NFL Teams in Play to Land Heisman QB Marcus Mariota Heading into the Draft

Heisman-winning QB Marcus Mariota helped to draw representatives for all 32 NFL teams at his pro day no more than a week ago. Though his talent as a college QB is undeniable, Mariota has developed into one of the draft’s biggest mysteries in terms of where he might end up.  

There are some general managers around the league who are skeptical of Mariota developing into an NFL QB who can call plays, audible, handle a huddle and function outside of the pocket. However, even his biggest skeptics agree that Mariota is marvelous in terms of character humility.

A lot of teams would be ecstatic to land a potential franchise quarterback like him, and that’s why we list numerous potential landing spots for the Heisman-winning QB.

These are the teams in play for the highly coveted signal-caller.

Washington Redskins

According to Jason Reid of ESPN, there’s something to the chatter linking Marcus Mariota to the Redskins. As Reid puts it, “Gruden essentially told the entire NFL that Griffin can't read defenses, lacks leadership skills and has so much to learn in the pocket that he may be nothing more than a long-term project.“

Washington hired a new GM by the name of Scot McCloughan after going 7-25 over the past two seasons. When you factor in the toxic environment between RG3 and Gruden developing, McCloughan should at least be considering the possibility of drafting Mariota.

The opportunity may very well present itself when they’re on the clock at No. 5.  

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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Perhaps off-the-field issues and a poor offensive line are enough incentive for the Buccaneers to opt for the ultra-athletic Mariota over Jameis Winston with the first overall pick in the draft.

We can assume that Bucs head coach Lovie Smith and the Glazers (team owners) value high-character individuals, especially for a guy they intend to be the face of the franchise. If Jameis Winston doesn’t pass the organization’s screening process, expect the former Oregon Duck to be a primary target.

After all, the Bucs are indeed showing interest in Mariota, evidenced by the scheduled meetings with him at the combine and setting up one of his only reported private visits thus far, according to Walter Football.

Philadelphia Eagles

Given Mariota's history with Chip Kelly while they were at Oregon together, tons of speculation has circulated that Kelly will look to trade up in order to make Mariota his quarterback once again.

If there was ever any doubt about how his former coach felt about him, it was removed when Chip Kelly admitted in a press conference that he believes Mariota is the best QB available in this draft, according to Phil Sheridan of ESPN.

Dealing a package of picks would help the Eagles' chances of making it possible if Mariota falls outside of the top five. This is their most likely scenario for landing the QB, considering a move into the top five would probably require the Eagles to mortgage the future to some degree, which is more than Eagles head coach Chip Kelly claims he’s willing to give, as per Sheridan:

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We're not mortgaging our future for any particular player,” Kelly said regarding Mariota. “That's just not philosophically what we think is the right thing to do, that you're going to package 20 picks to move up from 20 (in the draft) to some other spot. We have not had any discussions (about such a trade).

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Obviously, this would be the ideal situation for both Mariota and the Eagles. This could be the move that puts Chip Kelly’s team over the edge. With Kelly taking his former college QB under his wing, the transition to the pros would certainly go a lot more smoothly.

Mariota’s comfort level with the system would make him an instant favorite for Rookie of the Year, and the Eagles would likely become one of the most dangerous offenses in the league.

Tennessee Titans

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General manager Ruston Webster is running out of time to turn this Titans team around, and he just assumed the position back in 2012. Alex Marvez of Fox Sports reported back in February that Webster planned to meet at length with Mariota. 

One way or another, a quarterback must emerge in order for this franchise to have a fighting chance in a division that’s being dominated by Andrew Luck.

The Titans have the No. 2 overall pick in the draft, and they’d be an interesting landing spot for Mariota—especially considering head coach Ken Whisenhunt tends to gravitate toward lumbering pocket passers with rifle arms. Second-year QB Zach Mettenberger shouldn’t be counted out as the guy of the future. He started six games as a rookie and threw for 1,412 yards, eight touchdowns and seven interceptions.

With that said, if Whisenhunt and Mariota do end up working together, it might be a stellar combination. Whisenhunt is a proven quarterbacks coach, and the Titans have some young talent at wide receiver, running back and on the offensive line.

At the very least, Mariota and Mettenberger could battle it out to see who can become the centerpiece this franchise has been looking for.  

