Philadelphia Eagles seeking trade to draft Marcus Mariota
Josh Hill
Marcus Mariota Will Enter NFL Draft
The Philadelphia Eagles are trying to pull off the trade we all thought they might try in an attempt to draft Marcus Mariota.
In 2012, the Washington Redskins mortgaged their future to draft Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III and it hasn't really quite panned out for them. The failure of RGIII and the price the Redskins paid to get him hasn't scared off everyone from trying to make another deal like it happen though, as the Philadelphia Eagles are in the market for a blockbuster draft trade.
According to Mark Eckel from NJ.com, the Eagles are trying to find a trade partner that will allow them to move up from No. 20 overall to the top of the draft so that Marcus Mariota can be selected.
"From No. 20, it's certainly not going to be easy," said the person, who requested anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak on the subject. "It's probably going to take moving up twice to do it. There's going to be some wheeling and dealing involved."
Basically, the Eagles want to find a trade partner to not only reenact the RGIII trade from 2012 but obviously top it by moving from No. 20 overall to possibly No. 1 overall pick. That's the only way the Eagles can move up the number of spots necessary to draft Mariota.
The Redskins moved around in the top of the draft to get Robert Griffin III, whereas the Eagles would need a trade like the one the Atlanta Falcons made to land Julio Jones a few years ago. That trade has paid off much better than the RGIII trade, but the fact that the Eagles are after Marcus Mariota is hardly surprising. Chip Kelly needs a quarterback and his system is designed for everything Marcus Mariota is as a signal caller. The armor was dented in the National Championship game, which may sink the Oregon quarterback's stock a few picks, but that only increases the chances of Kelly moving up to draft him.
If Kelly and the Eagles land Mariota in the draft, it instantly makes them the most interesting team in the NFL entering the 2015 season. Not only would they have a viable trade chip in former MVP candidate Nick Foles, but they'd have Mariota running an NFL offense tailor-made to help him transition seamlessly into the pros.
That doesn't mean he will, but Philadelphia is far and away the best fit for Mariota fresh out of Oregon, and if Chip Kelly can find a way to draft the quarterback he's likely not going to think twice about it.
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