What Recent History Suggests About Philadelphia Eagles' 2015 NFL Draft Plan

One month remains until the 2015 NFL draft, and predictions are wild as to whether Chip Kelly will land his former collegiate quarterback, Marcus Mariota. Kelly's offseason swap of Nick Foles for Sam Bradford—coupled with throwing in a second-round draft pick to the St. Louis Rams—only stirs up further confusion for Philadelphia Eagles fans wondering if Kelly is really satisfied with Bradford as his quarterback.

Aside from the quarterback position though, the team needs multiple upgrades to compete for an NFC East title in 2015.

Letting Jeremy Maclin walk in free agency means a wide receiver is critical. There's an opening at one of the guard spots, given the release of Todd Herremans, and possibly another if Kelly really trades Evan Mathis. The cornerback position was upgraded with the signing of Byron Maxwell to a lucrative deal, but Kelly could still use a starter opposite Maxwell, as well as another safety.

Based on recent draft history, here's what Eagles fans can expect from Kelly.

Chip Kelly Will Trade Up If He Likes a Player

Chip Kelly has never been shy about targeting a player he wants. Whether it's dishing out massive contracts for Byron Maxwell or DeMarco Murray, or trading up for Jordan Matthews or Zach Ertz, Kelly has proven that he will make a move if there's a player he wants.

So does that mean he'll get Marcus Mariota?

It likely depends on how far Mariota drops in the NFL draft. If the Tennessee Titans (or some team that trades up) take him with the second overall pick, Kelly won't get him. If Mariota slips past the New York Jets at six, though, there's a reasonable chance Kelly will package Bradford and some draft picks to try to get Mariota.

Even if he doesn't get Mariota, there's a good chance his first pick in the draft is not at the 20th spot. 

Expect the Team to Add Some Oregon Players

It's no secret that Chip Kelly likes his former Oregon Ducks. Remarkably, he didn't draft any his first year on the job, but he picked two last year in third-round wide receiver Josh Huff and fifth-round defensive end Taylor Hart. He also stashed a whole bunch more on the practice squad, and there's the trade for former Duck Kiko Alonso.

This year, Marcus Mariota is the prize, but there are some other Oregon players that could be of interest. Defensive end Arik Armstead is a first- or second-round talent who would only be added with the best-player-available strategy, but offensive tackle Jake Fisher would fill a team need.

Center Hroniss Grasu isn't likely to be picked because the team already has Jason Kelce, but potential late-round candidates include outside linebackers Tony Washington or Derrick Malone, or safety Erick Dargan.

Chip Kelly Likes Pac-12 Players and Players That Beat Him

Chip Kelly also likes players that played in the Pac-12 in college, likely because he got to see them play up close, and he's a big fan of players that beat him at the collegiate level.

He drafted Stanford's Zach Ertz and USC's Matt Barkley his first year. He signed former USC quarterback Mark Sanchez in free agency and this past year, he drafted Stanford safety Ed Reynolds in the fifth round.

Potential top candidates that would likely intrigue Kelly are Stanford's offensive tackle Andrus Peat, Washington linebacker/safety Shaq Thompson, UCLA pass-rusher Owamagbe Odighizuwa, Arizona State's wide receiver Jaelen Strong, UCLA linebacker Eric Kendricks (the brother of current Philadelphia Eagle Mychal Kendricks), Stanford cornerback Alex Carter, UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley or USC's wide receiver, Nelson Agholor.

Chip Kelly Is a System Guy

Chip Kelly has made it clear with his coaching moves this offseason that he has full power, and he wants players that fit his system. This was never more obvious than the LeSean McCoy-for-Kiko Alonso trade. It's not often head coaches trade 26-year-old running backs coming off Pro Bowl campaigns, but Kelly did so and then signed free agent DeMarco Murray, a one-cut running back who better fits his zone scheme.

He likes tall and long cornerbacks, as evidenced by the fact that he signed Byron Maxwell to an extremely lucrative deal (and the fact that he refuses to play 5'9" nickel corner Brandon Boykin on the outside). He likes versatility in his players, whether it's offensive linemen that can play tackle and guard or linebackers that can cover and rush the passer.

Last year's draft plan was to target six players in the first round; when all were taken, the backup plan was to reach for outside linebacker Marcus Smith, a move that hasn't worked out as of yet. This year, Kelly will hopefully end up with a better first pick than that, but if this offseason has shown anything, it's that he is running the show in Philadelphia.

Don't Expect a First-Round Defensive Back

Many Philadelphia Eagles fans are clamoring for the team to take a first-round defensive back. It's a weak safety class, so the only real candidate there would be Alabama's Landon Collins, a first-round talent who would likely start from Day 1 on this Eagles defense.

Collins is seen as more of an in-the-box safety than one who can cover, and the Eagles like their safeties to be versatile, like Malcolm Jenkins, a former cornerback.

The team could go with a cornerback, but this organization hasn't picked one in the first three rounds since the disastrous Curtis Marsh pick in 2011. The offseason signings of Byron Maxwell and Walter Thurmond will likely be Chip Kelly's biggest moves at cornerback; he's more of an offensive-minded coach who believes he can win with a high-powered offense and an average defense.

If the team doesn't pick a quarterback in Round 1, it's likely Kelly goes with a wide receiver or offensive lineman, one that can contribute immediately as a rookie in 2015.