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Eagles' Howie Roseman ebullient at winning coin flip for 14th pick

INDIANAPOLIS - First the coin flipped, then Howie Roseman did. This was after the special gold coin came to rest, the side with the Minnesota Vikings logo facing up. That meant the Eagles, owners of the Vikings' 2017 first-round draft pick, thanks to the Sam Bradford trade, were the winners of Friday's NFL Scouting Combine coin toss against the Indianapolis Colts. They will select 14th overall on April 27 in Philadelphia. The Colts will pick 15th.

INDIANAPOLIS - First the coin flipped, then Howie Roseman did.

This was after the special gold coin came to rest, the side with the Minnesota Vikings logo facing up. That meant the Eagles, owners of the Vikings' 2017 first-round draft pick, thanks to the Sam Bradford trade, were the winners of Friday's NFL Scouting Combine coin toss against the Indianapolis Colts. They will select 14th overall on April 27 in Philadelphia. The Colts will pick 15th.

Roseman strutted across the stage with his arms upraised, "Rocky"-style, slapped hands with Eagles player personnel vice president Joe Douglas and coach Doug Pederson, then told the NFL Network's Andrew Siciliano: "This is a stressful moment in our combine experience. We're glad it's over. I'd drop the mic if I had it."

It was a celebration that could have netted the Eagles' de facto general manager a 15-yard penalty, had he been a player commemorating a touchdown.

Historically, there is not often a huge difference between drafting 14th or 15th overall. Last year, the Raiders took safety Karl Joseph 14th, the Browns took wideout Corey Coleman 15th. The year before, the Dolphins took wideout DeVante Parker, 14th, then the Chargers took running back Melvin Gordon.

But the Colts, like the Eagles, have a multitude of needs to fill. Picking ahead of them definitely beats picking behind them. And now, with the first-round pick the Eagles gave the Browns in the Carson Wentz trade slotted at 12th overall, the Bradford deal looks even better, at least by a tiny bit, since the difference in draft position is all of two spots.

Colts general manager Chris Ballard mock-complained that the coin, launched by former NFL offensive lineman Will Shields, never actually flipped, that it just plummeted straight to the floor. But apparently there was no provision for video review challenge on the live NFL Network broadcast.

"I'm glad we got 14," Roseman said, after posing for a photo with a family wearing Eagles jerseys who attended the coin festivities, as did a few dozen other visitors to the NFL Combine Experience in the Indiana Convention Center. The coin flip was held on a stage built to showcase prospects bench-pressing, something now being done in front of bleachers.

"I thought the procedure was perfect, I thought it was all above-board. I thought it was a great event by the league," Roseman said as he sprinted away from reporters.

Words to live by

USC wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster has been working out with Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz. Smith-Schuster was asked whether he got any combine advice from the QB.

"He basically told me about the combine and what to expect, how to handle it. You only do it once and he said you should embrace it, make sure you're the first at the drug test because it's a long line, which it was, and just a lot of football good IQ. When to come in, when to throttle down against different defenses and stuff."

bowenl@phillynews.com

@LesBowen

Blog: philly.com/Eaglesblog