Adam Schefter: Eagles want Marcus Mariota

If the Philadelphia Eagles do not trade up in the NFL draft to select Marcus Mariota, it won’t be due to a lack of effort.

On Wednesday, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported that Chip Kelly and company are “doing all they can” to get Mariota. ESPN’s Adam Schefter seems to agree, as he said on ESPN Radio Thursday morning that he believes something is going to happen with the No. 2 overall pick — which belongs to the Tennessee Titans — and that the Eagles are very much open to using Sam Bradford as a trade chip.

There seems to be a growing sense of belief that Kelly’s best bet is working out a three-team deal with the Titans that also involves the Cleveland Browns.

“And that to me is the real drama because this could impact a lot of different teams,” Schefter said, as transcribed by Bleeding Green Nation. “The question is: Do the Browns go and trade a [first-round] pick to the Eagles for Sam Bradford? And the Eagles don’t do that unless they believe they can find a way to get up to No. 2.

“But to think that the Eagles wouldn’t explore this, I believe would be a mistake. Because Chip Kelly has said that he believes Marcus Mariota is the best quarterback, the best player in this draft. Well if you can go get the best quarterback, or best player in the draft, why are you not going to go try and do that?”

Schefter’s report lines up with one we shared with you earlier about the Browns believing they can trade for Bradford. The Eagles would not trade Bradford without a guarantee that they will be able to draft Mariota.

One other item of note — Schefter said the possibility of the San Diego Chargers trading Philip Rivers no longer exists, which essentially takes them out of the running for Mariota. Barring a late move that takes everyone by surprise, it seems like the Eagles, Titans and Browns are the most likely teams to wind up with the former Oregon star.