Realistic Draft Trade Possibilities for the Philadelphia Eagles

There is no general manager—or de facto GM—in the National Football League quite like Chip Kelly when it comes to handling his players. Okay, well maybe one. Bill Belichick is similar in the sense that he'll get rid of any player on his team, except for Tom Brady, at any time.

But even Belichick would never have embarked on the crazy stretch Kelly did in March, when he completely turned over his roster.

In just a few short weeks, Kelly traded quarterback Nick Foles and running back LeSean McCoy. He allowed wide receiver Jeremy Maclin to walk in free agency. He parted ways with longtime veterans Todd Herremans, Trent Cole and Cary Williams.

Oh, and he just may or may not be planning a massive draft-day trade for Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota, the focal point of countless rumors across the nation over the past few months.

This week, answers will finally come. Whether Kelly does or does not draft Mariota, the endless speculation will finally end. But don't be surprised if Kelly has a major move or two up his sleeve, independent of whether he manages to land Mariota.

He's a crazy GM of sorts, as he's shown during his first season in complete control of the roster.

The following slides will highlight five wacky scenarios that actually make sense for Kelly to consider on draft day.

Players and Picks for Marcus Mariota

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As I have been saying for many weeks now, I think there's just over a 50 percent chance that the Eagles will find a way to land Mariota in the draft.

I'm still on the "yes" bandwagon, as I just don't see Kelly refusing to offer less than San Diego, Cleveland or any other team that may or may not be interested in trading for the No. 2 overall pick.

If Kelly does find a way to trade for Mariota, he'll have to give up a monumental haul. In 2012, the Washington Redskins gave up two additional first-round picks plus a second-round pick to move up four spots in the draft to select Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III.

For the Eagles to move up 18 spots in the draft, they may need to give up even more—especially considering how much everybody knows Kelly likes Mariota.

The guess here is that the following deal gets it done for the Eagles when the Tennessee Titans are on the clock with the No. 2 pick: Sam Bradford, Fletcher Cox, Philadelphia's 2015 first-round pick, 2015 second-round pick and 2016 first-round pick for the second overall pick.

That's a hefty package, but the Eagles won't be able to move up for Mariota by giving up players like Riley Cooper and Earl Wolff.

It costs a lot to get a lot, and the Eagles would be putting it all on the line in this proposal.

Move Down in 1st Round for Extra Mid-Round Pick

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Last year, the Eagles targeted six players with their first-round pick. Although those six have never been released, here is my best guess for the six players: linebacker Anthony Barr, wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., cornerback Kyle Fuller, linebacker C.J. Mosley, wide receiver Brandin Cooks and safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix.

All six were gone when they were on the clock with the 22nd pick, and although the Eagles were able to grab an extra third-round pick when they traded back four spots, they landed outside linebacker Marcus Smith.

Smith, as we all saw, was completely useless as a rookie, recording zero tackles. He's even rumored to be on the trade block, per Mark Eckel of NJ.com.

The Eagles have a number of players they could be targeting with their 20th pick this year, assuming they don't make a move for Mariota. The four players who stand out the most to me are wide receiver Nelson Agholor, offensive lineman Jake Fisher and defensive backs Byron Jones and Eric Rowe.

All four have been projected as late first- or early second-round picks. All four fill a major need for the Eagles and the best-case scenario for the Eagles—if they're on the clock with the 20th pick—is finding a way to move back and grab a mid-round pick.

In fact, what the Eagles did last year when they were on the clock with the 22nd pick was the perfect solution.

But this year, the Eagles need to actually make that pick worth their while, and it makes all the sense in the world to grab one of those four players. Unlike Smith, who most had projected as a second- or even third-round talent, those four are all legit fits around picks No. 30 to 40.

Mychal Kendricks for 2nd-Round Pick

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The Eagles own the 20th, 52nd and 84th picks in the first three rounds of the 2015 NFL draft.

Assuming the deal for Marcus Mariota doesn't happen, the Eagles should try to find a way to trade back from pick No. 20 to pick No. 35-40. That's where they'll be able to grab a player like Nelson Agholor, Jake Fisher, Byron Jones or Eric Rowe.

The best case-scenario is for the Eagles to find a way to grab an extra second-round pick. An option to do so would be trading inside linebacker Mychal Kendricks.

Personally, I'd be against trading one of the best playmakers on the team's defense, but CSNPhilly's Geoff Mosher highlighted some great points on why the Eagles might want to move Kendricks.

