NFL Mock Draft 2015: Jameis Winston, Marcus Mariota Targets For Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New York Jets, Cleveland Browns Trade?

Feb 16, 2015 09:07 AM EST
Quarterback Jameis Winston
Quarterback Jameis Winston #5 of the Florida State Seminoles signals to his team against the Oregon Ducks in the first quarter of the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual at the Rose Bowl on January 1, 2015 in Pasadena, California. "

The 2015 NFL draft is getting close and mock drafts have started to come out for teams and the top two prospects appear to be Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota and there are a number of team eyeing the quarterbacks, including the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New York Jets, Cleveland Browns and Titans, while some teams could be looking to trade up.

The Buccaneers locked in the number one pick with a 2-14 record and strength of schedule and now they likely will pick either Mariota or Winston. According to Pro Football Talk, the team released Josh McCown and early reports have them "zeroed in" on Winston. Many consider Winston to be the better pro prospect over Mariota because of his size and the offense he played in and that could be enough for the Buccaneers.

Winston has some major red flags with his off the field issues, but the Bucs may overlook that due to his talent and they will do background on him. Mel Kiper writes that he could see Mariota slipping out of the top five and to the NY Jets and that could open up a host of options. The Browns, Eagles and Jets all could look at trading up for Mariota and the Browns have the most draft picks of any team, meaning they have the ammo to do it. The Browns have two first round picks and could look at taking another QB.

The Jets have a new regime and they wouldn't mind adding a top prospect, while the Eagles could look to move up to get Mariota, as Chop Kelly coached him at Oregon. Brett Hundley is also in the mix for teams, as he could be the third QB off the board after Winston and Mariota. The Raiders and the Jaguars are unlikely to pick QBs, as they like the young players they have from last year, while the Redskins and Jets could also be in the mix. One of those teams could look at trading up, with the Jets a likely possibility of one of the QBs starts to slip.

The Cleveland Browns could be a team that tries to trade up, as they have two first round picks and reportedly will be interested in Mariota or Winston. Either way, the first round should see those two quarterbacks go in the first few picks. Winston comes in after winning the Heisman Trophy and taking his team to back to back national championships in college and many think he is ready for the pros.

Winston and Mariota are expected to be the top names in the draft at quarterback this season, while players like Shane Carden, Taylor Kelly and Bryce Petty also could stand out. Todd Gurley and Melvin Gordon are running backs to watch later in the draft, while Amari Cooper and Jaelen Strong are top players at wide receiver. The Buccaneers may look at trading the pick, but everyone expects the team to pick one of the quarterbacks number one.

Winston has a ton of baggage off the field, but no one is questioning what he can do on the field. Winston had 3,907 yards, 25 touchdowns and 18 picks this season after putting up amazing numbers in 2013 and he could now be the first overall pick.

Get the Most Popular Stories in a Weekly Newsletter
© 2015 Sportsworldreport.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.

Join the Conversation

  • Get Connected
  • Share
  • Like Us on Facebook
  • @sportswr
  • Recommend on Google
Real Time Analytics