PHILADELPHIA -- Oregon redshirt junior quarterback Marcus Mariota has not yet declared for the 2015 NFL draft, but he is widely considered a top-five prospect. With former Ducks coach Chip Kelly running the Philadelphia Eagles, Mariota already has connections in the league.
Those connections and the Eagles' uncertain quarterback situation -- as I wrote well before Nick Foles went down with an injury, there are reasons to believe Philadelphia wouldn't commit to an expensive, long-term deal with him -- lead to the most intriguing hypothetical of the draft: Would Philly consider moving up to select Kelly's former quarterback?
"Moving up and mortgaging your future for a receiver does not make sense, but I'd do it for a quarterback," a general manager from another team said. "I don't know if Mariota would be worth it, but he might be for Chip because the hardest part at quarterback is the learning curve. Mariota would be seamless in Philadelphia."