The biggest reason is Kendricks' size, as he stands under 6'0" and every linebacker brought in by Kelly has been around 6'3" or taller. Kendricks is a player who makes a lot of plays, but he can also be completely out of position and struggle in routine situations.

The contract extension for veteran inside linebacker DeMeco Ryans also shows that the Eagles could be looking in a different direction regarding their linebacking corps.

Kendricks, just 24, is a player with Pro Bowl potential. He's a year away from free agency, meaning any team trading for him would have to extend him to a long-term deal. But that's not a bad problem to have. It's worth it—literally—to pay great players. Kendricks can also play in a 3-4 or a 4-3 defense.

If the Eagles could land a second-round pick for Kendricks, they could look to draft his replacement in a player like Eric Kendricks, his brother, or Benardrick McKinney.

Or they could grab a defensive back like Jones or Rowe, both players who could likely come in and compete for a starting spot as a rookie.

Evan Mathis and 6th-Round Pick for Kenny Vaccaro

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Evan Mathis is the best guard in the National Football League, even at the age of 33. His base salary of $5.5 million actually suggests that he's underpaid.

Yet, for some unknown reason, Kelly has allowed Mathis to seek a trade for the second straight offseason. With Kelly, where there's smoke, there's fire, and it's hard to see Mathis staying on the team for the 2015 season.

Kelly strikes me as a coach who, assuming he doesn't land Mariota in the draft, would rather grab proven players than draft picks. The trade value for a guard entering his age-34 season—even one as dominant as Mathis—isn't very high. After all, he has only two more seasons on his contract before he hits free agency.

One team that has made some interesting roster decisions this offseason has been the New Orleans Saints, who have traded away wide receiver Kenny Stills, tight end Jimmy Graham and offensive guard Ben Grubbs.

But they've also been spenders too, inking running back C.J. Spiller and trading for center Max Unger.

After trading one veteran guard, it remains to be seen whether the Saints would look to add another, but Mathis is considerably more talented than Grubbs.

A player they might be willing to part with is safety Kenny Vaccaro. Their 2013 first-round pick was dominant as a rookie but benched near the end of the 2014 season. He's collected 112 tackles, three interceptions and two sacks during two seasons.

If used properly in defensive coordinator Billy Davis's system, Vaccaro has the potential to team with Malcolm Jenkins to form one of the better safety pairings in the National Football League.

Since the chances of trading a 33-year-old guard for a 25-year-old safety—even when the guard is clearly the better player—are slim, the Eagles can sweeten the pot by adding a late-round pick. The addition of Vaccaro would eliminate the need for the Eagles to use one of their top draft picks on a top safety in the draft.

Brandon Boykin for Dion Jordan and 4th-Round Pick

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There's no Eagles player who has a higher chance of being moved on draft day than Brandon Boykin.

The team's fourth-round draft pick in 2012, Boykin has established himself as one of the best nickel cornerbacks in the National Football League, although the Eagles have made it clear that they're not willing to move the talented playmaker to the outside to cover taller receivers.

Boykin, who will almost certainly leave as a free agent following the 2015 season, may have seen his days in Philadelphia numbered as soon as Kelly signed nickel cornerback Walter Thurmond, who could take over for Boykin in the event of a trade.

Trading Boykin now before the Eagles lose him for nothing in a year makes a lot of sense. The draft pick value for a slot corner wouldn't be very high, but there's no trade that makes more sense on paper than Boykin for Dion Jordan.

The Miami Dolphins desperately need help at cornerback, and Boykin is a player who could compete for a starting job on the outside.

Jordan, their No. 3 overall pick in the 2013 draft, has been a major disappointment over the last two seasons. He's been suspended twice and collected just 39 tackles and three sacks throughout his career. Kelly knows him well from his time at Oregon and may be interested in trading for him to provide depth at outside linebacker.

After all, 2014 first-round pick Marcus Smith sure hasn't panned out.

Jordan, whose salary-cap hit of $5.6 million in 2015 is relatively high for a backup, has much less trade value than Boykin, even though he was originally a high draft pick. Boykin has proven to be a star, while Jordan is just an average backup—at best.

Any trade for Jordan would be based on the potential he showed that led to him being drafted third overall, but to make a potential Boykin-for-Jordan trade fairer, the Eagles should ask the Dolphins for a mid-round pick too.

Contract information courtesy of Spotrac.