Marcus Mariota has become the top target in the NFL draft past Jameis Winston in 2015 and teams like the San Diego Chargers, NY Jets, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins, Cleveland Browns and New Orleans Saints could be interested in a trade up for the quarterback and this comes as the Tennessee Titans could look at taking him number two overall.
Mariota and Jameis Winston are considered to be the top two quarterbacks heading into the draft and according to most draft experts, the Buccaneers will be taking Winston at number one. The Tennessee Titans have the number two overall pick and there is a good chance they will get trade offers for that selection. According to NFL.com, the Cleveland Browns, Philadelphia Eagles and NY Jets all could be in play if the Titans are willing to trade the pick.
Mariota is coming off of a Heisman winning season and many see him as a player that could start right away. The Jets are in need of a quarterback along with the Browns, although both teams have a veteran and a young player looking to win the job as well. The Browns signed Josh McCown and they have Johnny Manziel coming back after his rookie season, while the Jets traded for Ryan Fitzpatrick and have Geno Smith as the starter for the spring.
According to John Clayton at ESPN.com, the Washington Redskins could be interested in taking Mariota in the draft, as they pick at number five overall. The team has a new general manager in Scot McCloughan and a head coach in Jay Gruden who did not appear to fully support Robert Griffin last season. ESPN.com reports that the Redskins are still unsure about RG3's fifth year option and there is a chance they could take Mariota if he falls to five. Charles Robinson at Yahoo Sports writes that the Redskins likely are trying to generate trade interest in their pick.
The Philadelphia Eagles have continued to come up as an option for Mariota and this comes after the team traded for Sam Bradford from the Rams. According to Phil Sheridan at ESPN.com, Chip Kelly has said that the team will not "mortgage the future" for one player, but some coaches around the league are not buying it. Josina Anderson reports that numerous coaches speculate that Kelly could still move up to get Mariota despite giving up significant draft picks for Bradford.
Kelly worked with Mariota while he was at Oregon and many scouts have said that Mariota is a good fit for Kelly's offense. The team likely would have to give up a significant package of picks to move up to get Mariota and they also could look at making another trade with their quarterback after acquiring Bradford. While that move is unlikely, it has continued to gain traction. The Browns have some questions marks for the future and they may look at Mariota since they have two first round picks and could afford to move up with the amount of selections they have.
The San Diego Chargers have continued to come up as a wild card in the Mariota sweepstakes, with UT San Diego reporter Kevin Acee writing that there is "serious" talk about the Chargers trading up for Mariota. Philip Rivers is in the final year of his deal and the team could look at trying to find a replacement for him.
