NFL Draft Rumors: Breaking Down Last-Minute 1st-Round Buzz

The 2015 NFL draft has featured plenty of buzz-worthy rumors with regard to what might happen in the first round.

NFL Media analyst Jeff Darlington did well to put the draft season in perspective:

One of the most talked-about prospects is Oregon Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota. If Tampa Bay takes Jameis Winston at the top of the draft as expected, anything can happen in terms where Mariota lands.

The Tennessee Titans have the second overall pick and could take Mariota, but the Philadelphia Eagles and Cleveland Browns are reportedly interested in moving up to get him.

It's therefore a long shot for Mariota to be on the board one the New York Jets choose at No. 6 overall, so they're considering either a move up or down, according to reports.

Check out the last-minute whispers circulating about the first round ahead of Thursday's start.

Eagles Reportedly "Doing All They Can" To Land Mariota

Philadelphia has long been linked to Mariota, because his former college coach, Chip Kelly, is now at the helm of the Eagles as coach and even personnel chief.

ProFootballTalk.com's Mike Florio reports late Wednesday evening that Philadelphia is indeed figuring out any way possible to land the signal-caller.

NFL Network's Brian Baldinger believes the mega trade will come to fruition:

Longtime Eagles front-office fixture Joe Banner believes Philly could pull off the move:

It will take a lot of assets to give up for the Eagles to move up high enough for Mariota. The three-team trade scenario described in the video that leads this section by Bleacher Report's Jason Cole seems all the more feasible in that context.

Kelly hasn't been shy about making bold moves all offseason, trading away star running back LeSean McCoy, swinging a huge trade for QB Sam Bradford and signing another polarizing player in Tim Tebow. Those latter two moves may mean nothing if Kelly can somehow acquire Mariota on draft night.

Mariota is a dream fit in Kelly's system, with the athleticism to run at lightning-fast tempo and devastate defenses with his legs. With a cannon arm to boot, there's no doubt Mariota has the makeup to be a franchise passer.

Some believe it will take Mariota time to adjust to a pro-style offense coming from Oregon's spread system. Such growing pains wouldn't be as steep if Mariota is reunited with Kelly in the NFL.

Browns Offer Both 1st-Round Picks for Mariota?

Of course Cleveland is a speculated destination for Mariota, because the Browns have the Nos. 12 and 19 picks and a QB situation that never seems to be settled.

Conflicting reports emerged Wednesday from ESPN's Pat McManamon and Paul Kuharsky. The former reported, via SportsCenter, that the Browns had offered their two first-rounders to Tennessee with the intention of moving up to take Mariota.

Kuharsky followed up and stated that Cleveland hadn't made an offer to the Titans after consulting a Tennessee source.

CBS Cleveland's Daryl Ruiter is of the thought that Mariota isn't worth the costly asking price:

All of this could be pre-draft misdirection or a magnificent smokescreen. No one can know for sure which side is perpetrating it. Trading up for another QB is certainly a route Browns general manager Ray Farmer could pursue, but if Mariota were to bust in Cleveland, Farmer would be shown the door.

Farmer has stood by the selection of Johnny Manziel last year. Manziel only had two starts, didn't even finish his second one and just got out of rehab. No one can deny Manziel's rookie year was a disaster, yet he hardly had an opportunity to prove himself.

When a respected talent evaluator like NFL.com's Gil Brandt ranks Manziel as the No. 1 overall player in the 2014 draft, it's at least worth seeing what Manziel can do before bailing on him and impetuously investing another first-round pick at the position.

Or maybe it isn't. That's the difficult decision Farmer faces—one that will make or break his job.

Jets May Trade Down—Or Up

According to Cole, the Jets may be targeting Stanford left tackle Andrus Peat in the opening round. They could do this by trading down and stockpiling more picks to build a deeper roster.

Well, that's one theory. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport has some inside information that suggests New York could move either way:

The MMQB's Peter King wrote an 11th-hour draft-rumors piece, featuring a brief but telling line about the Jets.

"I think no one knows what Mike Maccagnan and the New York Jets are doing," writes King. "That's a tribute to the tight and leak-proof ship Maccagnan must be running in his first draft."

This section's first several lines all deal with pure rumor-based content, so New York is indeed playing it close to the vest and seems to be open to any and all possibilities. Who's to say the Jets aren't going to throw their hat into the Mariota sweepstakes?

Offensive coordinator Chan Gailey incorporates some spread-style elements into his system, so Mariota might feel right at home, serving as a calm, cool presence in the Big Apple media spotlight.

Incumbent Geno Smith is still fairly young and came from a spread system himself at West Virginia. Gailey's offense might be what Smith needs to turn the corner. The dilemma there is if New York drafts Mariota, Smith's confidence will likely be destroyed.

While the Eagles and Browns have stolen headlines leading up to the draft, the Jets could be the true wild card near the top of the first-round order.