The Eagles weren't good enough to make the playoffs in 2014, but they were juuuuust good enough to be picking in no man's land in the 2015 NFL Draft. According to "a few football people" that Sports Illustrated's Peter King spoke with at the owners meetings, the Eagles are in a bad spot at 20th overall:
You want to pick in the top nine. Here’s what a few football people at the league meetings are thinking about the breakdown of this draft: Nine prime picks, then eight or 10 really good prospects, then maybe 30 or so of the same player. The top nine: quarterbacks Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota, defensive tackle Leonard Williams, wideouts Kevin White and Amari Cooper, pass-rushers Dante Fowler and Vic Beasley, offensive tackle Brandon Scherff and cornerback Trae Waynes. After that, beauty starts to be in the eye of the beholder. I had one GM tell me: “The 17th pick on our board might be the 53rd pick on another team’s board—and that could be a team we really respect.”
The last comment about the 17th pick for one team being the 53rd pick for another makes a lot of sense. For example, a year ago, there were mixed rankings on Marcus Smith, who the Eagles selected at 26th overall after trading back from 22. This year, a common name tied to the Eagles is Oregon offensive lineman Jake Fisher. Fisher would be a great scheme fit in Philly because of the offense he's coming from (obviously) and his versatility to begin his career at guard with the intention of eventually kicking out to tackle. To the Eagles, he may be worth a pick in the 20's, while other teams may not value him anywhere nearly as high.
Will the Browns make another run at Sam Bradford or pursue Marcus Mariota? Mary Kay Cabot, Cleveland.com
Cabot thinks the Browns could still be interested in trading for Sam Bradford.
I think the Browns are fully prepared to start McCown this year, but they will continue to look for chances to upgrade the position. I think they'll try to trade up to draft Marcus Mariota, and I also think they could make another run at Sam Bradford on draft day.
In King's MMQB piece mentioned above, he noted why the Rams chose the Eagles' deal over the Browns' initial offer of a first round pick:
I think I can now say with certainty that The Other Team in the chase for Sam Bradford — as many have inferred — was Cleveland. The Browns would have been willing to part with a first-round pick in either 2015 or 2016 (I do not know which year) for Bradford, but there were two problems: One, the Browns didn’t have a quarterback to give in return, and Philadelphia was willing to fork over Nick Foles. Two, Bradford would not have been willing to sign a new contract this off-season if he were traded to Cleveland, and he is willing to consider an extension in Philadelphia. So the Philly deal was really the only one that made sense for the Rams and for Bradford, in the end.
I agree with King's first point that the Eagles' deal may have been better because it included a 2nd round pick and Nick Foles, which the Rams may have liked better than the Browns' 19th overall pick. However, whether or not Bradford wants to sign a long term deal in Cleveland right this second really doesn't matter. If the Browns are willing to do the deal anyway, that is their prerogative. Bradford can't do anything to stop a trade to the Browns.
A few weeks ago, we speculated on a three-way deal between the Titans, Browns, and Eagles that could potentially make all three teams happy. Essentially, the Eagles would land Mariota, the Browns would land Bradford, and the Titans would land as many as five starters on a depleted roster.
Kiper: Washington’s interest in Mariota could be genuine, could be attempt to elicit trades -- Liz Clarke, Washington Post
Hey look! The Redskins are interested in Mariota too!
Washington general manager Scot McCloughan said at the NFL annual meeting this week that he wouldn’t hesitate to take Mariota if the team deemed him the best player available when the Redskins picked. And Coach Jay Gruden didn’t dispel the notion, even as he reiterated that Griffin was the team’s starter heading into offseason work.
Kiper, speaking on a conference call Thursday, said it could make long-term sense for Washington to pick Mariota at No. 5.
“They could take a quarterback knowing that RGIII obviously is not someone you can say definitively is going to be elite anymore,” Kiper said. “Can he stay healthy? With concerns about RGIII, you have to try to do something at quarterback.”
Or are they really?
On the other hand, Kiper laid out a scenario in which Washington was floating its interest in Mariota in order to flush out trade offers because the players the team truly wants and needs aren’t necessarily worth the No. 5 overall pick.
As Kiper explained, the top pass rushers each have an asterisk of sorts, making them difficult to justify taking with the No. 5 pick. Randy Gregory hurt himself by testing positive for marijuana at February’s NFL combine, for example. Kiper suspects Gregory’s latest transgression, after previous positive marijuana tests at Nebraska, will likely drop him from being taken at No. 5 or 6 to the 8-13 range. Missouri’s Shane Ray has slipped in some scouts’ minds, Kiper added, and Clemson’s Vic Beasley has gotten mixed reviews.
A lot of QB-needy teams at the top of the draft have kicked the tires on Mariota. The Buccaneers (pick #1) and Titans (pick #2) took a hard look, as will the Jets (pick #6) and the aforementioned Redskins (pick #5). If you're one of those four teams and had no intention of drafting Mariota whatsoever, your front office would have to be completely incompetent not to pretend like you would.
In case you missed it at PhillyVoice
• Here are five Eagles who need to step up in 2015.
• An updated list of the Eagles' seven reported pre-draft visits so far, with analysis.
• A look at the prospects Chip Kelly got a close look at during his trips to Michigan State, Utah, and LSU.
• The Eagles are kinda screwed at safety. Again.
• The Eagles' OL cohesion is at risk if they lose both starting OGs in one offseason.
Follow Jimmy on Twitter: @JimmyKempski