Eagles Wake-Up Call: What Would It Take?

Prior to Monday night’s national championship game, Chip Kelly took his public touting of Marcus Mariota to another level.

“He might be the fastest guy on the field. But his mind is even faster,” Kelly told ESPN during the pregame show. “(He) thinks like Peyton Manning.”

Kelly has not hidden his affection for the 6-4, 219-pound signal-caller, calling him the most talented player he coached on the college level. Ohio State’s 42-20 win against Oregon in the title game is unlikely to change his opinion of Mariota, who went 24-of-37 for 333 yards with two touchdowns and a last-second interception in defeat. Assuming he declares for the draft as expected, the Heisman Trophy winner finishes his college career with over 13,000 yards of total offense and 105 touchdown tosses to just 14 interceptions.

Opinions vary on how high Mariota will be selected in the 2015 NFL Draft, and therefor how likely it is that the Eagles can get within striking distance to land him. Standout executive turned ESPN analyst Bill Polian, for one, believes Mariota will go in the top three and possibly first overall.

“Now, how do you get there [from No. 20]? That’s a heavy lift,” Polian told Joe DeCamara and Adam Caplan on 97.5 The Fanatic. “It takes a lot of ammunition to get there. I’m not certain it could even be done.”

Polian cited a trade he helped orchestrate while an executive in Buffalo, where the Bills acquired linebacker Cornelius Bennett for two first-round picks, a second-rounder and running back Greg Bell (a former first-round selection of the Bills.) He believes the price would be similar, if not higher, for Mariota.

“In essence, three number ones or a highly-ranked number one player (and two first-round picks) who would go in a  deal in addition to probably some twos. It’s a hefty, hefty price,” he said, noting that quarterback-needy teams like the Bucs will need some serious convincing if they are to give up their pick.

Polian seems to think that the best course of action is to ride with No. 9 for now while trying to unearth a gem at some point in the draft.

“I’m a Nick Foles fan. I think that Nick Foles is a darn good player. And I think he’s had really good success,” he said. “I wouldn’t be disposed towards getting rid of Nick Foles in any way unless you were getting gigantic return at the quarterback position in return.

“You can find value down below in the draft. That’s where your scouting system and your scouting people come into play and where Chip Kelly comes into play because he is the quarterback expert in Philadelphia along with Pat Shurmur. Look very hard for that guy, for that value guy that you can find who will be available to you in the draft.”

WHAT YOU MISSED

“I think Philadelphia needs to be very careful about how they play this whole Maclin situation.” A look at the receiver’s value.

Why Kelly needed to be convinced that Mariota was the right choice at quarterback.

Sheil offers an Eagles slant to the divisional round of the playoffs.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING

Reuben Frank believes Ed Maryonwitz should be Kelly’s right-hand man.

I believe Ed Marynowitz would be the best move for the Eagles’ GM vacancy. Marynowitz has been with the Eagles for a couple years, so he knows the ins and outs of dealing with Chip Kelly, Roseman and Jeff Lurie, and he’s certainly got an eye for talent, which we know from his years running Nick Saban’s recruiting operation at Alabama. He’s going to be a personnel stud in this league for a long time. Kelly thinks highly of him, and hiring him would give the front office some much-needed stability in a time of tremendous upheaval. The Eagles’ front office dysfunction has resulted in a lot of really good personnel leaving in recent years, from Tom Heckert to Jason Licht to Grigson. Time to change that and keep one of them.

Bob Ford says the odds are against Jeffrey Lurie‘s new management plan working.

Simply put, there is no way to remove Roseman from the process without removing him from the building. He will, and should, be involved in the process of drafting players, making trades and signing free agents as the main consultant on the financial aspect of the roster. He might not have as strong a voice on which will be selected or traded or signed, but his opinions will still be in the room.

Can that possibly work? It’s a longshot, and Roseman didn’t increase the odds of a smooth ride to the Enchanted Castle when he or a loyalist leaked the story that Kelly had to be led by the hand concerning which round to select players in the most recent draft.

Nevertheless, all will be well, according to the owner. He has a brand-new management flow chart that says so. Lurie sits back, smiles his patrician smile and sends out his reassuring words. The scary part is he might even believe them.

COMING UP

More on the Eagles’ search for a new personnel executive.