Eagles Trade Rumors: Marcus Smith could be on the block

The 2015 NFL Draft is three days away and there are no shortage of rumors. The latest one comes from NJ.com's Mark Eckel. According to Eckel, the Eagles could be looking to trade 2014 first round pick linebacker Marcus Smith.

"According to a person with knowledge of the situation, but requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the matter, the Eagles could be looking to move last year's No. 1 pick, Marcus Smith.

"I don't think they'll flat out give him away,'' he said. "But if they can use him in a package to move up, I think they'll do it. I'm not just talking about the first round. They could use him in the second, or even third round, too.''"

Eckel goes on to speculate that the Eagles could look to trade Smith for Miami's Dion Jordan, who is seemingly available.

Why this rumor makes sense

Chip Kelly said that it was Howie Roseman, and not him, who had the final say on drafting Smith last year. While it's hard to believe Kelly didn't have at least some influence on the decision, it's been reported that Kelly wanted to draft Jordan Matthews in the first round.

Smith only played a total of 105 snaps as a rookie. Due to injuries, the team moved him to inside linebacker mid-way through the season after starting out the season with the outside linebackers. In a December press conference, defensive coordinator Bill Davis said the team is unsure what position he will play in the future.

Kelly is calling the shots now and he doesn't believe in Smith, perhaps he will try to use him in a trade.

Why this rumor doesn't make sense

Despite being a first round pick, it shouldn't be a total shock Smith didn't have a major role as a rookie. In 2013, the Eagles really only used three outside linebackers: Trent Cole, Connor Barwin, and Brandon Graham off the bench. They used that same rotation in 2014 and those players were productive once again. There wasn't a lot of room for Smith, though that doesn't excuse him from not earning time on special teams.

Still, the team might not be ready to give up on him after just one season. He currently figures to be the top backup outside linebacker behind Brandon Graham and Connor Barwin.

From a financial perspective, trading Smith would actually cause the Eagles to lose $1.2 million in cap space. It's cheaper for the team to keep him.

Likelihood: 2/10

Smith really needs to prove himself but I don't think he'll be on the move just yet.