The rumors of a Philadelphia Eagles move up in the 2015 NFL Draft for Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota continue to persist.
Despite Eagles head coach Chip Kelly's recent trade with the St. Louis Rams for former first overall draft pick Sam Bradford for Nick Foles and a 2016 second-round pick - along with other draft pick compensation - the notion that Kelly will do everything in his power to obtain Mariota come late April just won't seem to die.
"I continue to hear it. Not rumors. People who would know are saying Chip Kelly is still in the mix to try to get Marcus Mariota," writes Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report.
"I still cannot find anyone in the NFL who believes Kelly is satisfied with Sam Bradford," Freeman continued. "I still cannot find anyone in the NFL who believes Kelly when he says he will not make a play for Mariota. Not a single person. I'm sure there are people who do believe Kelly. I just can't find them."
While the addition of Bradford, who the team is reportedly attempting to lock up longterm, adds a significant piece at the quarterback position, and Kelly has already done his best to "dispel" the notion that the Eagles would try to trade up for Mariota, it would be premature to rule out the possibility.
Remember, Mariota is the player Kelly said was a "special young man" that was "the most talented player" he ever coached in college.
Mariota, as equally adept at running the ball as he is at making quick, sound, split-second decisions in the passing game, would seem to be the prototypical fit for Kelly's offense - an offense which requires the quarterback to act as a point guard, distributing the ball to playmakers, limiting turnovers and using his feet to gain safe yardage whenever possible.
The guess here is that Kelly would be satisfied going into next season with Bradford as his de facto No. 1, but that is, in essence, his Plan B. Plan A is attempting to acquire Mariota, perhaps by flipping Bradford - a player the Cleveland Browns reportedly already offered the 19th overall pick for - and whatever other assets would allow Kelly to reach the top five picks in the first-round.
