I wrote about how trading up to draft Marcus Mariota made little sense for the Eagles (because it was cost prohibitive), and why the numbers tell us that the Eagles can win a Super Bowl with Nick Foles.
I swore I would not write another column addressing this issue. I have reached my saturation level with all the talk surrounding whether the Eagles will #dothedeal, and I thought there was little chance of the trade actually happening.
And yet…. here I am. To be clear, I am not writing this to drive hits to the website (like some in Philly).
But after I kept reading rumor, after rumor….. after rumor… I started to believe there was some truth to the idea that the Eagles would try to trade up to grab Mariota.
It was reminiscent of last offseason, when the rumors persisted that the Eagles were looking to trade or release DeSean Jackson. At the time, it seemed improbable. There is no way they could cut a 26 year old pro bowl wide receiver coming off the best season of his career.
But it happened. So it makes this Mariota situation hard to ignore. Where there is smoke, there is fire, right?
But is it even likely that the Eagles could trade up to get Mariota? I think the answer largely depends on whether Mariota drops in the draft. We can all agree it will be virtually impossible for the Eagles to move up to the 1st or 2nd overall pick to get him. If it cost the Redskins three first rounders and a second rounder to move from 6 to 2 to land RGIII, than not even Sam Hinkie would have enough draft picks to get him.
So the only realistic chance for this to work is if the Tennesee Titans were serious about wanting to pass on a quarterback at number two overall in favor of Zach freaking Mettenberger , and the Jets somehow do not become enamored enough with Mariota to draft him with the number 6 pick. (Because when you have Geno Smith at quarterback you simply HAVE to stand pat).
In that scenario, the Eagles could likely have to give up Nick Foles, and their first and second round picks in the 2015 and 2016 drafts. At first brush, that seems like a lot to give up for one guy. But remember, the Eagles would be getting the Jets first round pick in exchange, so we would essentially be sacrificing only one extra first rounder and two seconds. It is a steep price for sure, but if it means landing the next Aaron Rodgers, as Tony Dungy recently suggested, then it is a price worth paying.
This is especially true given the insider knowledge that Chip Kelly has – he recently compared Mariota's mental capacity to Peyton Manning. The risk of Mariota being a bust seems to be lower than if this were a quarterback with which Kelly was less familiar.
However, I just cannot buy into the hype that Mariota could slide on draft day. He is the Heisman trophy winner, coming off an incredibly productive college career. He has the measurables, the speed, and the character that makes teams salivate. So while there were valid concerns that he might need an adjustment period in the NFL, I could not take that next logical step of assuming those concerns would hurt his draft stock.
The NFL combine is like a freaking beauty pageant, and after the performance Mariota turned in today, its safe to say he will be in the running to win the whole damn competition.
Mariota crushed the workouts, showing off his freakish athleticism with a 40 time of 4.52, which is the fastest time from a quarterback since Robert Griffin, III back in 2012. He also threw very well (along with presumptive top pick Jameis Winston), drawing praise from scouts and executives around the league:
#Bucs GM Jason Licht on the passing drills performance of Winston and Mariota: "They both showcased their strengths. They both looked…
— Rick Stroud (@NFLSTROUD) February 21, 2015
Licht: "…very impressive. I love the fact they both laid it all out there for everyone to see along with all the others.''
— Rick Stroud (@NFLSTROUD) February 21, 2015
What's more, he apparently is doing very well during the interviews too:
Mariota absolutely killing it in combine interview process. Told he is as/more impressive than R.Wilson was, which is significant.
— Louis Riddick (@LRiddickESPN) February 19, 2015
Now, anything can happen between now and the draft. Maybe Mariota will do something stupid before the draft that causes his stock to drop. Or maybe Chip Kelly will start leaking reports that Mariota has gang ties. But more realistically, Mariota will be in the running for the top overall pick, and the Eagles will be relying on Nick Foles in 2015.
And as much as I would love to see Mariota in Kelly green, having Nick Foles as your quarterback isn't such a bad thing either.
