It's Marcus Mariota mania all over again!
Okay, not exactly, but there are mounting rumors the Eagles could be interested in trading into one of the top two selections in the NFL Draft to select a quarterback, likely Carson Wentz out of North Dakota State. Lance Zierlein for NFL.com first heard of a theoretical trade with the Cleveland Browns for the second pick, and most recently MMQB's Robert Klemko wrote the Eagles are in play for number one overall from the Tennesee Titans.
It certainly isn't outlandish to believe the Eagles have legitimate interest in a quarterback, particularly Wentz. Between their multiple meetings with the prospect, lack of long-term commitment to Sam Bradford and the front office's acknowledgement they will take a quarterback in the draft, it isn't very difficult to connect the dots.
Of course, there are some holes in the logic that takes the Eagles from eight to one or two. First and foremost, do they have enough firepower to get there?
This is where having a second-round pick might come in handy. Unfortunately, theirs was dealt to the St. Louis Rams in the Bradford swap.
Sure, the Eagles can and no doubt would be forced to give up future firsts and seconds. However, the idea that either the Titans or Browns are going to move down six or seven spots and add no higher than a third in the current year's draft sounds a little shaky. For that matter, are the Eagles going to be comfortable sitting out the next few first and second rounds for any of the quarterbacks in this draft?
Furthermore, my guess is the Browns would need to be blown away by a trade offer away to pass up on Wentz themselves. After all, they need a quarterback a lot more than the Eagles, and a prospect of that caliber isn't always right there for the taking.
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Assuming that's the case, that would mean the Eagles would have to get up to one, without a second-round pick, when Klemko suggests there are at least three other teams in play. That would be the Browns, to avoid being jumped; the San Francisco 49ers, currently one spot ahead of the Eagles and holding 12 total picks, including a second-rounder; and the Los Angeles Rams, sitting at 15th and wielding two seconds.
In other words, there's competition for the Titans' pick, and the two teams attempting to leapfrog the Browns can both make more attractive offers than the Eagles, at least in terms of compensation in 2016.
It would not be surprising at all if the Eagles did their due diligence and investigated trade options. But in terms of practicality, it's hard to see a path to the top of the draft.
That is unless the Eagles are willing to send the farm, as was rumored to be the case for Mariota. So here we go again...