Analyzing Eagles Best Trade Options with 20th Pick in NFL Draft

Chances are you’ve stumbled upon this column in search of the answer to how the Philadelphia Eagles can trade up for Marcus Mariota in the 2015 NFL Draft. I would offer my congratulations, but chances are you may not like what you find.

Unfortunately, there simply does not appear to be many realistic avenues to a Mariota reunion with former Oregon Ducks head coach and current Birds chief Chip Kelly, barring an unlikely fall down the draft board for the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback.

Which isn’t to call a trade for Mariota altogether impossible, either. Extremely unlikely, to say the least—although we can map out at least one way it could happen.

For the most part, any hypothetical Eagles deal for Mariota is a pipe dream at best, as we’re about to delve into. However, there are rumors of the makings of a potential scenario that has a very remote chance of actually playing out, so you may want to read on anyway.

Tennessee Titans

Michael Perez/Associated Press

Let’s presume the Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn’t pull their starters at halftime of a competitive Week 17 tilt to earn the right to trade the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. Next, let’s project the Bucs pass on Mariota, opting instead for Jameis Winston, the controversial signal-caller out of Florida State.

Tennessee Titans, you’re on the clock.

For what it’s worth (probably little), the latest mock draft by ESPN's Todd McShay has the Titans passing on Mariota, which in theory suggests they might listen to offers for No. 2. According to a report by Eliot Shorr-Parks for NJ.com, the Titans may also be interested in acquiring Eagles quarterback Nick Foles should he hit the block.

That being said, Philadelphia jumping from No. 20 to No. 2 is extremely far-fetched. Look at what Washington paid to move up from No. 6 to No. 2 in 2012—swapping picks, two more future first-rounders and a second—then magnify it. Plus, if Foles had so much value, the Eagles wouldn’t want to trade him, now would they?

Not going to happen. The Birds’ only hope is if nobody else wants to do business with Tennessee, either—which might not be implausible.

Oakland Raiders

Ben Margot/Associated Press

Philly’s case of Mariota fever could arguably traced to an ESPN column back in October that suggested the Eagles could package All-Pro running back LeSean McCoy to the Oakland Raiders for their first-round pick. This has given rise to a popular but almost certainly incorrect theory that other NFL teams—particularly moribund franchises such as the Raiders—find McCoy valuable.

Fast-forward to the 2015 offseason, when a popular question around the City of Brotherly Love is whether McCoy is willing to restructure his contract.

If the Eagles—a team that arguably is contending and has made the three-time Pro Bowl ball-carrier a central piece in its offense—may not be willing to pay McCoy a nearly $12 million cap hit this year, according to Spotrac, why would anybody else? Least of all a club coming off of a 3-13 season, when McCoy is set to turn 27.

Furthermore, why would McCoy accept a contract restructuring/pay cut from a team with no Super Bowl prospects, but not the Eagles? It’s not as if Philadelphia is in a terrible cap position, so if anybody is going to pay the man, why not the Birds?

Sure, the Raiders probably aren’t looking to take Mariota at No. 4 with Derek Carr in the fold. Then again, what is a high-end running back really worth to a franchise in their position to begin with? If I had to guess, not that much.

Cut the crap. Mariota may be available when Oakland is on the clock, but McCoy isn’t going to help vault the Eagles into the top of the draft.

St. Louis Rams

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

What if the Eagles could get halfway there, though? What if they could jump into, say, the top 10, then from there trade into Mariota territory?

Shorr-Parks’ rumor also mentioned the St. Louis Rams as perhaps in the most interested suitor for Foles, which then got me thinking. No, Foles alone wouldn’t be enough to the Rams to exchange the No. 10 selection for No. 20—but if the Birds were willing to throw in this year’s second-round choice, you might have the foundation for a deal.

Using past quarterback trades as a template, such as Philadelphia sending Kevin Kolb to the Arizona Cardinals in 2011 or the San Francisco 49ers sending Alex Smith to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2013, the most the Eagles should expect to headline a package for Foles is a second. As it turns out, using the draft trade chart published by ProFootballTalk, allegedly used by NFL front offices, the difference between the No. 10 and 20 selections is 450 points, or the No. 45 pick in the draft—in other words, a second.

Of course, going from No. 10 up to No. 2 or 4 would still cost multiple firsts. However, suddenly it does look far more doable. Still remote, mind you, but doable.

There’s one enormous problem. The Eagles would almost certainly have to have a swap worked out with the Titans or Raiders or another team in advance, if not first. Otherwise, the danger is they trade Foles, can’t land Mariota and don’t have anybody credible under center in 2015 or for the foreseeable future. That’s a complex move, one the likes of which I’m not sure has ever been pulled off.

The other possibility is Mariota falls to No. 10. Then the Eagles can deal with the Rams directly. It’s just difficult to envision Mariota dipping that far amid all of the hype.

Regardless, this seems like Philly’s best hope of landing Mariota, and it rests on pure speculation and multiple trades. In other words, still a pipe dream.

Barring Mariota's unforeseen plummet down draft boards, that is.