USC’s Cody Kessler a fit for Chip Kelly’s Philadelphia Eagles?
While I’m not totally writing off Sam Bradford’s future with the Eagles, the uncertainty of a quarterback on a one year deal brings up a lot of questions. Bradford has only played three games thus far, but hasn’t shown the consistency Kelly and Eagles fans wanted. The possibility of injury is also a known concern with Bradford.
What does Chip Kelly want in a quarterback? He wants a smart decision maker who doesn’t turn the ball over. He wants someone who can get the ball out of his hand fast. He likes a little bit of mobility that causes the defense to stop for a second to check the runners. He also wants accuracy, especially on the short-range throws.
More from NFL Draft
- Packers’ Lukas Van Ness will make a Lambeau leap into the NFL in 2023
- 2024 NFL Draft: Hunter Haas’ Top 50 Big Board
- NFL preseason Week 3: Notre Dame’s Mayer, Foskey with something to prove
- NFL Draft Notebook: Bo Nix is the third-best quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft
- Mac Jones ‘a pretty flexible guy’; Patriots QB earning kind words from Belichick
If we look at the possible plethora of quarterbacks in the 2016 draft, it’s hard to find someone who fits that exact mold. The Eagles draft position is also murky this early in the season. Assuming they don’t completely fall apart, guys like Goff, Cook, and Hackenberg shouldn’t be in the mix. Cardale Jones is also in the mix there, but we won’t fully know where he could fall until later in the Buckeye’s season.
Who’s after them? Jacoby Brissett is a duel-threat option that could entice Kelly, but his accuracy and footwork are a mess. Probably not something Chip would want to invest in.
Carson Wentz in North Dakota State would be an interesting name. While admittedly the competition level he faces isn’t anywhere close to the NFL, his accuracy and decision-making are both excellent. It pains me to watch him against teams like Weber State (who? Exactly) and perform at a high level. It’s so hard to tell if he’s just the product of Division II-talent opponents. Let’s mark Wentz as a question mark for now.
Names like Gunner Kiel and Trevone Boykin are NFL projects at this point. Boykin plays in a conference where defense is practically irrelevant and his accuracy is all over the place. Kiel has a lack of experience and is incredibly stiff when throwing the ball. No thanks.
This leaves us with Cody Kessler. Chip Kelly loves PAC-12 quarterbacks, which is a plus on the Cody Kessler checklist. Who’s the only quarterback signed through next season on the Eagles roster? That’d be Mark Sanchez, former USC star. Who’s Cody Kessler’s favorite target of all-time? None other than the Eagles first round pick Nelson Agholor. The elusive wide receiver accounted for 34% of Kessler’s passing yards in 2014, so you know the chemistry is there. An NFL reunion could spell great things for the dynamic duo.
From a scheme standpoint, Kessler brings a lot of those things Chip Kelly likes in a quarterback. Cody Kessler’s completion percentage is off the charts at 73 percent. His short-range accuracy is one of the best in college football, and those throws have a ton of zip behind them. As a runner, I like to call him “slippery” because he seems to slide away from so many tackles. I wouldn’t call him a mobile quarterback, but he can extend plays with his legs if he really needed to. His biggest knock is deep ball accuracy, but in Kelly’s system that won’t be as big an issue.
Looking at the Eagles’ draft position, drafting Cody Kessler might be a tricky move. During the Sam Bradford trade, the Eagles lost a second round pick to the Rams. Unless Bradford suffers a major injury and plays less than 50% of the snaps, the Eagles won’t get any further compensation from the Rams.
Right now I view Cody Kessler as a late second round pick, early third round pick. Injuries or varied performances could swing that projection either way.
On the plus side, the Eagles currently have the most draft picks in the league with ten. They acquired an extra third round pick from Detroit last year and also received compensation from the Steelers for Brandon Boykin. If the Eagles wanted to move up (again) for a USC quarterback, they would have the means and ways to do so.
Unless Sam Bradford starts to click with the Eagles offense and wins a playoff game, his future is in serious doubt. Considering Kessler’s skill set, Kelly’s PAC-12 connections, and a possible reunion with Nelson Agholor, you’d have to put Cody Kessler’s name in the conversation for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2016.