Eagles trade rumors for the 2nd pick
The Philadelphia Eagles were also rumored to have been in the discussion.
The Eagles head coach Chip Kelly was Mariota’s college coach and the idea of pairing up a dynamic player and coach together in the NFL dominated media headlines. The Eagles were shipping out many players and had acquired the draft capital necessary to jump up to the Titans spot. After Kelly was fired, a report from Fox detailed the following trade.
• First- and second-round picks in 2015
• First-round pick in 2016
• Any quarterback on their roster
• Any defensive player on their roster
That’s quite a haul for the Titans. The Eagles still had Nick Foles, Fletcher Cox, and Brandon Graham on their roster for the Titans picking while using the additional picks to bolster their team.
The Titans had options to move from the second spot into fruitful positions that could have helped the long term future of the team but decided that Mariota gave them a better upside.
However, what the Titans did later in the draft hurt them further.