In what may be the single greatest piece of NFL draft 2015 rumor fodder fans of the Philadelphia Eagles have ever heard, former NFL quarterback and ESPN analyst Trent Dilfer said today on 97.5 The Fanatic, as transcribed by Tim McManus of PhillyMag.com, that Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota could be set up for a draft day slide because he's not yet pro-ready.
"I personally don't think Marcus is a pro-ready quarterback," said Dilfer. "I don't think he's a guy that can play right away. I think he's a guy that has to sit for a year or two, learn an NFL system. I think as this process goes on you're going to see Marcus Mariota's stock drop a little bit because he is not pro-ready."
While Dilfer recognizes the vast talent that Mariota possesses - he threw for 4,121 yards, 40 touchdowns and three interceptions this season - he simply believes the young quarterback isn't ready for a "traditional" NFL offensive system.
"He's a phenomenal talent. He's a great kid. But he's not ready to play in a traditional system. I am not completely from the school of thought that Marcus is going to go in those top two, three, four, five picks. I think there's a chance he may slide a little bit as this draft goes. And if he gets into the eight, nine, 10, even early teens, there may be an opportunity for Philly to move and get him if they want him that bad. If Chip feels like he has a plan to integrate him into his offense sooner...then I think it's worth making a play on it."
Even ESPN's Mel Kiper shares Dilfer's concerns over Mariota's potential pro prospects.
"When you factor in the intangibles, it's easy to rate Mariota ahead of Winston, but there is still plenty of skepticism about whether Mariota would be as good if the system at Oregon wasn't such a perfect fit for his skill set."
Of course this is all mostly silly nonsense built off of overthinking and the desire to poke holes in an otherwise flawless prospect, but nonetheless, with the Eagles holding the 20th pick in the first-round of next April's NFL draft, this is music to Philly fans' ears.
Mariota though, who played for head coach Chip Kelly at Oregon and is widely viewed as the perfect signal-caller for his fast-paced offensive system, even factoring in a possible slide will still be gone well before Kelly and the Eagles are slotted to pick.
Nabbing him would require a significant trade up and McManus points to Atlanta's move, from 27 to 6, with the Browns in the 2011 draft as a potential gauge of value.
For the ability to move up 21 spots and draft wide receiver Julio Jones, Atlanta surrendered a first, a second and a fourth in the 2011 draft, as well as a first and a fourth in 2012.
While this is very unlikely to happen and Mariota will almost assuredly end up going first-overall, it's fun to discuss the myriad of potential scenarios that could unfold on draft day.
