Rise ‘n Grind: Marcus Mariota will be the 2nd pick in the 2015 NFL Draft

Marcus Mariota is not going to fall past the second pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. That’s what one general manager said Monday night in Phoenix at the NFL annual meetings. He added that it did not mean the Tennessee Titans, who hold the second pick, would be the team selecting the Oregon quarterback.

That still leaves us with plenty to speculate. Which team will be enticed to move up to that spot? What will it cost them? Or will it be the Titans making Mariota their pick?

One general manager cannot guarantee that Mariota will be the second pick; that prediction relies on the independent actions of 31 other general managers. It does undercut the notion that Mariota will slide in the first round of the draft. Even more refreshing is that this also shoots a hole in the dumb rumors coming from anonymous scouts about teams concerned that he’s “too nice,” too much of a spread quarterback or the latest one about him not concerned with being the first overall pick in the draft.

Mariota was the second pick in our annual NFL blogger mock draft, which kicked off Monday. In this case, Tennessee did select him, via Music City Miracles, our Titans blog.

Replay regrets: Another development from the league meetings on Monday was the competition committee’s three-page manifesto about the silent threat of expanding instant replay.

“Clearly” a catch: The league also tried to clarify what constitutes a catch, aka the Calvin Johnson rule. They didn’t actually change the rule, just the language. And, yes, the NFL still believes that Dez Bryant did not catch that pass.

The third man: Colorado State quarterback Garrett Grayson has his pro day on Monday, the first chance scouts had to see him work out since injuries prevented him from doing so at the Combine. Several teams have private workouts, and he’s generating buzz about maybe being the third QB drafted. Could he be Peyton Manning’s heir in Denver?

Dump him: Camel enthusiast Adrian Peterson has now made it pretty clear that he doesn’t want to be a Viking anymore. But it’s going to be tricky to get him out of there.

Success story: All that scorn you heaped on the veteran combine, but it’s working! The Colts signed a player who worked out at the event on Sunday, the second participant to land a new gig.

Bob’s a fan too: Patriots owner Robert Kraft held court in the hallway during a break at the league meetings where he explained what made it so difficult for him to let Darrelle Revis walk away.

Good news, Titans fans: The Browns shot down those rumors about Jimmy Haslam swapping teams and taking over the Titans. Related: Sorry, Browns fans.

Suh what: Lions general manager Martin Mayhew revisited the team’s efforts to re-sign Ndamukong Suh, telling reporters that there are things he “would have done differently.”