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Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly on the sidelines against the Washington Redskins at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, September 21, 2014. The Eagles won the game 37-34. Martin Griff / The Times of Trenton

(Martin Griff)

Eagles Vice President of Football operations Howie Roseman took responsibility for the selection of Marcus Smith in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft, but the circumstances around the most disappointing first-round selection in recent memory sparked a feud that eventually culminated with Chip Kelly's firing.

Roseman and the Eagles' scouting department had minimal input over the three drafts during Chip Kelly's tenure as head coach, according to a former member of the front office who spoke to NJ Advance Media on the condition of anonymity. That person asked not to be identified because he is not authorized to comment on the franchise's personnel decisions.

"Right before that draft, the scouts set the board," the person said Tuesday. "Then Chip got a hold of it and totally turned it around. Scouts had no say at all in that draft. Anybody that Chip didn't want, that player's card got removed from the board and thrown in the trash. Those guys were never even in the discussion.

"Almost immediately, you had a lot of scouts looking around and wondering, 'Why am I even working? Why the hell are we even here?' We put all of this work in, put the information in and Chip changed everything and took whoever he wanted to take."

Whether it was Roseman who took public responsibility for Smith or Kelly who ultimately pulled the trigger on the Louisville linebacker, it is fair to say that the decision was far from unanimous in the war room that night.

"Personally, I had Smith with a third-round grade," the source said. "That was one of the shockers of the first round -- that he went as high as he did."

Smith, so far a bust, was chosen by the Eagles with the 26th overall pick and has played sparingly through his first two NFL seasons. In 22 games, Smith has 1.5 sacks and seven tackles.

The source said Kelly's unorthodox approach to draft night immediately alienated several members of the front office and scouting department.

Kelly's first draft, in 2013, netted offensive tackle Lane Johnson, tight end Zach Ertz and defensive tackle Bennie Logan in the first three rounds.

Even though those players have been productive -- Johnson and Ertz were signed to long-term extensions earlier this offseason -- Kelly's handling of the draft board led to the deterioration of the front office. A semifunctional collaboration, with Kelly and VP of player personnel Tom Gamble essentially running the show, to an organization rife with discontent.

"The Eagles brought in some of Tom's guys to make some changes in the scouting department, and Howie's guys were kind of pushed aside a little bit," the person said. "Howie really wasn't listened to. Chip would listen to Gamble, but he wouldn't listen to Howie. It just wasn't a good relationship.

"Everything hit the fan after that (2014) season. Chip left town almost immediately. Howie fired [Gamble] and then Chip gets hold of it, comes right back to the building and put his foot down [to owner Jeffrey Lurie].

"I knew right there it was the beginning of the end for Chip. He did everything he wanted. He had to win and win big to hold onto his job after that season. Meanwhile, Howie was away from personnel decisions, preparing to be back in charge, if that chance ever came."

Last week at the NFL Meeting in Boca Raton, Fla., Kelly reiterated that it was Lurie's decision, not an ultimatum from Kelly that led to Roseman's demotion.

When the 2015 season went off the rails, Lurie fired Kelly on Dec. 29, before the season finale against the Giants, eventually handing the personnel decisions back to Roseman.

Kelly was hired as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, but the former front office member says skepticism remains after Kelly's failures with the Eagles.

"Chip had a rude awakening, thinking that his system was going to win more than players win," the source said. "Systems are good. Coaches can get guys to play up to their optimal levels, but you still have to have good players to win."

Matt Lombardo may be reached at MDLombardo@yahoo.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattLombardo975. Find NJ.com Eagles on Facebook.