NFL Draft Rumors: Latest Buzz Surrounding Marcus Mariota, Todd Gurley and More

NFL teams holding on to their own picks during the NFL draft is just plain boring.

If the draft is the entree of the NFL offseason, trading is the spicy ingredient that gives it some kick. There are bound to be draft-pick swaps this year, especially with playmakers such as Marcus Mariota and Todd Gurley available.

With that in mind, here is a look at some of the latest NFL draft buzz from around the league.

Marcus Mariota

Quarterbacks are always the great wild cards of every NFL draft. If a team makes the right selection, it is set for the next 10 to 15 seasons, but a swing and a miss could lead to a setback that requires years of recovery time.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are likely going to take Jameis Winston with the first pick, which means Mariota is the subject of trade rumors during the week before the draft as the second option. The Tennessee Titans are sitting there with that No. 2 pick, but they could entertain a number of offers, including a hypothetical one from the San Diego Chargers.

Peter King of Sports Illustrated said he does not believe the Chargers will trade quarterback Philip Rivers to the Titans (or anyone else) and discussed how that impacts the Titans’ strategy:

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If the Titans don’t get a good offer, I think they pick Mariota. Tennessee wants an offer; the Titans aren’t married to picking anyone at number two. I do not believe Tennessee has gotten a golden offer yet. ... I’ve got to think that the Titans would know if they were going to get a really good offer by now. And I hadn’t heard of even a strong rumor of one by late Sunday afternoon. That doesn’t mean it won’t happen. The Titans, though they feel good about Zach Mettenberger, would feel better about Mariota.

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Albert Breer of NFL Network and Dan Pompei of Bleacher Report both added some context to the likelihood that the Titans will take Mariota with the second pick:

On paper, taking Mariota makes sense for the Titans. He threw for 4,454 yards, ran for 770 yards and tallied 57 total touchdowns on his way to the Heisman Trophy last season at Oregon and would provide an immediate upgrade to a Titans offense that finished 29th in total yardage and 30th in scoring.

Mariota would likely need time to settle into a starting quarterback spot in the NFL before he plays the role of savior, but even the threat of the run should theoretically allow receivers more space to get open downfield with safeties and linebackers watching the line of scrimmage. That would be critical in Tennessee’s attack.

As for Rivers, he is a sure thing for the next few seasons, but he is 33 years old. Mariota is more of a gamble, but he is also more likely to be a franchise quarterback in seven to 10 years than an older Rivers is. 

If the Titans follow that line of thinking and the Chargers want to maintain some stability for a few more seasons with Rivers, Mariota will likely be wearing a Tennessee uniform next year.

Todd Gurley

Speaking of wild cards in this draft, Georgia running back Todd Gurley is a fascinating case study of overwhelming potential and injury risk at a physically grueling position.

Breer noted that a number of teams are interested in the former Bulldogs star:

Gurley is coming off an ACL tear, but he ranks second in Georgia history behind Herschel Walker with more than 4,300 career all-purpose yards as a running back and kick returner. His explosiveness in the open field is matched only by his physicality when steamrolling through holes and defenders, and the versatility to return kicks will help him see the field as a rookie.

If it wasn’t for that knee injury, Gurley would be a surefire top-20 selection, even though the last three running backs to be drafted in the first round were Trent Richardson, Doug Martin and David Wilson.

None of those names inspires much confidence, but Gurley is hard to ignore from a pure skill standpoint. Now all it will take is one of those interested teams to pull the trigger on him come draft day.

Dante Fowler Jr. and the Atlanta Falcons

Sam Greenwood/Getty Images

The Atlanta Falcons were a nightmare on defense during the 2014 season and must improve if they hope to reach the playoffs in 2015.

A good place to start would be the draft, and it appears that they have someone in mind, per D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “The Falcons will consider trading up to try to land Florida defensive end Dante Fowler Jr., who was recruited by head coach Dan Quinn and played two seasons for him in Gainesville, Florida.”

Ledbetter noted that it “shouldn’t be a surprise” that the Falcons will discuss trading up for Fowler—and not only because of the recruiting angle. Atlanta general manager Thomas Dimitroff made a trade in each of his first seven drafts with the team, including the one in 2011 that helped the Falcons grab wide receiver Julio Jones.

Dimitroff discussed his team’s position leading to the draft, per Ledbetter: “There is a lot of discussions already about moving both ways with a lot of our peers in the league. A lot of it has to do with what goes down with the top three picks. That’s going to set the tone for how much movement there is into the top 10 and even in the top five.”

Atlanta finished 32nd in total defense, 27th in scoring defense and 30th in sacks last season and could use a defensive playmaker like Fowler. Fowler tallied 8.5 sacks and 15 tackles for loss for the Florida Gators a season ago and brings explosive athleticism and a quick first step to the table.

It is worth noting that there will likely be defensive line options available for the Falcons even if they don’t trade up, with players such as Vic Beasley, Bud Dupree, Shane Ray and Randy Gregory slotting in alongside Fowler as potential top-15 picks.

Having options is a good position to be in come draft day.

Follow me on Twitter @ScottPolacek.