Eagles acquire DT Timmy Jernigan from Baltimore, move down 25 spots in third round

The Eagles acquired defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan from the Baltimore Ravens on Tuesday for an exchange of 2017 third-round picks. The Eagles dealt the No. 74 overall pick and received the No. 99 overall pick, so they will add a potential starting defensive tackle by moving down 25 spots in the third round.

Jernigan, 24, was a 2014 second-round pick out of Florida State who has started 24 games in three seasons with the Ravens. He has 13 career sacks, including five last season. That would have ranked third on the Eagles.

He played his first three seasons in a 3-4 defense as a defensive end, and he comes to a 4-3 defense in which he can play defensive tackle. Jernigan is 6-foot-2 and 295 pounds and will likely compete with Beau Allen for a starting job. The Eagles lost Bennie Logan in free agency.

The Eagles will need to wait 55 picks in between their second-round pick at No. 43 overall and their third-round pick.

"It was hard to move down in the third round, but we believe in building along the lines, and he is a good fit for our scheme," Howie Roseman, the Eagles executive vice president of football operations, said in a statement. "At 24-years old, his best football is still ahead of him. We still have at least one pick in every round and eight total picks in the draft that will take place in Philadelphia in front of our fans in a few weeks."

The Eagles front office has a background with Jernigan. Joe Douglas and Andy Weidl, two of the team's key front office voices, were in Baltimore when the Ravens selected Jernigan.

That will be important intelligence because there was a reason the Ravens parted with a 24-year-old starter. Jernigan is a free agent at the end of the next season, and he was reportedly unhappy at the end of last season with a reduced role during a slump.

For the Eagles, dropping 25 picks was a sensible price to pay for a proven interior pass rusher who can fit a need for the Eagles. In addition to the 13 career sacks, he has nine tackles, three passes defensed, one interception and one fumble recovery in 43 regular-season games. He won a national championship at Florida State, where he was a key contributor at nose tackle.

The team has replaced Logan and Connor Barwin with Jernigan and Chris Long — both more cost-effective options — and appear to have a stable top six on their defensive line leading up to the draft.