Before the Draft 2015 Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston were the hot topic – the two quarterbacks finally left with the first two picks. The Tennessee Titans received Mariota with the second pick, and an ex-Titans scout now allowed a look behind the scenes.
At 104.5 The Zone, Blake Beddingfield, then head of Tennessee’s scouting, reported that Mariota was “an easy choice for the Titans at the time” and the team leaders were confident of getting the better of the two young quarterbacks in the Hawaiian.
The relief in Tennessee was correspondingly great when the Bucs chose Winston with their first pick; otherwise, as Beddingfield had admitted earlier, the Titans would have been satisfied with Winston, “but internally there were no two opinions: “Marcus was our number one. I think they have a franchise quarterback in Marcus Mariota, a super bowl caliber quarterback.”
Beddingfield had already made it clear in The Midday 180 that the differences between the two off the pitch played a big role: “It was clear to me that both quarterbacks would be successful. But Marcus set himself apart with all the other things. Just the way he acted. He was very clever.”
With regard to Winston’s renewed misstep, Beddingfield’s statement comes as little surprise, but the behaviour of the Titans in the draft at the time at least gives him a tailwind. NFL network insider Ian Rapoport confirmed that Tennessee wanted Mariota at the time and therefore more or less categorically rejected a trade.
The Chicago Bears, among others, are said to have been interested in an upward trade, but Chip Kelly’s Philadelphia Eagles, above all, wanted Mariota with all their might: Kelly, who had previously trained Mariota in Oregon, was apparently willing to put together a mega-package for Tennessee’s number two pick. But the Titans declined with thanks.
Later Kelly should admit to ESPN insider Adam Schefter: “Actually, there weren’t even any real discussions about a possible offer because they made it clear to us that they don’t want to trade the pick. Tennessee wouldn’t trade down, and for good reason – they were, like us, looking for a top quarterback.”