Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly has made a strong attempt to squash rumors that he will try to trade up in the upcoming draft to take his former quarterback at Oregon, Marcus Mariota. Kelly is reportedly sold on Sam Bradford as his QB, and claims to have already declined an offer of a first-round pick for him.
Kelly said #Eagles were offered a first-round pick this morning for Bradford
— Eagles Insider (@EaglesInsider) March 11, 2015
Statistically, Mariota was the best quarterback in college football this year. While Jameis Winston is expected to be taken No. 1 overall, his stats dropped precipitously from 2013, when he won the Heisman. This season Mariota threw 42 touchdown passes against just four interceptions, and rushed for more than 700 yards. He added 15 touchdowns on the ground as well, plus a receiving score, bringing his total touchdown tally to 58.
The knock on Mariota is that he was not running a traditional, pro-style offense at Oregon, and hasn't displayed the arm strength or touch that Winston has shown. Kelly said he believed Mariota is the best quarterback in this draft class, but didn't want to trade away Philadelphia's future to snag him like the Redskins did for Robert Griffin III.
Wow. Chip Kelly: "I think Marcus is the best QB in the draft. We will never mortgage our future to go up and get someone like that." — Dan Graziano (@DanGrazianoESPN) March 11, 2015
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