The NFL draft is coming up in just over a month and after all the trade deals went down after free agency opened, the focus has turned to names like Marcus Mariota, Brett Hundley and Jameis Winston, as those players could be targets for teams like the NY Jets, Cleveland Browns and Washington Redskins after Nick Foles was traded to the Rams for Sam Bradford.
Many in the media have been speculating that the Eagles could be interested in trading up for Mariota, but that doesn't look like an option now. According to ESPN.com, the Eagles traded Nick Foles for Sam Bradford and they gave up a number of draft picks to do it, including a second round pick for next year. Peter King at the MMQB writes that the team likely will have Bradford as the starter after giving up the significant pick.
There has also been talk that the Buccaneers could look at trading out of the first overall pick, but that is unlikely. According to NFL.com, the Buccaneers are likely to take Winston number one overall and that gives other teams the chance to trade up for Mariota if he slips down. The Jets have been reportedly interested in Mariota, while John Clayton at ESPN reports that the Redskins would consider picking him if he is available at number five.
Mariota is having his pro day at Oregon this week and there will be a number of scouts and GMs in attendance. While the Buccaneers are looking like they will take Winston, GM Jason Licht is at the Pro Day, according to ESPN.com. Chip Kelly is not and it's starting to look more and more like the Eagles will not be trading up to get Mariota. Kelly could be lying, but after talking to the media about the Sam Bradford trade, he said the team is not going to "mortgage the future" to get Mariota.
Bradford was acquired for Nick Foles and some significant draft picks and that likely means Kelly intends for him to be the starter and that means the Mariota talk is just that. The Buccaneers have firmly been in on Winston, but they will do their homework and also look hard at Mariota. The Titans could be a potential option for Mariota, but they also could trade the pick to a team if they want to.
The Cleveland Browns and the NY Jets have interest in trading up and if he gets past number two, expect some calls to start happening. The Jaguars and Raiders are not taking Mariota and now ESPN.com reports that the Redskins could look at taking him. John Clayton reports that Jay Gruden likes Mariota and that Scot McCloughan is at the Oregon pro day checking him out. While RG3 was named the starter, the team is going to also do their homework and they could look at moving on from Robert Griffin eventually.
Mariota and Winston are considered to be the top QBs, but teams also may look at Brett Hundley from UCLA. The Browns and Jets could consider him an option if the top two players are gone, as he is mobile and put up strong numbers with the Bruins.
