Will the Eagles trade up in the draft? | Sports Daily Newsletter

We’ve known for a while that the 2022 NFL draft would be one that really could help transform the Eagles. At one point, they had three first-round picks, and, after a trade, they still have two in the middle of the first round. What Howie Roseman does with those picks is crucial, and what we do know is he loves to make a deal.

The Eagles have what it takes to move up in the draft, and that could very well happen to snap up their most coveted prospect. They have the motive and the means to do so.

Does that mean they end up with Georgia defensive tackle Jordan Davis? Or even Oregon defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux? In Las Vegas, numerous top prospects, including Davis, had nice things to say about the idea that they might join the Eagles. But what matters is who Roseman really wants and if the GM will trade up to get that player.

— Inquirer Sports Staff, @phillysport

If you were Roseman, whom would you select as your two first-round picks?: sports.daily@inquirer.com

The Eagles have holes to fill at defensive back. There are question marks at safety. And there’s a need at cornerback as well.

No, the team doesn’t have a history of using an early-round pick to draft a safety, but this might be the year for it. Notre Dame’s Kyle Hamilton could fall to the Eagles, and there are options in the middle rounds as well.

And at cornerback, while Darius Slay is coming off a Pro Bowl season, there is room for a young player to grow into a larger role. At that position, a number of prospects could be a fit for the Eagles, including LSU’s Derek Stingley Jr.

Next: The NFL draft’s first round starts at 8 tonight, with the event in Las Vegas and televised on 6ABC, ESPN, and the NFL Network.

First, the adoption of the designated hitter in the National League this season allowed the Phillies to land two defensively challenged, power-hitting outfielders in free agency. Now it’s keeping the reigning NL MVP off the injured list. “Thank God for the DH,” manager Joe Girardi said. Being able to keep Bryce Harper’s bat in the lineup while he deals with a strained right elbow certainly is a huge benefit of the DH for the Phillies, but locking him into that spot does present some other challenges.

Harper tested his arm by throwing again Wednesday, and there still is no timetable for his return to right field.

He is still hitting in the DH spot, though. Harper had three hits Wednesday night as the Phillies handled the Rockies again, 7-3.

Next: The Phillies wrap up their four-game series against Colorado today at 1:05 p.m. (NBCSP). Zack Wheeler (0-3, 8.53 ERA) will go against Rockies left-hander Austin Gomber (1-1, 4.20).

The 76ers find themselves in an elimination game. Again. The Sixers lost Games 4 and 5 after taking a 3-0 lead over the Toronto Raptors, squandering back-to-back opportunities to close out the series and advance to the second round.

In the aftermath of those defeats, the Sixers were honest. They admitted that the Raptors played with more of a sense of urgency as they fought to extend their playoff lives. But coach Doc Rivers knows his team has to change that in Game 6, and he, along with Danny Green and Tobias Harris, vowed to match the Raptors’ intensity in Game 6.

Mike Sielski writes that the time for excuses from Rivers is up: He and the Sixers just need to win one game.

David Murphy offers five keys for the Sixers to end this series.

Next: The Sixers play tonight at 7 against the Raptors at Scotiabank Arena in a crucial Game 6, where they hope to finally close their series (NBCSP).

There haven’t been too many positives of late — or all season — for the Flyers. On Wednesday, interim coach Mike Yeo mentioned that one of the biggest has been the recent play of Morgan Frost.

The 22-year-old center, who has shown flashes over the last three years with the Flyers, largely has struggled for consistency in the NHL. While Frost hasn’t set the world on fire offensively (five goals, 15 points in 53 games), he has been better of late, particularly in the defensive zone, notes Yeo.

Frost and the Flyers were unable to convert that progress into a victory on Wednesday, as they lost to the Winnipeg Jets, 4-0.

Next: The Flyers close the season with a home game against the Ottawa Senators on Friday at 7 p.m. (NBCSP).

Archbishop Wood runner Gary Martin is looking to break a four-minute mile, and he’s already come less than a second away from doing so. To break that mark would be to achieve something that is rare for a U.S. high school athlete to do, and Martin could do it Friday on a grand stage at the Penn Relays. His journey to be on the verge of making history actually started out almost by accident.

From the photo archives, when the draft was held in Philadelphia in 2017, eventual Eagles edge rusher Haason Reddick was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the first round with the 13th overall pick.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from EJ Smith, Jeff McLane, Scott Lauber, Alex Coffey, Gina Mizell, Mike Sielski, David Murphy, Giana Han, Olivia Reiner, and Matt Breen.