Chip Kelly creates intrigue as Eagles begin draft

After four months of speculation filling airwaves and dominating page views, the first round of the NFL draft has finally arrived. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers go on the clock Thursday at 8 p.m. They will have 10 minutes to make the top selection, which is expected to be Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston.

Then the fun begins.

The Tennessee Titans have the No. 2 pick, which is attractive to teams that want Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota. If you haven't heard, the Eagles are one of them. If the Titans keep the pick and select Mariota, then the draft would proceed without the same theater in Philadelphia. But there's still reason to keep watching Chip Kelly's first draft with final say on football decisions.

The first of the Eagles' eight picks comes at No. 20. At that spot, it's unlikely they can land one of the draft's elite players.

"There's really eight to 10 players I believe that are really true difference-maker types," said Ed Marynowitz, the Eagles' vice president of player personnel. "After that, I think it just depends on your system, your scheme, and what you're looking for."

Among the players who appear to be potential targets are USC wide receiver Nelson Agholor; LSU offensive lineman La'el Collins; Oregon offensive lineman Jake Fisher; Miami offensive lineman Ereck Flowers; Florida offensive lineman D.J. Humphries; Wake Forest cornerback Kevin Johnson; Connecticut cornerback Byron Jones; Central Florida receiver Breshad Perriman; and Arizona State safety Damarious Randall.

Collins' draft stock is complicated: He left Chicago and the NFL draft on Wednesday to meet with authorities in Louisiana regarding the shooting death of a pregnant woman. Collins is not believed to be a suspect, according to reports.

If the Eagles don't trade up, they could be candidates to trade back to acquire more picks. Marynowitz said he'd like to make eight or more picks - not fewer.

The Eagles traded back in the first round last year after their six targeted players were all off the board. They ended up with an additional pick but settled on linebacker Marcus Smith in the first round. That is an example of what happens when a team reaches to plug a need.

The Eagles' biggest needs are defensive back, offensive line, and wide receiver. Quarterback might be on that list, too, depending on how one feels about Sam Bradford. The value might be there for the Eagles at wide receiver and offensive line in the first round. Defensive back would depend on how the team stacks its board and who falls. Quarterback would likely match the value of a first-round pick only if the Eagles end up with Mariota.

"I really believe that as far as specific positions, I think the quarterback, tight end, and safety classes are poor," NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock said. "I also think that wide receiver and running back are elite, really good at the top end and depth throughout. The other classes are closer to average."

Marynowitz said the offensive line and defensive back (mostly cornerback) classes are also deep.

Since Kelly became the coach, the Eagles have drafted five defensive linemen, four defensive backs, two wide receivers, one linebacker, one offensive lineman, one tight end, and one quarterback. Of those 15 picks, 14 have come from major-conference programs.

What's different this year is that Kelly is unequivocally in charge. That adds more mystery to projecting the Eagles' picks. Marynowitz outlined the Eagles' evaluation criteria that include height-weight-speed requirements; position-specific skills; and character and football intelligence.

"Chip Kelly wants to go for size and he has a famous line about big people beating up little people," said NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah, an Eagles scout before Kelly's tenure. "I think you've got to be smart. . . . He's had that deal with graduated players, and four-year guys, leadership all that stuff . . . captains, all that stuff. So that's going to be it there, and the particulars, length, length on defense, length on the edges, and length at corner, and even at the receiver position."

In addition to his stated preference for bigger players, Kelly likes versatility. And if you played for him at Oregon, he's probably interested. But Kelly has been so unpredictable that no one knows what he will do.

After the Eagles selected Matt Barkley in 2013 when there was a since-disproved belief that Kelly wanted a mobile quarterback, someone passed by Kelly and said, "I can't figure you guys out."

"It's really not that hard," Kelly said. "Look at who the best players are."

Thursday, Kelly will put that explanation to the test.

@ZBerm