6. I think many of you wanted to know in the wake of my mock(able) draft last week what the chances really are that the Eagles will trade up from the 20th pick to get in position to draft Marcus Mariota. The answer: I have no idea. I didn’t project that move because of inside information, and quite frankly, more than eight weeks before the first round is picked in Chicago, the teams are ill-suited to know much of anything—with finality. For instance, if Tampa Bay decides it likes Mariota over Jameis Winston and is bullish on him being its long-term quarterback, it’s doubtful the Bucs would listen to any offer for the first pick. When I met with GM Jason Licht of the Bucs nine days ago, he told me he wouldn’t “get too cute” when it came to trade offers if the Bucs were certain one quarterback or the other had the feel of a franchise quarterback. The larger issue here is this: I believe Mariota is going to get very attractive as the scouting process progresses in the next two months. If he’s not the number one pick, and if Tennessee is being honest in affirming often how much they like Zach Mettenberger and passes on Mariota, then the jockeying will begin for him. Right now, Philadelphia is the most logical team to move into position. The question: Is a package of, say, two first-round picks, a second and a fourth enough to get in position to do so? We’ll see.
http://mmqb.si.com/2015/03/02/st-louis-stadium-rams-raiders-chargers-los-angeles-nfl/4/
