Oregon Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota has emerged as a potential top draft choice in next year's draft, but will the Eagles take the plunge on the quarterback Chip Kelly coached and recruited? Photo Courtesy: FishDuck.com
Each Friday morning we will select some of the top questions we receive on Twitter and give them the kind of insight and analysis that can't fit within 140 characters. To have your question asked simply tweet it to @MattLombardo975 or@EagledelphiaPA and check back each Friday morning to see if it makes the cut!
From Donte Knox on Facebook: I know the future quarterback is not on the roster right now so will Chip Kelly spend a first round pick on Mariota or Manziel?
Unfortunately what we learned from Nick Foles disastrous 80-yard passing performance last Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys is that he likely is no longer the franchise quarterback of the future. Rest assured, the Eagles kept him this offseason rather than trade him because they believed there was a chance he could fill that role.
One thing is obvious, a 34-year old injury riddled Michael Vick is not the future beyond this season, even if Foles' gaffes exposed that the 24-year old cannot be trusted as the best suited quarterback for this team this season.
That leaves the Eagles in the difficult position of needing to target and select a franchise quarterback in the first round of the draft.
Names such as Manziel and Mariota have been bandied about since the preseason, head coach Chip Kelly has even mentioned him by name unprovoked several times this season.
However, the Eagles will likely be competing with teams such as the Jacksonville Jaguars, Minnesota Vikings and Oakland Raiders among others for a draft choice high enough to select one of the premier prospects.
To that end, general manager Howie Roseman and the front office could package draft picks and perhaps even a player such as running back LeSean McCoy – who is approaching the point of his career where running backs begin to break down – and mercurial wide receiver DeSean Jackson who is effectively in the last year of his contract as well as Foles to move up into a position where they can realistically come away with one of the top quarterbacks.
The Washington Redskins gave up three first-round draft picks as well as a second rounder for Robert Griffin III, and the Atlanta Falcons gave away a bounty of five picks to be able to select Julio Jones.
At this point it appears not a matter of if the Eagles will deal for a franchise quarterback of the future, but what they could conceivably need to give up to acquire one.
Matt Lombardo is the Editor-In-Chief of Eagledelphia and also an on-air personality on 97.5 FM The Fanatic in Philadelphia. Join the conversation and follow Matt on Twitter.
