The Chicago Bears, who have the No. 7 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, brought in Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota for a meeting last week.
The meeting occurred in Chicago in the beginning of April, according to a tweet by ESPN's Adam Schefter.
NFL Media analyst Mike Mayock has Mariota as the No. 1 quarterback in this draft. Most analysts say Mariota needs some seasoning before he truly is NFL-ready, and the Bears already have a quarterback in Jay Cutler, who signed a seven-year, $126 million contract extension in January 2014.
Considering those two factors, NFL media analyst Daniel Jeremiah projects Mariota to the Bears in his latest mock draft, calling it a "perfect situation for both parties."
"You have Jay Cutler there, and that's a good thing," Jeremiah said. "You let Marcus Mariota sit and develop for a couple of years. ... I think you could have a nice payoff if you're allowed to develop Marcus Mariota on the practice field, and Jay Cutler gives you that opportunity."
Chicago definitely needs an edge rusher and some help in the interior of the defensive line; safety help and another wide receiver also are needed. Would new coach John Fox and the Bears pass on all those positions of need to grab Mariota? And could they stay at No. 7 to get him, or would they have to move up?
The Mariota-to-the-Bears talk is interesting, but it's also hard to connect the dots to the point where it would make sense.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