New York Jets

It’s reasonable to speculate that the Jets' new GM Mike Maccagnan is not sold on Geno Smith and would like to bring in his own quarterback if a guy like Mariota were to fall in his lap. The organization has been desperate for a franchise quarterback for decades and shouldn’t pass this chance up without careful consideration.

It likely doesn’t mean much in the scheme of things, but at least Mariota is on record showing his enthusiasm for potentially playing for the Jets, according to Ryan Dunleavy of APP.com. As per Dunelavy, Mariota had this to say when asked about being drafted by the Jets:

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I'd love to play for the Jets," Mariota said. "Meeting with the offensive coordinator and the quarterbacks coach was awesome. It was an opportunity for me to introduce myself and it seems like a great organization.

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New York picks sixth overall, and many suspect this could be the spot where Mariota comes off the board.

St. Louis Rams

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The St. Louis Rams have recently traded quarterbacks Sam Bradford to the Eagles for the rights to Nick Foles. It’s possible this swap has the Rams feeling confident in their QB situation moving forward, but if Mariota is still available when they go on the clock with the 10th overall pick, there’s certainly a real possibility they make the move for him.

ESPN's Todd McShay believes that Marcus Mariota could be in play for the Rams. Here’s what he had to say:

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But the team that intrigues me most right now is the Rams, current owner of the No. 10 overall pick," McShay wrote. "My biggest takeaway from the trade that sent Nick Foles to St. Louis and Sam Bradford to the Philadelphia Eagles was that it could open the door for the Rams to move up to draft Mariota. I don't have any inside info on that, and I haven't heard anything, but it gets interesting when you connect the dots: They're now free of Bradford's huge contract, they have a good bridge quarterback in Foles, they added a 2016 second-round pick and they have a good, young roster that is more equipped to take the hit resulting from the loss of the multiple draft picks it'd take to move up to draft Mariota.

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McShay makes some intriguing points here, and he continues:

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Lastly, I know from talking to people around the organization last season that they had some interest in Johnny Manziel because of the added dimension he could bring to their running game. It's no secret Jeff Fisher wants a physical dimension to his football team, placing an emphasis recently on building up the offensive line and defense. Mariota could likewise bring a running element to the quarterback position, and he's a much better, more polished and cleaner prospect than Manziel was coming out of Texas A&M.

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If the Rams were indeed interested in Manziel last year, they should certainly feel more comfortable pulling the trigger on Mariota.

Cleveland Browns

The Cleveland Browns already spent a first-round draft pick on a quarterback last year when they took Johnny Manziel. So far, he has shown a complete lack of maturity and dependability, and it appears the organization has lost confidence in him.  This might open up the door for the Browns to take Mariota with the 12th overall pick.

Bleacher Report NFL Analyst Chris Simms explains in the video in this link that there's a realistic chance Mariota will be available for the Browns in the draft and why he'd be a good fit for the team..

He explains how many of the teams picking ahead of Cleveland already have a quarterback and would likely pass him up.

Back in February, NFL Network's Albert Breer reported that Mariota would be working out with Kevin O'Connell, who would be joining the Browns staff later in the offseason.    

Final Prediction

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Peter King of MMQB sets up a pretty fascinating scenario here that appears to be somewhat far-fetched on the surface, but the more I think about it, there are some plausible scenarios being presented here:  

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What if Mariota—and this is a huge “what if” because of all the teams that need quarterbacks in the draft this year—starts to tumble down the draft board in round one? What if Washington passes on him at 5, and the Jets have some cold feet at 6, and GM Les Snead of the Rams loves Nick Foles and sees bigger needs at 10, and the Browns at 12 and the Texans at 16 and the Browns again at 19 all have cold feet for one reason or another? All of those things are incredibly unlikely, but what if? What if Mariota is staring Sam Bradford-loving Chip Kelly in the face at 20, or if Kelly sees Mariota tumbling at 12, 13, 14, and he thinks he’s just got to go for the gusto now? That would be one of the best stories in recent draft history, Kelly getting Mariota.

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Although I highly doubt Mariota will be available with the 20th pick, I can certainly see Kelly moving up in the first round if Mariota happens to fall out of the top 10.

This is a move that could revolutionize Philadelphia’s organization and put a new notch in Kelly’s growing legacy. To some degree, I think he understands the gravity of this addition and will become increasingly more tempted to move up the longer Mariota remains available. His price tag should become affordable outside of the top 10.

If this actually does happen, the rest of the NFC East had better be worried.

Ryan Riddle is a former NFL player who writes for Bleacher Report