The Tennessee Titans hold the cards in the NFL draft on Thursday, as they may trade the number two pick after the Buccaneers take Jameis Winston to the Philadelphia Eagles, Cleveland Browns, Chicago Bears or San Diego Chargers, as those teams are reportedly interested in Marcus Mariota and could look at trading up to pick him.
The Titans are where the draft starts in the eyes of most experts, as the Buccaneers are likely sitting tight and taking Jameis Winston number one overall. The consensus is that Winston will be number one, but things could not be more uncertain at number two. Mike Mayock and many other draft experts have picked holes in Mariota, but some scouts see him as the better long term option over Winston.
Teams are interested in trading up and according to Pro Football Talk, "multiple teams" have inquired about the number two pick. Most draft experts see the Titans options as: trade the pick, take Mariota, or keep the pick and take Leonard Williams. The Titans have needs all over the roster and adding a slew of picks could be big as they rebuild. Taking Mariota could also be a good move, as some expect him to be a consistent quarterback eventually in the NFL.
The trade component makes the first round of the draft extremely intriguing, as the top five or even the top 10 could totally get blown up depending on what the Titans do. If the Titans trade the pick, it likely will cause a flurry of trades in the first round. Teams will be interested in trading down with Mariota off the board, while others could be interested in trading up since other players should be there is Mariota goes that high.
According to ESPN.com, the top teams interested in a deal for Mariota with the Titans are the Philadelphia Eagles, Cleveland Browns, New York Jets, Chicago Bears and San Diego Chargers. If a deal happens, Adam Schefter reports that one of those teams likely will be pulling it off. According to Jay Glazer at Fox Sports, the Titans are looking for "huge value" for the second overall pick and they are looking to get the biggest package possible if they end up trading the pick.
Right now it looks like the team will hold onto the pick and if that happens, the team could take Mariota. Ian Rapoport at NFL.com writes that teams around the league think that the Titans are looking for too much and that "teams involved think they" will take Mariota over making a deal. The Browns have two first round picks to make a move and they also reportedly are looking at a trade for Sam Bradford.
According to ESPN.com, the Browns have offered the Titans two first round picks for the second overall pick, but there have been conflicting reports about the offer. Pro Football Talk reports that the Browns are not willing to give up a first round pick for next season if they make a deal. The Eagles could still go after Mariota, but they likely need at least two moves before that can happen, or they can look at three team deal, which is very rare in the NFL.