The NFL draft is over a month away and quarterback Marcus Mariota has been generating attention from numerous teams, including the Tennessee Titans, Washington Redskins, Philadelphia Eagles, San Diego Chargers and Cleveland Browns and some of those clubs could look at trading up to try and get him, as most predictions have Jameis Winston going number one overall to the Buccaneers.
Mariota comes out of college after having a very accomplished career and he won the Heisman this season while leading Oregon to the championship game. The Eagles have been linked to Mariota quite a bit with his connections to Chip Kelly, but the head coach put some water on those rumors. Kelly said that the team would not be using Sam Bradford as a trade chip this offseason, but ESPN reports that some coaches around the league "are not buying it".
The Titans could be a potential option for Mariota since they need a QB and they also could be a trade partner if someone wants to move up. The Redskins are in position to do that and their reported interest could be just a front for trying to get teams to trade up. The Chargers are the wild card in all of this, as Union Tribune San Diego beat writer Kevin Acee reports that there are rumors that the team is "serious about acquiring Mariota.
The Titans are coming into the season with Zach Mettenberger as their starter and with the number two pick they could look at Marcus Mariota as an option. The team may also be tempted to make a trade and if they do that, Bradford could be a target or another team looking to move up, like the Browns or New York Jets.
The Cleveland Browns and the NY Jets have interest in trading up and if he gets past number two, expect some calls to start happening. The Jaguars and Raiders are not taking Mariota and now ESPN.com reports that the Redskins could look at taking him. According to ESPN.com, Mariota said to the Buccaneers team website that it's not a "huge thing" to be the number one pick in the draft.
The Buccaneers were at Mariota's pro day at Oregon and while they are very likely taking Winston, they are doing their homework. The draft will be in Chicago and it starts at the end of April and Mariota could be the main attraction, as reports say Winston will not be attending the draft.
Some reports have come out about the Buccaneers and other teams not liking Mariota's "laid back demeanor". Sidenote: it is pretty amazing that Mariota is getting "nitpicked", as Charles Robinson at Yahoo Sports writes, while Jameis Winston seems to be above reproach. Sure, Winston's demeanor on the field may scream leadership, but off the field he has been involved in an alleged sexual assault, has yelled obscenities on campus about women and has been caught participating in a Beebe gun battle that destroyed school property. The Buccaneers have their priorities in order, Sidenote over.