Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Latest Combine News and Rumors

'Tis the season for smokescreens and misinformation, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans are in for more than usual, thanks to their team owning the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft.

With this year's NFL Scouting Combine ready to kick off this week, the rumor mill is sure to shift to an even higher gear, with reporters and analysts keeping their ears to the ground and passing along various nuggets of information—whether true or otherwise—to insatiable fanbases all over the country.

What does this mean for Bucs fans? A never-ending cycle of opinions on which top quarterback they'll choose, potential trade suitors and scenarios and alternate options outside of taking a signal-caller with the top overall pick.

What's the current buzz surrounding the Bucs' draft plans heading into the combine? Let's take a look.

Bucs Leaning Toward Mariota over Winston?

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The question for Bucs fans so far this offseason hasn't been whether or not their team will take a quarterback, but simply which of the top options they'll choose at the position.

According to Bleacher Report's Jason Cole, the team is currently leaning toward Oregon's Marcus Mariota, though he adds there's still plenty of time for things to change:

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According to the sources I have talked to, at this point in time, the Bucs are leaning towards taking Marcus Mariota because they believe he is the safer option. However, it is way early in the process, and there is a lot to discuss between these two. It may be the most hotly discussed debates on quarterbacks since Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf [in 1998].

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As Cole said, it's still extremely early in the process, and it's hard to believe much of anything that's said this time of year regarding a team's draft intentions. It does seem like the Bucs could end up having to choose between the safer option on the field in Jameis Winston, or off the field in Mariota.

Not so Fast, My Friend

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

Get used to this, Bucs fans.

While some reports are surfacing saying Tampa Bay's decision-makers prefer Oregon's Marcus Mariota, there are others indicating the complete opposite.

Such is the nature of the pre-draft process, especially for the team that owns the top overall selection.

Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times believes the scales are tipped in favor of Florida State's Jameis Winston:

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Among teammates, Winston has been the alpha leader — the hardest worker, the most competitive player. His football acumen might be second only to the Colts' Andrew Luck's among quarterbacks entering the draft in the past 15 years.

Which QB the Bucs favor is all speculation. But they have a pretty good idea what they're going to do. The next few months is about confirming that choice. It sure feels like it is Winston's job to lose.

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Based on what he's currently hearing around One Buc Place, Pat Yasinskas of ESPN.com agrees:

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I've heard that coach Lovie Smith prefers Winston over Oregon's Marcus Mariota. When Smith chose Dirk Koetter as the Bucs' offensive coordinator over Marc Trestman, the logic was simple. Although Smith and Trestman have similar philosophies about how to run an offense, they disagreed on the quarterbacks. Trestman preferred Mariota.

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There are plenty of theoretical dots to connect Tampa Bay to either quarterback, and it's going to be impossible to trust just about anything that reportedly comes out of Bucs headquarters over the next couple of months. Either way, fans should rest assured the team will be taking a swing on a franchise quarterback with the top overall pick.

Even After McCown's Release, Glennon Could Still Be Trade Target

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Many believe the Bucs tipped their hand regarding their plans for the No. 1 overall pick by releasing quarterback Josh McCown last week, and it sure looks that way.

But some believe McCown's release also means that trade talk regarding young backup Mike Glennon will die down, considering he looks to be the only quarterback on the roster with any experience come next season. I disagree.

Chris Wesseling of NFL.com wrote last week about Glennon being an attractive option for a number of teams looking for an upgrade under center:

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With 29 touchdowns in 19 career games, Glennon is more than just a reclamation project. En route to earning Offensive Rookie of the Month honors in November of 2013, he became the first rookie in NFL history to throw at least one touchdown pass in his first eight games.

The problem is that Glennon didn't continue on that trajectory. His 2014 game tape is unimpressive, showing an immobile, often indecisive passer with accuracy issues and an inability to move the offense for quarters at a time.

Boasting prototypical size and a strong arm, though, Glennon is sure to attract suitors willing to gamble on a bounce-back season with better coaching and consistent blocking.

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On one hand, it makes plenty of sense to keep Glennon as a potential bridge to whichever rookie quarterback is likely to take over at some point, but that won't keep the Bucs from entertaining any advantageous offers for his services. If he ends up fetching a mid-round pick in this year's draft, don't be shocked if the Bucs take that deal and look to add a veteran free agent to take his place.

Nebraska's Randy Gregory: "I'm Worthy of the No. 1 Pick"

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Most of the conversation surrounding the top overall pick has centered around Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota, and with good reason. But Nebraska defensive end Randy Gregory has a bone to pick with that train of thought.

In a journal entry for USA Today, Gregory says he's worthy of being the top selection:

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I think I'm worthy of the No. 1 pick. I would hope anybody in the draft would want to be the No. 1 pick. I know how I am as a player. I know my potential. I know what I can do. I know what I bring to a team. And I understand that this position is a premium. Everyone wants someone that can get to the quarterback. Everyone wants a quarterback. Everyone wants a left tackle that can block that guy that wants to get to the quarterback. I understand the game and where it's headed, and I understand that there's a big need, a big demand. I definitely think I'm worthy. And I definitely think I'll show that at the combine and when I get out there in the NFL.

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Gregory is one of a few players who might be able to make such a claim this year, but being worthy of the pick and being the best fit for what Tampa Bay needs are two very different things. While the Bucs could certainly use some pass-rush help, their need at quarterback trumps all others.

He's not likely to go No. 1 overall, but Gregory shouldn't be disappointed on draft day, as he's not expected to last past the top 10 selections.

Browns Targeting Trade Up for Mariota?

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One option for the Bucs could be to trade down from the No. 1 overall pick, though it's unlikely another team would be willing to make them an offer worthy of passing up the chance to take a potential franchise quarterback.

One team that could have enough ammo to potentially make the move up is the Cleveland Browns, who own two picks in the middle of this year's first round.

According to Roy Cummings of The Tampa Tribune, that's not the only reason some believe the Browns could be putting the pieces in place to trade up, particularly to land Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota:

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The suggestion was made a week or so ago that the Browns’ seemingly never-ending search for quarterback help could result in a trade with the Buccaneers this spring.

Now there’s evidence to suggest just such a deal may be on the Browns minds.

The Hawaii Star Advertiser reported recently that Kevin O’Connell, who is expected to soon be named the Browns’ new quarterbacks coach, is currently coaching up quarterback prospect Marcus Mariota.

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Again, I'm not a huge fan of making large assumptions based on nothing more than circumstantial evidence—see: last year's connection between Bucs offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford and current Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr—but this one's at least worth entertaining, if only for fun.

The Browns look like the only team that could conceivably pony up enough picks to even get Tampa Bay to listen to an offer, and this little tidbit makes the possibility that much more intriguing.