Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston are the two marquee quarterbacks in this year's draft class as both are considered to be ready to start in the NFL immediately. With several teams in the market for a quarterback upgrade, competition is high to get either player in a draft-day deal. With the Tampa Bay Buccaneers getting linked to Winston, are the Tennessee Titans shopping the No. 2 pick for all teams interested in Mariota?
According to the Tennessean, the Titans are currently looking to shop their No. 2 draft pick for any team interested as Mariota is the intended target at that spot. As of now, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have the No. 1 overall pick and appear ready to hold on to it and draft Winston. They released Josh McCown who started at quarterback last year and they could trade Mike Glennon leaving the roster wide open for Winston. That means the No. 2 pick is what a number of teams are aiming for. However, some are not sold on the idea of wagering a whole draft for a quarterback.
NFL Network draft expert Mike Mayock says the Titans might be ready to sell their No. 2 pick, but he doubts a lot of teams aim to strike a deal. Mayock offers up the Washington Redskins as a perfect example. The wagered a good portion of their future on a quarterback they thought would win a Super Bowl sooner rather than later. Fast forward three years and Robert Griffin III has suffered a number of injuries while facing trade rumors. Could teams be facing the same fate if they trade up for Mariota or Winston?
As of now, the Philadelphia Eagles, Cleveland Browns and New York Jets are all being linked to a deal for Mariota. The Eagles have the No. 20 pick. The Browns draft at No. 19 and the Jets make their first selection at No. 6. Any trade for the No. 2 pick could require a lot. Cleveland has two first-round picks to wager. The Eagles could toss in players like LeSean McCoy or Nick Foles to sweeten the deal. The Jets do not have that far to jump making them the likely candidate.
The Titans stress they are committed to Zach Mettenberger. The general manager spoke out on Monday stating they liked the potential of the former LSU star and the flashes of progress he showed before getting injured. They will certainly listen to trade offers for their draft pick, but it remains to be seen if any team is willing to sell the farm to get it.
