D’Andre Swift to Eagles: How Lions paved way for RB going to Philly, who never eyed Bijan Robinson at No. 10

D’Andre Swift has been on the Philadelphia Eagles‘ radar since he was a standout at nearby St. Joe’s Prep in the mid-2010s. Swift’s performance against the Eagles in last year’s season opener really put the front office on notice. 

The local kid rushed torched the Eagles defense, rushing for 144 yards and averaging 9.6 yards per carry, with a rushing touchdown. Philadelphia had no answer for Swift in a thrilling 38-35 victory. 

“You saw the explosiveness when we played them. He had a heck of a game,” Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said after the draft. “Every time he touched the ball you knew there was a chance he could take it the distance.”

The Eagles were familiar with Swift and his family well before his arrival in Philadelphia. They brought him into the NovaCare Complex when Swift was one of the most-sought after recruits in the country. When the Detroit Lions drafted Jahmyr Gibbs at No. 12 overall, Roseman knew there a chance to get him. 

“We thought maybe it was an opportunity,” Roseman said. “They signed (Lions running back David Montgomery) in free agency and they took Gibbs, and we knew he was in the last year of his deal, and we went into this draft feeling really good about our running back room. We really liked the guys that we have on the roster. We think it was a talented group.”

The Eagles didn’t have to give up much to acquire Swift, parting ways with a 2023 seventh-round pick and a 2025 fourth-round pick. Swift joins a running back room that includes free agent signing Rashaad Penny, along with Boston Scott, Kenneth Gainwell, and Trey Sermon. 

“It wasn’t in our mind a position that we were actively looking to upgrade, but at the same time, we’re…