The NFL draft is a month out and Jameis Winston appears to be the only sure thing and that leaves Marcus Mariota as the next quarterback and if the Tennessee Titans don't take him, teams like the Washington Redskins, Philadelphia Eagles, NY Jets, Cleveland Browns and San Diego Chargers could be interested in a trade on draft day.
Mariota is starting to work out for teams and with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers holding the number one pick, everyone is expecting them to take Jameis Winston. Mariota comes in after putting up great numbers at Oregon and he won the Heisman Trophy last season while leading his team to the national title game. According to ESPN.com, the New York Jets will have a private workout with Mariota, while the Washington Redskins, Tennessee Titans and Tampa Buccaneers have also scheduled visits.
The Buccaneers have met with both Winston and Mariota, but that is just the team doing its homework, as all reports have the team looking to take Winston number one. CBS Sports reporter Jason La Canfora spoke with a general manager who said that Mariota will be going at number two overall, but the team that takes him is the mystery. The general manager said that he expects the Titans to consider taking Mariota at number two and if that doesn't happen, he predicts a team will trade into that spot.
The Jets have had reported interest in the Jets, while the San Diego Chargers, Cleveland Browns, Philadelphia Eagles and Redskins have also been connected to the quarterback. According to Pro Football Talk, Mariota will have a private workout with the Jets and the team will have general manager Mike Maccagnan, coach Todd Bowles, offensive coordinator Chan Gailey and quarterbacks coach Kevin Patullo present for the workout.
The Jets have the number six overall pick and most draft experts predict Mariota will be off the board by then, meaning the Jets may have to trade up if they want Mariota. NFL Network reporter Albert Breer reports that the Redskins are also having a private workout for Mariota coming up before the draft. John Clayton at ESPN.com reported earlier in the offseason that the team could consider taking Mariota if he falls to the number five pick. The Redskins have Robert Griffin III, but they have not decided what to do about his fifth year option and they have a new general manager in Scot McCloughan.
The San Diego Chargers have also been mentioned as a potential option for Mariota and Pro Football Talk reports that they could schedule a workout with him for mid-April. The Chargers have Philip Rivers coming into the final year of his contract and they have the number 17 overall pick in the draft in the first round. UT San Diego reported Kevin Acee reported that the team could have "serious" interest in moving up for Mariota.
The Philadelphia Eagles have also been mentioned as a team that could trade up for Mariota, but the likelihood of that went down after Chip Kelly traded for Sam Bradford. The Eagles still could consider a trade even after making that move, but they would likely have to give up a lot to make it happen and they already traded a second round pick from next year to get Bradford.