Despite a recent spate of rumors to the contrary, it seems the 2015 NFL Draft is set to play out just as many NFL pundits have for months assumed it would.
Jameis Winston will go first-overall to the Buccaneers and former Oregon quarterback and Heisman Trophy-winner Marcus Mariota will be selected at No. 2, according to a report from Jason La Canfora.
The only question that remains is - who will wind up taking Mariota?
Per La Canfora, it seems the general feeling around the league is that the St. Louis Rams are a "very strong suitor" for Mariota and could potentially be eyeing a trade up to the second-overall spot in the draft with the Tennessee Titans in order to make sure the dual threat signal-caller winds up with the Rams.
"Jeff Fisher was very intrigued with Johnny Manziel last year, and Mariota is a superior athlete who has no off-field concerns. Owner Stan Kroenke is hell-bent on moving to Los Angeles in 2016. So who better than Mariota, who won massive college games in the Rose Bowl, to be the face of a largely faceless franchise, and one devoid of a winning QB for so long?"
While the Rams did recently trade for Nick Foles, they did so while acquiring another 2016 second-round pick and simultaneously getting out from under the contract of former No. 1 pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, Sam Bradford. Fisher has said the team consummated the trade with Philadelphia specifically because they wanted Foles, but that could purely be posturing on the veteran coach's part.
The Rams and Fisher have the assets to make a move up should they so choose and with Foles still on his rookie, third-round pick contract, the potential addition of Mariota would give St. Louis two young, cheap options under center, both of which come with ample upside - assuming Foles isn't part of the deal to get to No. 2.
"...the Rams already loaded up on picks from dealing with Washington in the RG3 trade, so they could part with future selections if they feel they're only a quarterback away from contending," writes La Canfora. "While they have fewer 2015 picks than other teams, they have been aggressive under Fisher and GM Les Snead, and could include players from their deep young core as part of a trade (including just acquired QB Nick Foles). I wouldn't discount them as a player in this thing, and they have the highest first-round pick of any team seen as truly being in the Mariota hunt."
Currently sitting at No. 10 in the 2015 NFL Draft's first-round, the Rams really aren't all that far off from the top few selections.
Still, a move to No. 2 won't come cheap and would only be worth it if Fisher and Snead are absolutely certain that Mariota can be the face of the franchise for the next decade and beyond.
