Pssst, want to hear a secret? The Philadelphia Eagles are going to try and trade up in the upcoming NFL draft for Marcus Mariota. What? You already knew? I guess it's the biggest open secret in the NFL right now. Chip Kelly desperately wants to reunite with his star college quarterback, but to do so, he'll likely have to move into the top five. That's where the Oakland Raiders could come into play.
"If the Eagles want to move up, the Oakland Raiders, would surely be open to discussing the No. 4 overall pick," ESPN Raiders reporter Bill Williamson wrote. "But the Eagles have the 20th pick and it would take a lot of maneuvering to move up that far."
Why would the Raiders pass up the chance to draft a top five talent? Well, the team has several holes and could use help virtually everywhere on the roster. Oakland ranked in the bottom half in passing yards, rushing, pass defense, rushing defense and sacks last season. Trading down and acquiring more picks would allow the Raiders to add more talent and address a handful of needs.
The Raiders are firmly committed to developing second-year quarterback Derek Carr, but lacking in draft capital is not a great way to build around a young QB. Just ask the Washington Redskins. It's possible, though unlikely, that Oakland would be open to moving out of the number four spot if the price was right.
"I'd say the No. 20 pick, a second-round pick and perhaps even next year's No. 1 pick - maybe more," Williamson wrote.
That type of haul isn't unprecedented. In 2009, the New York Jets traded a first and a second-round pick along with three veteran players for the fifth overall draft slot. In 2011, the Atlanta Falcons shipped off first, second and fourth-round draft pick to move up from No. 27 to No. 6 in a deal with the Cleveland Browns. This is do-able from Philly's perspective.
Raiders fans, if the Eagles rang you up today and offered such a hefty deal, would you take it?
