Philadelphia Eagles GM Howie Roseman reveals he tried to trade up countless times in NFL draft first round, aggressively trying to land one player

Howie Roseman and the Philadelphia Eagles are always active in the NFL draft, and fans were somewhat surprised to see that he only moved by one spot in the first round. In the latest episode of Unscripted, it became clear that Roseman had tried desperately to trade up further.

As one of the most active General Managers in the NFL, Roseman seemed quieter than usual during the 2025 draft. The Philadelphia Eagles moved up one spot to #31 to select Jihaad Campbell, who had dropped in the first round.

Howie Roseman was working the phones all night for one player

The Philadelphia Eagles sat at 32 in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft, with the Super Bowl champions’ privilege of owning the last pick. GM Howie Roseman has been known for making aggressive moves in the draft, which left fans surprised not to see him take action until the 31st pick.

Roseman eventually traded with the Kansas City Chiefs GM Brett Veach, to select Jihaad Campbell, the linebacker out of Alabama. Philadelphia traded their 5th-round pick, #164 to the Chiefs, as well as swapping picks in the first round.

As it turned out, the calls had really started at pick 25, with the Eagles GM calling Nick Caserio and the Houston Texans about a potential trade.

He wasn’t the only one, with the New York Giants submitting what was described as ‘something better’ to come up to that 25th overall spot.

Joe Schoen and the Giants then selected their franchise quarterback in Jaxson Dart, leaving Roseman’s target on the board.

He called the Rams at #26, they too got a better offer. The Atlanta Falcons sent a haul of picks that included their 2026 first-rounder, to trade up and select James Pearce Jr.

Roseman wasn’t giving up, though. He called the Washington Commanders at #29. They turned him down with GM Adam Peters referencing a ‘division tax’ that put the price up on a potential trade.

Eventually, he got on the board at #31, and after making the call to let Jihaad Campbell know he was going to be a Philadelphia Eagle, the word reverberating around the room was patience.

Howie Roseman had been trying to trade up for Campbell several picks earlier. He had been the guy the Eagles GM wanted all along, and all it ended up costing him was a fifth-round draft pick.

Jihaad Campbell slipped in the draft due to injury concerns

There are a couple of medical concerns with Jihaad Campbell that led to him being available at pick #31.

The Alabama linebacker is coming back from shoulder surgery, and has issues with both shoulders as it is. Some teams believed that he has a degenerative knee issue, similar to that that caused cornerback Will Johnson to slide all the way into round two.

While many other teams need to make sure their first-round draft picks are completely air-tight, Howie Roseman and the Philadelphia Eagles have the kind of roster that allows them the flexibility to take more risks. If Jihaad Campbell ends up healthy and plays a decade in the NFL, Philly got a great deal.

The behind the scenes of the NFL draft is always fascinating, but Howie Roseman got his guy. Other teams were giving up first-round picks to trade up into the first round, while he dished a fifth-rounder for a blue-chip talent.