The Tennessee Titans and head coach Ken Whisenhunt have a monumental decision ahead.
The direction they choose with the second-overall selection in the 2015 NFL Draft will go a long way towards determining the future of the organization.
With the Tampa Bay Buccaneers expected by many to select quarterback Jameis Winston first, any number of avenues are available to the Titans with the next pick - selecting a receiver, a defensive player like Leonard Williams, trading down - and perhaps no option has gotten as little consideration for Whisenhunt and the Titans as selecting the draft's second-best quarterback, Marcus Mariota.
According to a report from Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports though, that may, in fact, be exactly what happens come April.
"Some who know Tennessee coach Ken Whisenhunt well figure in the end, barring him being blown out of the water with a trade offer, he goes ahead and drafts the kid. "If there are three or four teams trying to trade up for him, then there's going to be a lot of pressure on Ken to take him if they keep the pick," as one source put it," writes La Canfora.
Why would Whisenhunt take Mariota even if he were not 100 percent sold on him?
FOMO - fear of missing out.
"Even if Mariota has some questions in terms of meshing with the Titans offense and even if he's not the prototypical fit for Whisenhunt's scheme, fear of passing on a possible quarterback may force the team's hand," La Canfora reveals. "This even after the organization swung and missed big time on Jake Locker (albeit before Whisenhunt's arrival), which is why there are several NFL execs who believe this plays out like the 2012 draft, with quarterbacks going first and second overall."
While that is the most likely outcome and it's entirely possible the Titans won't end up being the team selecting a quarterback with the second-overall pick, it seems there's more than a slim chance Mariota could wind up pairing with last year's sixth-round pick, Zach Mettenberger, as a nice one-two punch of potential franchise players at the game's most important position for the Titans.
