The NFL draft is a month away and most scouts see Jameis Winston as the top pick and that leaves Marcus Mariota as the next best option and it's likely he will go at number two overall, as the Tennessee Titans could take him or they could trade the pick, as teams like the Philadelphia Eagles, San Diego Chargers, Washington Redskins, Cleveland Browns and Jets have shown interest in the quarterback.
Mariota is considered to be the second best QB prospect behind Mariota and some other names in this draft include Bryce Petty and Garrett Grayson. Mariota won the Heisman trophy and took Oregon to the national title game and now he could be one of the top picks in the draft. According to CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora, one NFL general manager said that Mariota likely will be taken second overall in the draft, but the team that takes him may not be the Titans.
La Canfora writes that the GM thinks that the Titans will either trade the pick to a team that wants to select Mariota or they will take him themselves. The Titans have a major need at quarterback and teams like the Eagles, Browns, Chargers, Saints, Jets and Redskins have all been reported as potential options. The Eagles have long been connected to Mariota because of his past with Chip Kelly, but the head coach had consistently said that the team is not looking to "mortgage the future" one on pick.
The Titans have been mentioned in trade rumors and in reports that they will take Mariota at number two. Titans head coach Ken Whisenhunt said that if the team takes Mariota, he will be a starter right away for the team. The Jets have been mentioned quite a bit in regards to Mariota, but some are skeptical that they would trade up to get him and would rather take him if he gets to number six. ESPN New York reporter Rich Cimini writes that the Jest trading back in the draft is more likely than the team jumping up.
The Browns have been mentioned in connection to Mariota, as they have some uncertainty surrounding Johnny Manziel. The team signed Josh McCown in the offseason, but the team is well positioned to move up if they want in the first round. The Browns have the most draft picks overall in the draft this year and they also have two first round sections that they could use if they want to go get Mariota.
The Chargers have been the latest team to come up in rumors, as some think that the team could look at trading Philip Rivers. Rivers is coming into the final year of his deal and with no clear successor behind him, the team could look at going after Mariota. UT San Diego reports that the team is ""serious about acquiring" Mariota and they could look at making a deal with the Titans involving Rivers.
The Redskins have a top 10 pick and they could look at Mariota if he falls out of the top four. While it's unlikely he gets there, the team will take a look at him if he makes it. John Clayton at ESPN first reported the interest from the Redskins, while Charles Robinson from Yahoo Sports speculates it's about the team trying to generate trade interest in their pick.
