Why the Philadelphia Eagles Trading Up for Marcus Mariota Is a Bad Idea

Never mind that Marcus Mariota may simply be out of reach for the Philadelphia Eagles. Does a team in the top five of the draft really want to move all the way back to No. 20 overall? Is there even precedent for such a deal?

That possibility hasn't prevented the city of Philadelphia from clamoring for Mariota. So forgetting for a moment that trading up that far could very well prove to be impossible, let’s shift gears and reveal why successfully trading up for the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback out of Oregon would almost certainly end in disaster for the Eagles.

This doesn't necessarily apply to the event where Mariota winds up plummeting down draft boards. Trading up a handful of spots for a potential franchise quarterback is one thing.

Giving up an outlandish package of first- and second-round draft picks—perhaps even throwing in an established talent or two—to move into the top five is quite another when it would only serve to cripple the franchise beyond belief for years to come.

Most of the latest mock drafts, like those by ESPN’s Mel Kiper and Todd McShay, for example, still don’t have Mariota slipping past the New York Jets at No. 6. This would seem to indicate that, at the very least, the Eagles would have to jump ahead of them, and that’s if the Tennessee Titans aren't pondering a signal-caller with the second overall pick.

In fact, it might be a moot point entirely. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers could always take Mariota at No. 1.

YR	CMP%	YDS	TD/INT	RUSH YDS	RUSH TD
2012	68.5	2,677	32/6	752	5
2013	63.5	3,665	31/4	715	9
2014	68.3	4,454	42/4	770	15

For the sake of argument, let’s assume Mariota doesn't go at No. 1; he’s still not slipping past No. 6. There are plenty of people who have expressed a “do whatever it takes” mentality to get this kid.

I don’t know what exactly it takes to go from No. 20 into the top five, but I do know what it takes to go from No. 6 to No. 2: Washington sent three firsts and a second to the St. Louis Rams in 2012 for the opportunity to select Robert Griffin III, which should serve as a cautionary tale.

Griffin alone hasn't elevated Washington to Super Bowl contender. On the contrary, thanks to the quarterback’s injuries and regression, the franchise has been in the toilet.

Washington won seven games over the last two seasons, in part because its roster is a joke. What about all those picks that were given away to acquire RG3? One could have been a guy who protects the quarterback. Another might have been a shutdown corner, and yet another could have been a pass-rusher or even the quarterback of the defense.

This is not irrelevant to the Eagles, which need all of the above. The offensive line features three starters well into their 30s, with no obvious replacements. The secondary is a complete mess, finishing 31st and 32nd against the pass in consecutive seasons. And there are also questions at both outside and interior linebacker heading into 2015.

If Philadelphia were to trade away all of its high draft picks for a quarterback, what would be left to surround him with? What will happen a year or two down the road, when the organization fails to replenish those positions through the draft?

You can’t build a team through free agency. It’s too expensive, and the talent often simply isn't good enough. That’s there to supplement the roster. The draft molds the core.

Packaging established veterans likely won’t net what you think, either. If Nick Foles is worth so much, why don’t the Eagles just stick with him? LeSean McCoy is going to be a 27-year-old running back with a nearly $10 million base salary in 2015, according to Spotrac—does that sound good for a rebuilding team?

All-Pro defensive end Fletcher Cox’s name, possibly the one player who could sway a team, has been bandied about, yet all the Birds would be doing there is giving away a definite cornerstone of the defense for a hypothetical cornerstone of the offense.

Perhaps what’s most noteworthy about the whole scenario in Washington is that the organization has already moved on to a new coaching staff.

Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

A huge part of the reason why Mariota is attached to Philadelphia is head coach Chip Kelly, who was responsible for recruiting the young man to Oregon. He's Chip’s “hand-picked” quarterback.

That’s all fine and good, but if Kelly gets his quarterback and doesn't have the resources to put a team around him, what does it matter? The Eagles will be searching for a new head coach within a few years anyway, and Mariota will be forced to learn a whole new offense like so many before him have had to do.

You think the Eagles are far away from winning a Super Bowl now? Just wait until they go through a messy divorce with their head coach in the midst of a three-year stretch without a high draft pick.