Even with NFL's best record, Eagles fans have reason to dream over mock drafts

The New Orleans Saints' collapse on Monday night had to be a thing of beauty for Philadelphia Eagles fans. 

Thanks to a pre-draft trade last year, the Eagles are the owners of the Saints' 2023 first-round pick. Every New Orleans loss pushes Philadelphia further and further up the draft board. 

That puts the Eagles in the unique position of having the league's best record while also having a chance to land one of the top picks in the following draft class. 

As of Tuesday, that Saints pick would be a top-five selection (No. 5 overall) in the 2023 draft and would give the Eagles countless options to add to what is already a legit Super Bowl contender. Especially if there is a run on quarterbacks (a position the Eagles do not need) ahead of them. 

If the Saints keep losing, it could put the Eagles in a position where they could add somebody like defensive tackle Jalen Carter (a college teammate of 2022 first-round pick Jordan Davis), an elite edge rusher like Myles Murphy or Tyree Wilson or perhaps even a top cornerback like Kelee Ringo. They have a chance to not only win the Super Bowl, but also add a franchise player the following offseason. 

All of it is a continuing reminder of just how much the Eagles and general manager Howie Roseman dominated the 2022 draft. 

The Eagles were armed with multiple first-round picks and utilized several trades to turn those picks into A.J. Brown (in a trade with the Tennessee Titans), Davis and a 2023 pick that is almost guaranteed to be in the top 10 and perhaps even in the top five. It would have been difficult to extract move value out of those picks. 

The Brown trade was brought back to the front-burner this past week when he torched his former team in a blowout Eagles win on Sunday. It might not be a coincidence that just two days later the Titans fired the general manager that made the trade. 

But it is that Saints pick that is really intriguing now. Especially with their remaining schedule. 

The Saints have lost four out of their past five games (with the only win coming over a Rams team that is decimated by injuries and falling apart) and still have games remaining against Atlanta, Cleveland and Philadelphia. Despite their bad records, the Browns and Falcons still have slim playoff hopes and will have something to play for, while the Eagles can further improve that draft position on the Saints pick by beating them on New Years Day in Philadelphia.