Could it be that the Cleveland Browns are now the front-runners to snare Marcus Mariota in the NFL Draft tomorrow night?
By Robby Sabo
Follow @EliteSportsNY
And so it begins.
The Tennessee Titans – led by head coach Ken Whisenhunt – have held the No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft for just about four months now. They’ve realized this entire time that Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota would most likely be there for them.
So, the only question remained, would they bite?
Many speculated that Whisenhunt would not. The reason is simple: Mariota is just not a Whisenhunt-type quarterback. Rather, he likes his signal-callers to have more of the prototypical, strong-armed look.
Look at his past guys. Ben Roethlisberger in Pittsburgh and Kurt Warner in Arizona. Both are pocket-passers who look to get the ball down the field in a hurry. Mariota, on the other hand, is just the opposite.
It led to the overwhelming feeling that the Titans would either draft stud defensive lineman Leonard Williams with their selection, or trade down.
Today the rumors of the latter option have heated up; and the team involved is the Cleveland Browns.
According to ESPN’s Pat McManamon, via SportsCenter, the Cleveland Browns have offered two first-round picks (Nos. 12 and 19 overall) to acquire the No. 2 overall pick owned by the Tennessee Titans with the intent of drafting Mariota:
Browns offer two 1st-round picks to Titans for No. 2 overall selection, where they would plan to take Marcus Mariota. (via @PatMcManamon)
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 29, 2015
.@Browns are reportedly offering two 1st-round picks to the @TennesseeTitans in order to take Marcus Mariota at #2. http://t.co/7qT8o1GCuh — ESPN (@espn) April 29, 2015
It makes sense that it’s the Browns for many reasons. The most obvious, though, is that they hold two first-rounders. This is something Philadelphia Eagles coach Chip Kelly will need to overcome if his Mariota-desires are in fact at an uncontrollable peak.
Other franchises who’ve been bandied about regarding the Mariota sweepstakes include the Houston Texans, Kansas City Chiefs and the New York Jets.
Ultimately though, it looks like it might come down to a race to trade up between the Browns and the Eagles.
Who will get there first?
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