Ryan Nassib grew up as a Philadelphia Eagles season ticket-holder. That isn't the only reason Chip Kelly wanted to meet with the Syracuse quarterback at this week's Senior Bowl, but it didn't hurt.
"That was cool as hell," Nassib told the Philadelphia Inquirer on Tuesday after sitting down with the newly-hired Eagles coach.
Don't make too much of the meeting. During Senior Bowl week, quarterback prospects chat with countless coaches and scouts. Nassib has been open about his desire to reunite with newly-hired Buffalo Bills coach Doug Marrone, who tutored Nassib at Syracuse, but the Eagles have traveled to Mobile, Ala., to find a fit for Kelly's up-tempo, spread attack. Easier said than done.
"Who's a quarterback that fits that offense? We really can't find one in this particular draft," NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah wrote Tuesday.
Landry Jones, in theory, might be a match. He operated out of a spread, no-huddle scheme at Oklahoma, but scouts came to Mobile concerned with Landry's ability to move around and make plays when the pocket breaks down. Jeremiah said Tuesday that Landry has shown some promise on that front and has "helped his stock a lot" in two practices this week.
The tall-as-a-tree Mike Glennon out of N.C. State has a strong arm -- and "made some of the best throws" draft guru Mike Mayock has seen this week -- but Glennon also puzzles with his inconsistency. A fit for some team, but likely not Kelly's. Zac Dysert out of Miami of Ohio has mobility and a big frame, and he ran a variety of offenses in college. An intriguing possibility.
The Eagles hold the fourth overall pick in the draft. This would have been gold a season ago, when Robert Griffin III was a top prospect, and Russell Wilson was available as late as the third round of the draft.
This year's crop has no obvious equal. Geno Smith might be there at No. 4, but that feels like a reach. The West Virginia passer has been talked about as one of the few possible first-round quarterbacks after Matt Barkley's inconsistent senior season at USC. Neither of these guys made the voyage to Mobile, however.
When the dust settles, Kelly might not have a better fit to run his offense than Michael Vick. That presents plenty of issues -- starting with Vick's wild $15.5 million salary for 2013. We expect the Eagles to explore their options at quarterback and bring in new faces this offseason. From where we stand today, no college prospect looms as a clear front-runner for the job.
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.
