The NFL draft is a week away and both Mel Kiper J. and Todd McShay have made mock draft predictions for the first round and some names include Jameis Winston, Leonard Williams, Dante Fowler, Amari Cooper and Vic Beasley as top picks for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Titans, Jaguars, Raiders and Redskins in the top five.
Kiper has the Titans taking Marcus Mariota and while that is a likely possibility, there is a chance that pick could get traded. Mariota is the pick for Tennessee if they stay at number two, but reports have teams like the Chargers and the Bears looking to trade up along with the Browns. The two have put out their own mocks all offseason and they also got together and did a mock draft live on ESPN a week ahead of the first round.
The most recent mock draft from the experts wen three rounds and the top five picks had Jameis Winston, Marcus Mariota, Dante Fowler, Leonard Williams and Vic Beasley. Winston has been the presumptive number one pick all offseason and the Buccaneers are likely to take him with the top pick. Both McShay and Kiper expect Winston to go number one and they also picked Mariota to go at number two.
Mariota is the most intriguing player to watch in the draft, as he is getting a ton of interest from teams and if Winston goes number one, expect the Titans to get some calls. There is a chance the Buccaneers could take Mariota number one, as some in the media have been "hearing" that he could go first, but at this point that could just be speculation. Winston looks to be more "pro ready" than Mariota and that could be enough for Tampa, even with his numerous off the field issues.
The Titans could consider making a trade at number two, as they like Zach Mettenberger and could stock up on picks. The Bears, Chargers and Browns are all interested in Mariota and could be in position to move up. The Bears have Jay Cutler to dangle, the Chargers have Philip Rivers and the Browns have two first round picks to try and use if they want to trade. Winston had a great season two years ago while winning the Heisman, but his numbers this year were not as good as Mariota's. The Chargers worked out Mariota and they could look at making a major move with Rivers.
Some of the earlier mock drafts have Williams as the number two pick and Fowler going to the Redskins, while the Jaguars took Vic Beasley at number three. The latest one from the two experts has Williams going to the Raiders and Fowler ending up with the Jaguars. Many draft experts see Williams as the top defensive player in the draft and there is a chance he could go at number two. In an earlier mock, McShay has the Jags taking Amari Cooper, while in the latest mock, the WR falls out of the top five.
The draft starts next Thursday with the first round and has coverage through the weekend on ESPN and the related networks.
Check here for more on the mock draft from Kiper and McShay.
