Eagles: Boom-or-Bust Prospects Team Should Gamble on in NFL Draft

One thing is for certain when it comes to the 2015 NFL draft: There won't be any questions about who makes the picks for the Philadelphia Eagles. 

After winning a power struggle with general manager Howie Roseman, head coach Chip Kelly now has complete control over all decisions involving the 53-man roster. Roseman, who was demoted to vice president of football operations, will handle all matters involving the salary cap, but he's no longer going to do the drafting.

Kelly's right-hand man for future NFL drafts will be Ed Marynowitz, formerly with the team and now in the position of VP of player personnel. Marynowitz helped with scouting at Alabama, but this will be his first season helping Kelly to draft players at the NFL level.

Through two years with the Eagles, Kelly's drafts have been full of question marks. In his first year, he helped the Eagles bring in offensive tackle Lane Johnson, tight end Zach Ertz and nose tackle Bennie Logan. All three are legitimate playmakers who should remain with the team well beyond their rookie contract. 

But last year, Kelly's draft had far more misses than hits. He did land wide receiver Jordan Matthews in the second round, but the rest of the rookies failed to contribute.

First-round linebacker Marcus Smith couldn't get onto the field despite a slew of injuries, and there's not a lot of hope for his future right now. Third-round receiver Josh Huff and fourth-round corner Jaylen Watkins both showed brief flashes of potential, but it's way too early to expect a significant role from either player next season. Only seventh-round nose tackle Beau Allen made any sort of contribution among the later picks. 

The Eagles are built to win now, and Kelly is going to have to rely on his instincts to bring in some players who can help Philadelphia take the next level from being a good team to transforming into an elite one. The following five players are high-reward players who might help the team take that next step. 

Brett Hundley, QB, UCLA

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There are going to be many months of speculation for the Eagles at the quarterback position, and it's all going to center on whether the team plans to go all-in for Kelly's former college quarterback, Marcus Mariota.

The Heisman Trophy winner last season, Mariota is viewed as a consensus top-five pick, which means the Eagles would need to offer likely three or four first-round picks to move from pick 20 to the top pick in order to land Mariota. That's an incredible ransom to give for a player, even one who was as successful as Mariota was under Kelly at Oregon.

Plus, the Eagles have shown that they can score points no matter who plays quarterback. They scored 474 points, the most in franchise history and the third-most in the National Football League, in 2014, despite using the ineffective combination of Nick Foles and Mark Sanchez at the position. 

And it's not like Foles is a bad quarterback. In 2013, the sophomore threw for 27 touchdowns and two interceptions, posting the third-highest single-season passer rating in league history. His struggles in 2014 were largely attributed to injuries on the offensive line, as Evan Mathis and Jason Kelce each missed time and Lane Johnson was suspended for the first four games of the season for PED use.

If the Eagles want to take a flier on a quarterback prospect in the second or third round, Hundley fits the bill. Kelly originally recruited him at Oregon, and Hundley was viewed as a potential top-10 overall pick just a year ago. He's a dual threat who has played most of his career out of the shotgun and would be able to succeed quickly in Kelly's high-powered offense. 

The risk of spending a second-round pick on a quarterback is always high, as you're much more likely to select the next Chad Henne or Kevin Kolb than Drew Brees or Brett Favre.

Realistically, though, if the Eagles choose to draft Hundley in the second or third round, they would sit him on the bench for at least the 2015 season to see what Foles can do in the final year of his contract. Kelly has shown that he can succeed with any player, however, and while Hundley may not be Mariota, he is talented enough that the Eagles can win games with him under center. 

Cedric Ogbuehi, OT, Texas A&M

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It's sad to think about, considering how dominant he has been over the past few seasons, but the Eagles are going to need a replacement for All-Pro left tackle Jason Peters. And that could be just a year or two from now.

Peters, who turned 33 last month, is a future Hall of Famer and one of the most powerful blockers in the National Football League. He's played in 16 straight games in consecutive seasons after missing all of 2012 with a ruptured Achilles. 

The Eagles likely have Peters' replacement waiting in the wings in the form of Lane Johnson, the No. 4 overall pick in 2013 who rated as the best right tackle in the NFC in 2014, per Pro Football Focus. 

