NFL Mock Draft 2015: Could Marcus Mariota Trade Come Before Draft?
NFL mock draft 2015 coverage is starting to increase as free agency starts to wrap up. The projections for the draft have drawn a lot of attention from fans of teams that need a new quarterback. That’s typical of this time of the offseason every year. The countdown has already begun for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as the team gets the first overall selection in the 2015 NFL Draft. That was achieved by being the worst team in football during the 2014 NFL season.
A report from USA Today on Saturday (March 21) predicts that the likely destination for Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota is the Cleveland Browns. That might be a bit shocking for fans, especially since the prior expectation was that he wouldn’t slide that far on the draft board. Selecting another rookie quarterback could help the team move past Johnny Manziel experiment, but he would still need to be available at that point.
In the NFL mock draft 2015 coverage from CBS Sports back on Friday (March 20), Marcus Mariota doesn’t even make it past the second pick. In that look at the 2015 NFL Draft, writer Will Brinson has the Tennessee Titans moving out of that slot in an effort to collect assets. The team gaining control of the No. 2 selection is predicted to be the San Diego Chargers in a deal that includes sending quarterback Philip Rivers to the Titans. He defended the prediction by suggesting it would be tough to complete.
“I can’t stress this enough: It’s a massive longshot for this to happen between now and May 5. I don’t think it will. But there are concerns about Rivers future in San Diego and Tennessee is a natural fit (he knows the coach, he’s not far from his hometown, they need a quarterback).”
If the San Diego Chargers made a bold both like this, it would certainly shake up the entire league on draft day. In previous NFL mock draft 2015 coverage from the site, the writers were also in line with the Titans selecting USC defensive lineman Leonard Williams with the second overall selection. Following the combine, Mel Kiper had Williams as the best prospect available on his latest projections for ESPN.
Unless one of those drastic trades take place, most of the projections for the 2015 NFL Draft have Jameis Winston going to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at No. 1, Leonard Williams to Tennessee at No. 2, DE/OLB Dante Fowler Jr. to the Jacksonville Jaguars at No. 3, and receiver Amari Cooper to the Oakland Raiders at No. 4. After that, the NFL mock draft 2015 coverage offers several different options, with the Washington Redskins possibly looking at DE/OLB Vic Beasley of Clemson, DE/OLB Randy Gregory of Nebraska, or Missouri DE Shane Ray at No.5.
As previously reported on Inquisitr, there have also been rumors about the Philadelphia Eagles moving up to select Marcus Mariota in the first-round. Eagles head coach Chip Kelly used to have him with the University of Oregon and he has looked like a fit for the team recently. There are going to be more NFL mock draft 2015 incarnations as the big day approaches, especially if teams get closer to actually making a trade. Outside of those deals, a safe expectation of which four players will be off the board first has been set.
[Image Source: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images]
