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If the Eagles want to trade up...

In 2009, the Eagles moved up two spots to draft Jeremy Maclin at No. 19, sending an additional sixth-round pick to the Browns.

The following year, they dealt a couple third-round picks to the Broncos and swapped the 24th selection for No. 13 to select Brandon Graham.

History shows they're not shy about moving up in the first round.

So the obvious question this year is: Will they stay put at No. 15? Or try to make a deal?

The Eagles have an extra second-round pick, thanks to last year's Kevin Kolb trade. I took a look at the draft trade chart, which assigns point values to different picks. The Eagles' first three picks - the 15th selection in the first round and the two second rounders (46 and 51 overall) - add up to 1,880 points.

Based on the chart, trading all three picks could get them to the fourth overall pick.

If the Eagles packaged their 15th pick with just one of the second-rounders, they could get to the No. 8 pick.

Of course, the draft chart only provides some guidelines. And as Andrew Brandt of the National Football Post pointed out, it's flawed this year since rookies won't be getting paid the same. The Eagles would have to find a willing trade partner, and as always, the market dictates everything. For example, SI.com's Peter King advises to throw away the chart when it comes to the No. 2 overall pick this year. That's because the Rams are likely to deal that pick to whichever team wants to make the most attractive bid to land Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III.

The Eagles created some buzz over the weekend when Griffin revealed that he met with the Birds at the combine. The Inquirer's Phil Sheridan wrote today about the possibility of the Eagles seriously considering moving up to land Griffin.

Meanwhile, King wrote that Griffin "really enjoyed his time" talking to Andy Reid.

And John Czarnecki of FoxSports.com gets the impression that Reid would trade Michael Vick straight up for RG3.

The truth is teams meeting with prospects at the combine is just part of the process. In the coming months, that process will continue, and select prospects will visit the Eagles' facility. Every year, there are prospects the team likes, but can't draft.

I wouldn't be surprised at all if Reid really likes Griffin. The charismatic and talented QB seems to be liked by most at this point, which is why the Rams are in great position to get teams into a bidding war for that No. 2 pick.

Having said that, I've reached the point where I won't rule anything out with the Eagles. Not after they surprised us with the Nnamdi Asomugha signing, the Michael Vick signing and the Donovan McNabb trade to the Redskins in recent years.

One other thing to keep in mind - not necessarily as it pertains to Griffin, but as it relates to draft trades - is that the Eagles are in position to trade players too. DeSean Jackson could be a trade chip if they franchise him. And Asante Samuel could be dealt too.

In other words, the Eagles have some pieces they can use to get creative and move up if they covet a prospect who is unlikely to last to the 15th pick.

If you missed my weekend posts, I offered some thoughts on the Eagles' quarterback situation as a whole and updated the most recent developments in the wide receiver market.

UPDATE (2:30 p.m.)

After checking out some of the comments, I wanted to clarify a few things about this post:

** The point was not to show the Eagles have enough chips to trade up to No. 2 and draft Griffin. I simply wanted to show that they do have some interesting assets if they want to move up in the first round. Like I mentioned, using the draft chart, even the 15th pick and both second-rounders would only get them to the fourth pick. And the value of the No. 2 pick is probably even greater this year because of Griffin.

** I've mentioned this several times in previous posts, but it bears repeating. Samuel is still a very good player, and cornerback tends to be a coveted position. But keep in mind that he is due a reported $9.5M next season and is 31. He is also most effective in a specific system, and not the most versatile defensive back.

As for Jackson, any team wanting to acquire him (assuming the Eagles use the franchise tag) would have to meet his (and Drew Rosenhaus') demands for a new contract.

So again, both Samuel and Jackson could be valuable trade chips. But the Eagles would need to find the right suitor for each.

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