NFL Rumors: Jets Drop Hint On Drafting Marcus Mariota, Eagles Still May Trade Up For Him

The 2015 NFL Draft is less than a month away now, and there are still so many who aren’t quite sure which player will be drafted first overall. The overall consensus is that quarterback Jameis Winston will go to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but who will take Marcus Mariota? Well, the New York Jets dropped a hint that they are in the race, but don’t count the Philadelphia Eagles out.

The New York Jets have three quarterbacks on their roster including young Geno Smith, but they may not be done looking for another one. Oregon Live reported that Jets head coach Todd Bowles said during a conference call on Thursday that one more could be in the mix soon.

“We want competition at every position. Ryan (Fitzpatrick) is going to compete, as well as Geno is going to compete, and we hope to add somebody else to compete with them, along with (Matt) Simms.”

Now, that is no clear indication that the Jets are going to try and trade up from the sixth overall pick to make a play for Mariota. Still, they did like what they saw at his pro day in Oregon last month, but so did a lot of teams.

The Tennessee Titans have the number two pick and it is believed that no matter what, Mariota will be gone by then. Tennessee has already said that they could very well trade away the pick and will listen to offers.

At number five, the Washington Redskins still could trade up or down, and they’ve let it be known that they are willing to listen to offers as well. If the first few teams don’t take Mariota, the Jets could even move up just one spot in a trade with Washington.

“Sitting at six is a very good spot to be in,” said Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan. “It does allow us the potential to move up in the draft because we’re not far from the first pick.”

Charles Davis of NFL.com knows that a number of teams are going after Marcus Mariota, but he has one dream trade in particular that he would love to see happen.

“Count me among those that are curious to see if the ‘match made in heaven’ really would be as heavenly as some expect. Mariota, who was coached by the Eagles’ Chip Kelly at Oregon, could go to a bunch of different spots, assuming the Buccaneers don’t stun everyone and take Mariota over Jameis Winston at No. 1.”

The Philadelphia Eagles have the 20th overall pick in the first round of the draft, but they do have a few other chips they could use in a trade. The recent acquisition of quarterback Sam Bradford for Nick Foles in a trade with the St. Louis Rams may be very tempting for Tennessee.

For now, Marcus Mariota is in 2015 NFL Draft limbo as no one really knows where he will end up. The Jets, Eagles, Redskins, Titans, and a host of other NFL teams are rumored to be going after him, but there is no lock in place for where his future professional career will begin.

[Image via Getty Images]