Todd McShay has released his fourth NFL Mock Draft of the season (In$ider), and he has the Tennessee Titans going with Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon. This pick seems to be gaining momentum as the draft gets closer. To me, that says that the Titans are doing a nice job of pushing their message. I have my doubts that they really believe the message they are pushing, but only time will tell if that is the case or not. Mariota could absolutely be the pick.
Here is what McShay had to say about the Titans pairing with the former Duck:
I think the Titans have three options: 1.) Take Mariota; 2.) Accept a trade offer to move back -- in my opinion, the Jets and Rams are likeliest to move up; 3.) Take Leonard Williams, who is the best defensive prospect in this draft and a great fit in the Titans' hybrid 3-4 scheme. The Titans could very well take Mariota, even though he doesn't fit the pocket passer prototype that head coach Ken Whisenhunt has had success with in the past, because Mariota would provide good mobility from the QB position behind an offensive line that really struggled last year. He has the potential to be a major upgrade over incumbent starter Zach Mettenberger, but he'll need time to be developed properly. He has rare athleticism from the position and elite intangibles, but he needs to improve his footwork and anticipation as a pocket passer to win consistently in the NFL.
That's a pretty good summation of the Titans options. My hope is that they are able to move back and get a whole host of picks.