Eagles Unlikely to Find Franchise Quarterback in 2015 Draft

Is Nick Foles the future for the Philadelphia Eagles? Unfortunately, we find ourselves asking that exact question for a third offseason in a row, without being much closer to knowing the final answer.

Regardless, one thing is almost certainly true, and that is the Eagles will find it difficult if not impossible to find an immediate upgrade or alternative to Foles during the 2015 draft. Depending upon your point of view, that could be construed as good or bad, but either way, it’s reality.

No doubt, many readers recognize the dearth of quarterbacks in this draft, let alone the difficulty in landing a blue-chip prospect with the 20th overall selection. Yet none of that has silenced the clamoring for Marcus Mariota in Philadelphia, arguably the top player in this year’s draft.

On the surface, it seems like such an obvious fit. Eagles head coach Chip Kelly recruited Mariota at the University of Oregon, where the 21-year-old signal-caller has since won a Heisman Trophy and has the program on the verge of a national championship. Who could be better suited to run Kelly’s offense in the NFL?

There’s just one small problem. Mariota is all but assured to go No. 1 overall—and in the unlikely event he doesn’t, or that pick is available for trade, it will still be a team other than the Eagles.

Simply put, Mariota to the Eagles is pure fantasy. It’s virtually impossible for the Eagles to trade up that high. Look no further than what it cost Washington to move up four spots from No. 6 to No. 2 to draft Robert Griffin III in 2012—a swap of firsts, two additional firsts and a second.

The price could only be more expensive for the Birds, and that right there is the type of deal that can set back a franchise for years. Just look at Washington now. Not only that, but consider all of the other needs on Philadelphia’s roster.

Even if the Eagles were crazy enough to come up with a deal a team at the top of the draft would consider—unlikely bordering on impossible—there are a half-dozen teams in front of them that could conceivably make a better offer. Assuming it were the Tampa Bay Buccaneers trading the top overall pick, for instance, why would they move all the way down to No. 20 when they could swap and still pick in the top five or 10, with a team likely to be choosing in that range for at least the next few years?

Again, most readers probably realize Mariota to the Eagles is pure fantasy. Trust me when I tell you, though, that this conversation is being had on a regular basis throughout the Delaware Valley right now.

Not that Jameis Winston out of Florida State is within Philly’s wheelhouse, either—as if the organization would consider him. After the Eagles dumped wide receiver DeSean Jackson and placed so much emphasis on “culture,” a signal-caller like Winston with rampant character issues is likely off the table even if his stock did plummet.

And then? That’s arguably the end of the legitimate first-round prospects, at least according to rankings by CBSSports.com and Scouts Inc. (subscription required).

Rob Rang for CBSSports.com recently suggested the Eagles could select UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley at No. 20, which is far earlier than any predraft rankings have the signal-caller. But again, given all of Philadelphia’s needs, reaching for a project passer seems excessive at best, disastrous at worst.

Hundley is currently ranked 41st among all prospects by CBS—81st by Scouts Inc., which alone should provide some indication of the division over this particular athlete.

Whether Hundley is an attractive prospect or not for the Eagles, one simple fact remains that most of the so-called elite quarterbacks come from the first round of the draft. Oh, and the mere act of drafting a quarterback on Day 1 doesn’t guarantee he’ll pan out, either.

Whether you believe in Foles or not, what may be best for the Eagles is to just bite the bullet with him for now and hope more options present themselves later. The club can also take a mid-round quarterback, groom him and develop him and see what they have a few years down the road.

Any notion the Eagles are going to walk into the draft and land their franchise quarterback, however, is seemingly preposterous. The cards simply do not appear to be falling that way this offseason.