After all of the trade rumors and rampant speculation, the simplest answer was the right one. The Tennessee Titans selected Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota with the No. 2 overall pick.
The Titans could still end up trading Mariota. The San Diego Chargers and New York Giants swapped QBs following their picks in the 2004 draft, after all. But Tennessee has been lacking a franchise signal-caller since Steve McNair.
Titans head coach Ken Whisenhunt is known to prefer more traditional pocket passers and is fond of last year's sixth-round pick Zach Mettenberger. But in the end, Mariota's combination of accuracy and athleticism was apparently too much for him to pass on.
This comes as a big blow to fans who were hoping their team would trade up for the Heisman Trophy winner. The Philadelphia Eagles and head coach Chip Kelly, who was with Mariota at Oregon for a time, were reportedly doing a lot of behind the scenes maneuvering to try and get at that No. 2 pick. The Cleveland Browns, Chicago Bears, St. Louis Rams and New York Jets were also rumored to have varying degrees of interest. Could one of them still strike a post-draft trade?
The Titans have kept their intentions under lock and key in recent weeks. The team had been linked to USC defensive lineman Leonard Williams and thought to be seriously fielding trade offers from multiple teams. Apparently, neither option intrigued them as much as Mariota.
We'll keep you updated on the Mariota situation and other big draft day stories.
