We’re one day away from the NFL Draft, and more reports are surfacing about where Oregon quarterback and reigning Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota will end up.
According to a post by Josh Alper on NBC Sports’ Pro Football Talk, two teams in the mix are the Philadelphia Eagles and San Diego Chargers.
So far, the general consensus has been that Mariota will be the second overall pick following Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston, expected to go to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Tennessee Titans hold that pick, but team GM Ruston Weber has stated that while trade talks for it have happened, none have been with the Chargers. Granted, San Diego already has a franchise quarterback in five-time Pro Bowler Philip Rivers, but he is due $15.75 million this year and is set to hit free agency in 2016.
Despite these rumors, Fox Sports’ Mike Garafolo is reporting that San Diego management wants Rivers to stay.
Mentioned on @AmericasPregame Chargers met with Philip Rivers' agent in person late last week. Team remains intent on extending his deal.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) April 28, 2015
Now let’s talk about the elephant in the room, the Philadelphia Eagles. They hold the 20th pick and have made a flurry of moves this offseason, from trading star running back LeSean McCoy to acquiring the oft-injured Sam Bradford to even signing Tim Tebow, and there have been constant rumors of how Chip Kelly wants the quarterback he recruited while the head coach at Oregon.
On top of that, Mark Eckel of NJ.com reported how the Cleveland Browns are very high on Bradford as well as the possibility of a three-team deal involving Cleveland, Philadelphia, and Tennessee.
No matter how this situation turns out, whichever team drafts Mariota will instantly become better under center. He threw for 4,454 yards and 42 touchdowns last year, and also had just four interceptions.
These rumors won’t be going away any time soon, so stay tuned as the countdown to Draft Day winds down.
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*Featured Photo (above) credit to Brad Penner/USA TODAY Sports
