Jameis Winston is the odds-on favorite to be the No. 1 pick in the 2015 NFL Draft and the likelihood that he is made available to any team other than the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is seemingly slimming with every day. Yet, despite this knowledge, teams other than Tampa Bay have spent time kicking the tires of the Florida State passer.
2015 NFL Draft: Bucs, Jets, Rams showing interest in Jameis Winston, Marcus Mariota
Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota could be the first two picks in the 2015 NFL Draft, but teams throughout the draft order are taking a close look.
In the case of Marcus Mariota, who could immediately follow Winston and be the second player off the board, the amount of teams showing interest is even larger.
Both the New York Jets and St. Louis Rams plan to work out Winston, despite owning the No. 6 and No. 10 picks, respectively. And both the Jets and Rams are among a handful of teams that have shown interest in Mariota.
The San Diego Chargers, Tennessee Titans and Chicago Bears all have spent time with the Oregon Ducks passer as well. Washington had a visit scheduled with Mariota, but canceled, and the Buccaneers have done their due diligence on him as well.
New York Jets
Current starting quarterback: Geno Smith
The Jets are two years removed from taking Geno Smith in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft and have only Matt Simms and Ryan Fitzpatrick as other options on the roster. As owners of the sixth pick, the Jets may need to vault into the top five to get Mariota, but could be in position to have a quarterback fall into their lap if the Titans pass and a blockbuster draft day trade doesn't occur.
Mariota already had a workout with the Jets at the end of March and a visit to the Jets facility is planned for Winston.
St. Louis Rams
Current starting quarterback: Nick Foles
The Rams recently acquired Nick Foles and have Case Keenum and Austin Davis as two other quarterbacks under contract. However, getting Winston would almost certainly require an expensive trade to nab the first overall selection and a trade might also be required to get Mariota.
Still, the Rams plan to meet with both Winston and Mariota later this week, so Jeff Fisher could be preparing for the unlikely or prepping for a bold move despite already being without fourth- and sixth-round picks due to a trade for Mark Barron in October.
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Tennessee Titans
Current starting quarterback: Zach Mettenberger
No team is in better position to take Mariota than the Titans, owners of the second pick. Whether Tennessee is already done hoping for big things from 2014 sixth-round pick Zach Mettenberger is the question. On Saturday, David Climer of The Tennesseean said that Titans' brass think they found a steal with Mettenberger and view him as "a poor man's Tom Brady."
Even if that’s the case, it’s in the Titans best interest to draw up interest in both quarterbacks and stir up big trade offers for the No. 2 pick. Winston visited the Titans on Monday and Mariota spent time with the team in Nashville last week.
If the Titans don't nab Mariota, they're in position to trade the second pick to a team that wants to. One of those teams could be the Chargers, thanks to a contract dispute with Philip Rivers that could end with the their longtime franchise quarterback getting traded away.
San Diego Chargers
Current starting quarterback: Philip Rivers
The Chargers have one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks with Philip Rivers, but his patience with them appears to be running thin and his planned time with the team doesn’t seem to extend past the 2015 season. Even if that wasn’t the case and San Diego doesn’t trade Rivers, finding a contingency plan for a quarterback who will turn 34 this year is smart.
San Diego has a workout scheduled with Mariota on Wednesday and its interest in the Oregon quarterback is enough to intrigue Sports Illustrated's Peter King:
I absolutely do not expect the Rams to trade up for Mariota, but in the unlikely event that Mariota falls to No. 10, I believe the Rams seriously would consider drafting him. The Chargers' workout might be a story. It might not be. I still think it's highly unlikely San Diego trades Philip Rivers to Tennessee. This could simply be a matter of coach Mike McCoy and GM Tom Telesco doing their due diligence in case Mariota has an Aaron Rodgers-type slide. But my eyebrows are sufficiently raised.
To acquire the No. 2 pick, the Chargers would have to trade all the way from No. 17 in the draft order.
Chicago Bears
Current starting quarterback: Jay Cutler
Things would be less expensive for the Bears, owners of the the No. 7 pick, but Chicago could also follow the Rams strategy and hope that Mariota slides through the top six picks.
With Jay Cutler, Jimmy Clausen and David Fales all providing plenty of reason for doubt in the Chicago quarterback situation, it would certainly be understandable if new Bears head coach John Fox jumped at the opportunity to work with a fresh face.
Washington
Current starting quarterback: Robert Griffin III
There was some discord between Robert Griffin III and head coach Jay Gruden during the 2014 season, although the former claims that’s a thing of the past. Still, the former second overall pick hasn’t been impressive since winning the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year award in 2012 and has just one year left on his contract.
Outside of Griffin III, Kirk Cousins and Colt McCoy, who each got playing time in 2014, are the other two options for Washington at quarterback.
The team might be hesitant to make another big trade to acquire another Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback, but if a quarterback falls to the fifth pick, it might be a hard situation for Gruden to pass on. Washington and Mariota were unable to agree on a date for a visit, though, so make what you will out of that. Instead it’s Washington State’s Connor Halliday that will take a visit to Washington, D.C.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Current starting quarterback: Mike Glennon
The only reason the Buccaneers are the last on the list is because there’s not much to analyze or discuss. Winston to Tampa Bay is appearing more and more like a foregone conclusion, although the Buccaneers have shown plenty of interest in Mariota as well and have ESPN’s Ron Jaworski convinced that the Pac-12 passer will be the pick instead.
Whoever it is, it seems Glennon isn’t Lovie Smith’s choice for face of the Tampa Bay franchise.
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