.

But Smith is good enough to hand wave any arguments against pursuing him.

Through eight games, Smith’s receiving yards (1,067) and touchdowns (13) rank second among all FBS players. He’s been just as dominant this season as he was in 2024, when he was a freshman lighting it up for the national champions, and in 2025, when he was a Heisman dark horse.

Now, Smith has the second-best odds to win the Heisman Trophy, behind only Miami quarterback Darian Mensah — who has also been projected as a possible Eagles draft pick.

Smith, whose 40 career receiving TDs are the most by any Big Ten player, has more than the stats in his favor. The athletic freak and unbelievable route-runner has been arguably the best player in college football the last three years. Smith has been compared to Julio Jones, and that’s not outlandish.

Before the season, it would have been outlandish to suggest that the Eagles would be in the Smith sweepstakes this year. But here they are, on the cusp of the trade deadline as sellers with no real way to stop the bleeding.

Even if the Eagles don’t secure the No. 1 overall pick — maybe they win a game or two and remain in the top five — Roseman has the draft war chest to move up for him, if the Titans or Dolphins are willing to play ball.

The Eagles are listed at +1150 to secure the first overall pick in the 2027 NFL Draft on Kalshi. Our complete Kalshi review shows you how to sign up and navigate their platform. Also, visit our college football futures guide to learn more about how to bet on college football.

After trading A.J. Brown and Cam Jurgens for 2028 first-round and second-round picks, Roseman has the flexibility to theoretically do whatever he wants in this upcoming draft.

The Eagles could take one of the highly-touted quarterbacks — perhaps Mensah or Oklahoma State’s Drew Mestemaker — to be Hurts’ long-term replacement.

Maybe they eye Texas edge rusher Colin Simmons, South Carolina edge rusher Dylan Stewart or LSU offensive tackle Jordan Seaton.

Or maybe — just maybe — the Eagles will be in position to select Smith, who would be the ultimate silver lining out of a hellish season.

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