Where in the world will Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota land in the 2015 NFL Draft?
The Tennessee Titans and New York Jets have been mentioned as likely landing spots for the Heisman Trophy winner, but could there be another team that has eyes on the dual-threat quarterback? That might just be the case.
NFL Media reporter Albert Breer tweeted that the Chargers have moved up their private workout with Mariota one day and will put him through the paces in Eugene on Tuesday. The San Diego Union-Tribune added a report that the franchise will also have dinner with Mariota on Monday night.
Such pre-draft workouts are nothing new for top quarterbacks, even for teams that appear to have little chance of picking high enough in the order to land somebody of Mariota's caliber. That said, there is a little bit of intrigue going on in San Diego.
Current starting quarterback Philip Rivers has indicated his intent to play out his contract with the team, due in part to the potential relocation of the franchise to Los Angeles. There has been increasing speculation that such a statement has led to the team's front office looking into trade partners and the one that has been mentioned the most often is Tennessee.
The Titans, holders of the No. 2 overall selection in the draft this year, certainly would be keen on landing a starting quarterback and a trade for Rivers would reunite him with former Chargers offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt. If the clubs were to agree to some sort of trade package, that would present the scenario where the Chargers wind up with the No. 2 pick and end up selecting Mariota as the team's quarterback of the future.
NFL Media analyst Mike Mayock recently stated on "The Rich Eisen Show" that the Titans trading their first-rounder for Rivers is an intriguing option they should consider given the uncertainty about Zach Mettenberger under center.
Who knows what will end up happening when the clock starts ticking on the NFL draft in Chicago, but it seems pretty clear that the Chargers are one of the teams who are doing all of their homework on the Oregon quarterback just in case the opportunity to pick Mariota presents itself.
You can follow Bryan Fischer on Twitter at @BryanDFischer.