If Johnson slides to left tackle around 2016 or 2017, the Eagles will need his replacement on the right side of the line. That's where former Texas A&M standout Cedric Ogbuehi could come in. 

Once projected to be a top-10 pick in the draft, Ogbuehi has seen his draft stock fall after suffering a torn ACL. He's clearly one of the best tackles in college football, however, and he has experience playing both tackle and guard at the NFL level.

However, there's some speculation that Ogbuehi can't succeed at the blind side. He's the type of player who makes a lot of sense in the third or fourth round, where he can sit on the bench and fully recover from his injury without having to be pressed into action right away. 

Marcus Peters, CB, Washington

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This is going to be an interesting decision for Chip Kelly. On one hand, the Eagles desperately need cornerbacks. Veterans Cary Williams and Bradley Fletcher combined to allow 14 touchdown passes in 2014, per Pro Football Focus, and it doesn't make sense for either to return to the team for a third season in 2015. 

But on the other hand, Kelly is all about building the right culture on his team, and Washington cornerback Marcus Peters was kicked off his college football team in November for off-the-field issues. 

So how much will Kelly sacrifice his beliefs to obtain a player who could potentially be the best cornerback in the draft?

"

Most gifted CB in the class. Off-field questions are only issue. RT @BlakesleyJordan: What is your opinion on Marcus Peters?

— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) January 19, 2015"

Peters collected 11 interceptions and 27 passes defensed during his college career and has the skill set to become an immediate starter on the Eagles. The only question is whether the Eagles will be interested in Peters, especially just a year after cutting three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver DeSean Jackson for off-the-field issues. 

Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, CB, Oregon

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The Eagles will likely allow nickel cornerback Brandon Boykin to leave via free agency following the 2015 season. That's because Boykin, who stands just 5'9'', isn't viewed as a player who can start on the outside even though he's been clearly the team's best cornerback over the past two seasons.

It's really a shame because a team that needs solid cornerback play so badly has a future star right under its nose but refuses to allow him the opportunity to play outside, where he desperately wants to play.

Boykin's replacement could be a player from this year's draft, and it's a cornerback Chip Kelly is familiar with. 

Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, who played his entire four-year career at Oregon, was once viewed as a potential first-round pick in the 2015 draft. But a torn ACL has dropped his stock down to the middle rounds, which could be enough to pique the interest of the Eagles. 

According to CBS Sports, Ekpre-Olomu, who also stands just 5'9'', projects as a nickel cornerback in the NFL. Considering Boykin's current contract status, the Eagles' need for a cornerback and Kelly's familiarity with Ekpre-Olomu, this seems like an extremely likely match. 

Landon Collins, S, Alabama

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The Eagles have been trying to improve at the safety position for the last seven offseasons. That's not an exaggeration either, as the Eagles have tried more than a dozen different players to replace the dynamic duo of Brian Dawkins and Quintin Mikell. 

They've signed veterans like Jarrad Page, Sean Jones, Marlin Jackson and Oshiomogho Atogwe. They've overdrafted for players like Jaiquawn Jarrett. They've drafted misses like Nate Allen, Earl Wolff and Ed Reynolds. 

They're finally moving in the right direction following last year's free-agent signing of Malcolm Jenkins, a former first-round pick at cornerback who played well in the middle of the defensive backfield. But Jenkins is only signed for two more seasons and the Eagles have to replace Allen, who, despite seven turnovers in 2014, really didn't play particularly well at all.

Alabama's Landon Collins is easily the top safety option in the draft, a player who is projected to be anywhere from a top-10 pick to a late first-round option. If the Eagles selected Collins, he would likely start right away next to Jenkins. He's a player who displayed toughness as a tackler, as well as solid coverage skills, during his impressive career at one of the nation's most prestigious schools.

There are concerns about his hands, as he dropped a number of interceptions throughout his career. Another issue is the past struggles of recent Alabama defensive backs, as Mark Barron, Dre Kirkpatrick and Dee Milliner, all first-round picks since 2012, have been a disappointment thus far in their NFL career.