Stop me if you've heard this NFL rumor before: the Philadelphia Eagles and head coach Chip Kelly covet Oregon quarterback and Heisman Trophy-winner Marcus Mariota and will do everything in their power to trade up in April's draft to select him and make him their franchise signal-caller.
Well, it's making the rounds anew today.
This time, Mark Eckel of NJ.com, speaking to a person close to the Eagles and familiar with their offseason plans, discovered that Kelly "is going to try" and move up in the NFL Draft so that he can select his former star pupil Mariota.
The Eagles select 20th-overall in the first-round while the Oregon product is expected to go off the board somewhere within the first several selections.
"From No. 20, it's certainly not going to be easy,'' said the anonymous source. "It's probably going to take moving up twice to do it. There's going to be some wheeling and dealing involved.''
Kelly, who recruited and coached Mariota for his first two years at Oregon, recently called the native Hawaiian "the most talented kid I coached in college," and "everything you could want" in a quarterback.
Mariota, while toting the NFL Draft line and saying he'd be happy to go anywhere he was wanted, said that because of his relationship with Kelly, "it'd be a lot of fun to be a part of that offense and be a part of that team," according to NJ.com.
Of course, moving up will be no small task.
As Eckel notes, one "NFL personnel executive told NJ Advanced Media a month ago that he would ask for a No. 1 and a No. 2 this year, a No. 1 next year and running back LeSean McCoy."
Earlier today, Charlie Campbell of Walter Football noted that a couple of teams picking higher in the draft than Philly, namely the Texans and Titans, covet Nick Foles and that the young quarterback could be part of a package deal the Eagles use to trade up.
Others, as Eckel writes, have suggested three first-round picks and more.
Whatever it takes, there's no denying that Mariota, known as much for his brains and decision-making as his speed, athleticism and arm strength, would be a perfect fit for Kelly's up-tempo, no-huddle offense.
If the coach believes that Mariota can be his franchise signal-caller, ala Tom Brady, for the next decade and beyond, he owes it to himself and the Philly faithful to exhaust every possible avenue, no matter how ludicrously expensive, to obtain the Oregon phenom.
When asked by Eckel if he really thought the move up was possible, the source alluded to both the difficulty of the proposed feat and the seriousness of the Eagles pursuit.
"Can it happen? I don't know. But they're going to try.''
