Prevailing 2015 NFL Draft wisdom has said for weeks that Jameis Winston will wind up the first-overall selection by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers later this month.
While that still seems the likeliest outcome, rumors have begun to swirl that former Oregon signal-caller Marcus Mariota could be making a late push within the Bucs organization thanks to his squeaky-clean image and Winston's ample off-the-field concerns.
If the improbable but entirely possible happens and Mariota goes No. 1-overall to Tampa Bay, what then do the Tennessee Titans do at No. 2?
"I like his fit in Tampa, but I could make a strong case that it's even a better fit for the Tennessee Titans," NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah said recently. "Ken Whisenhunt has coached Philip Rivers and Ben Roethelisberger -- those are two players I've compared Jameis Winston to in terms of his style of play. I would think he would fit seamlessly into that Whisenhunt offense.
"If he were to be there at No. 2, I don't think it would take very long to turn in that card, and Jameis Winston would be a Tennessee Titan."
While it would seem insane to suggest the Titans could pass on a player as talented as Winston - a guy who played in a "pro-style" offense at Florida State and has the tools to be a Super Bowl-winner - should he in fact make it past the Bucs, there's also a plethora of other options to consider, most notably the trade route.
Whichever quarterback makes it to the second selection on draft night in late April, whether it be Mariota or Winston, the Titans war room phone will ring and ring and ring again as teams below them desperate to nab a franchise quarterback offer players, picks and the kitchen sink in order to obtain the opportunity to draft Winston.
On Wednesday, NFL Films senior producer Greg Cosell said during a radio appearance that he believed Titans quarterback Zach Mettenberger was a similar player to Winston and, in some respects, even better than the former Seminole.
While that's debatable, what isn't debatable is the fact that, for the opportunity to draft Winston, the Titans could add a plethora of picks and possibly established veteran players, meaning the formula isn't simply Winston vs. Mettenberger - it's Winston vs. Mettenberger + picks + players.
The Titans could also simply stay at No. 2 and take a player not named Winston or Mariota, perhaps Leonard Williams or Dante Fowler Jr.
As HNGN has pointed out before, the Titans are the lynch pin that is currently holding the 2015 NFL Draft together.
Once their selection comes and goes on draft night, all the rest of the draft dominos will fall.
