Marc my words: No way Eagles get Mariota

STOP DREAMING.

There is no way the Eagles can move up high enough in the draft to get Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota.

The Heisman Trophy winner might indeed be the perfect quarterback for the system of Eagles coach Chip Kelly.

And now that he is the Eagles' newly anointed grand pooh-bah of football matters, Kelly may indeed be willing to do whatever it takes to move up in the draft to select Mariota.

But Kelly does not operate in a vacuum. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers hold the top pick in the 2015 draft, and they are not dropping 19 spots in the draft in a deal with the Eagles.

Mariota is the perfect quarterback to run a lot of offenses in the NFL - starting with the Bucs'.

Tampa Bay is in a worse situation at quarterback than the Eagles - who still have former Pro Bowl quarterback Nick Foles under a financially friendly rookie contract.

Looking at most mock drafts, Mariota and Florida State's Jameis Winston are the only two quarterbacks considered first-rounders, going with the first and second picks.

Obviously, because Winston won a Heisman Trophy and national championship at Florida State, there is speculation that Tampa Bay could prefer Winston to Mariota.

But Winston's off-the-field issues bring a lot of baggage, making Mariota the much safer pick.

Tampa Bay offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter also favors an uptempo offense with a mobile quarterback. Mariota would be a better fit for what Koetter wants to do than Winston, who is more of a pocket passer.

In Tampa, a franchise quarterback is not only a long-term issue but because the Bucs play in the weak NFC South the right rookie quarterback could make them a playoff contender.

The Carolina Panthers won the South despite winning just seven games.

The thing that is all but guaranteed is that Tampa Bay won't come out of this draft without Mariota or Winston.

At the minimum, the Tennessee Titans, who hold the second pick, will shop the rights to whichever quarterback is left.

The market will be vibrant.

Washington (fifth overall), the Jets (sixth), Chicago (seventh), the Giants (ninth), St. Louis (10th), Cleveland (12th and 19th), New Orleans (13th), Houston (16th) and Kansas City (18th) all might see a franchise quarterback as their primary goal in the draft.

Because they draft higher than the Eagles, all of those teams could potentially put together a better trade package to move for a quarterback.

The good thing for the Eagles is that a top-two pick is not the only way to find a Super Bowl-winning quarterback.

Of the four quarterbacks remaining in the NFL playoffs, Indianapolis' Andrew Luck isn't just the only No. 1 overall pick; he's the only top-20 pick. And each of those three has won at least one Super Bowl.

Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers was picked 24th overall in 2005, Seattle's Russell Wilson in the third round (75th overall) in 2012 and New England's Tom Brady in the sixth round (199th overall) in 2000.

In the history of the Super Bowl, 16 winning quarterbacks were not selected in the first round of a normal NFL draft (Steve Young arrived in the USFL dispersal draft). They've accounted for 22 titles.

Overall, 30 of the 48 Super Bowl trophies have been won by quarterbacks who were not top-five picks in a normal NFL draft.

If he knows what he is looking for in a quarterback, Kelly has other options than offering the farm, the livestock, the barn and the outhouse for Mariota.

First off, Foles is a legitimate option and might be the best one of all.

Some fans are down on Foles, but I am not convinced that Kelly is ready to cut ties with a quarterback who is 14-4 as a starter in his system.

Still, if Kelly is looking for a new quarterback, maybe he'll do something boldly controversial such as using the 20th pick on a talented but raw quarterback like UCLA's Brett Hundley, Mississippi State's Dak Prescott or Cincinnati's Gunner Kiel, should they declare for the draft.

If he plays it safer, Kelly might look in a later round for a sleeper like Baylor's Bryce Petty, Colorado State's Garrett Grayson or East Carolina's Shane Carden.

Perhaps Kelly will do something daring like make a play for a tarnished project like Robert Griffin III, Geno Smith or Johnny Manziel, gambling on his ability to bring out more than they have shown so far.

The point is that instead of dreaming of ways to get Mariota, Eagles fans have to hope that Kelly can find find another quarterback who can work as well, because acquiring Mariota is simply not a realistic option - no matter what the Eagles are willing to offer.

Columns: ph.ly/Smallwood

Blog: ph.ly/DNL