Jameis Winston or Marcus Mariota.
For many in and around the NFL, this seems to be the only decision facing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and head coach Lovie Smith, possessors of the first-overall selection in this coming April's 2015 NFL Draft.
What if that's not how Smith and the rest of the Bucs brass see it, though?
"I can see why people would assume we're gonna take a quarterback," Smith told NFL Network, per Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com. "There are two excellent quarterbacks that are available at the top and when you get a chance to draft someone like that, most of the time, people do. But there are other good players in the draft also. I think it's a deep draft for defensive line. Like last year, there are a lot of great receivers that are coming out. I think, just overall, the amount of athletes coming into each incoming class, it's pretty deep for players that can make an immediate impact."
Smith, of course, said nothing definitive and merely hinted at the fact that there are possibilities for Tampa Bay beyond simply selecting one of the top two signal-callers and moving onto the draft's second-round, but what if his decision to say something so seemingly benign was, in fact, quite pointed and purposeful?
"By making those comments publicly, Smith is signaling to other teams that if they're interested in trading up, they should call Tampa Bay and make an offer. And that's a smart thing to do: It's always good to find out what you could get in a trade," PFT surmises.
"Whether the Bucs would actually pull the trigger on a trade remains to be seen. Passing up on a potential franchise quarterback is a tough decision to justify. But it's a decision the Bucs will consider, if Smith is to be believed."
If Smith is to be believed - in an NFL world where handshake deals are quickly struck and just as expediently voided, backroom negotiations are in constant motion and double-speak is as common, if not more common, than the honest to goodness truth, Smith's words could have little-to-no meaning.
Then again, all it takes is one team to become so desperately enamored with a prospect like Winston or Mariota to call up Smith and make an offer the Bucs simply cannot refuse.
