By Michael McCarthy
Marcus Mariota is all the buzz down in Mobile, Alabama, where the Senior Bowl will be played on Sunday.
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“All these teams high in the draft are all going to see the same things on tape with Mariota, and I’ll bet he starts to fall on draft day. Once that happens, Eagles coach Chip Kelly (photo above) will mortgage the future to go get him. If he misses on him, Kelly can just bolt back to college.” — AFC scout.
While it might be premature to label Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota as a “draft day slider” before the NFL Scouting Combine or even his personal workout, we’ve seen the same concerns on tape that everyone else is seeing in terms of his anticipation, pocket poise and simplicity of scheme. Kelly recruited Mariota to Oregon to run his offense, and we’re sure he would love to have a quarterback with Mariota’s ability outside of the pocket to fully unlock the Eagles’ offensive potential. Would Kelly be willing to risk the king’s ransom it would likely take to move that far up from pick No. 20?
