Tennessee Titans: Marcus Mariota best option outside trade?

The Tennessee Titans are one of the many teams in the market for a franchise quarterback, but they are one of just two teams in a situation where they are guaranteed a top QB prospect if they are indeed interested in snagging one. Although we’ve heard plenty of talk about how much the Titans want to give Zach Mettenberger a chance to shine, the fact of the matter is that the Titans have a golden opportunity to snag Marcus Mariota, who is the consensus No. 2 overall pick in this class.

There are concerns regarding Mariota’s ability to transition to the NFL, but there are no concerns about his physicals tools and mental make-up. Mariota has plenty of juice in his arm, perhaps just as much juice in his legs, and the ability to navigate the pocket much better than most quarterbacks who are known for picking up extra yardage on the ground.

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Despite the fact that there weren’t any strong options on the free agent market, we still saw Brian Hoyer and Josh McCown net potential starting opportunities and cash with the Houston Texans and Cleveland Browns, respectively. Heck, the Buffalo Bills even traded for Matt Cassel, who will most likely start in Week 1, in order to make sure that they wouldn’t be forced to start soon-to-be bust E.J. Manuel.

Meanwhile, the Titans lost Jake Locker to retirement and are left with a QB depth chart of Mettenberger, Charlie Whitehurst, and Alex “Trick Shot” Tanney. That’s not exactly the deepest crop, and while they have two QBs capable of being thrown into the action, Whitehurst is more of a “clipboard holder” than a true stopgap.

Mettenberger showed off an exciting arm last season, but this is also a guy who struggled with his accuracy and decision-making in college despite having the country’s best WR duo in Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry, both of whom were studs in their rookie campaigns.

While Mettenberger wasn’t a stud by any means, he did impress as a rookie, especially since he was a sixth-round pick. But therein lies a huge problem, he fell all the way to the sixth round, and there are very few quarterbacks who have had success in this league after being late-round picks. We have to remember that Mettenberger’s main positive trait is his arm talent, as he is an erratic passer who will most likely be too inconsistent to be franchise material.

That said, Mettenberger played well enough for the Titans to see what they have in him. Unfortunately, that might not be their plan, since they haven’t paired him up with a real stopgap option, other than Whitehurst, who isn’t good enough to be a true stopgap.

Basically, the Titans have the least talent on their roster of any team in the NFL, and they need to start making some splash moves in an effort to finally break out of that hole. Signing Brian Orakpo and re-signing Derrick Morgan were two moves this offseason that showed me that the Titans are serious about making big improvements to their team. I wonder if they could follow suit with Mariota after failing to waste any resources on the safety of a stopgap. Either they are going all in on Mettenberger for another season of horrid play, or the current regime will put their chips on the table by drafting Mariota.

If the Titans choose to start Mettenberger and he shows that he can be a franchise QB, then they’re set. If he flat-out sucks, the Titans will likely find themselves near the top of the draft and in the same position they are in this year. But it’s more likely for Mettenberger to have a mixed bag of a sophomore season that gives the Tennessee Titans no definitive answer to whether he’s a franchise QB or not. In that case, it’s still best to move on, though they worry is that if the Titans do too well, then they won’t be able to take a top QB prospect in 2016.

Jan 1, 2015; Pasadena, CA, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) rushes for a touchdown during the second half of the 2015 Rose Bowl college football game against the Florida State Seminoles at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

It’s totally unclear if the Titans like Marcus Mariota or not, because Ken Whisenhunt and the organization have done an impeccable job of sending all of us mixed messages with carefully woven smokescreens both in official pressers and leaked to NFL insiders. Nobody is convinced that the Titans will or won’t take Mariota, but their secrecy makes me believe that they are planning to draft him if they can’t trade down.

Since the Titans have some level of confidence in Mettenberger, who showed off an amazing deep ball with surprisingly strong composure in the pocket as a rookie, and a roster littered with holes, it’s theoretically in their best interest to trade down.

While drafting Mariota or even Jameis Winston (if the Tampa Bay Buccaneers shockingly pass on him) could give them a franchise-defining player at the most important position, trading down would give the Titans more chances to land key players at positions all over the roster.

There are possible suitors, such as the Philadelphia Eagles, since I’m sure there are some QB-needy teams who are high on Mariota’s skill-set and intangibles.

He’s a better prospect than the “Oregon system” crowd think, since, like Derek Carr found out at Fresno State, a system can be a disservice to a QB since the easy plays cause fans and, possibly, some evaluators to gloss over the difficult throws and plays that transcend scheme.

Mariota would be a risky add for the Titans, but it all comes down to the chances of them landing a blockbuster trade. If they can get a team to part ways the proper ammunition of picks for the No. 2 overall selection, then I think the perpetually rebuilding Titans have to pull the trigger.

But if they can’t trade, then they need to take Mariota. The only other prospect who would make plenty of sense for them is Williams, and while I have no qualms with stacking up a unit, they already have more than enough front seven talent in Jurrell Casey, Karl Klug, Ropati Pitoitua, Orakpo, and Morgan. They have plenty of money tied up there, though Williams would still be an excellent add due to his skill-set.

That said, if the Titans can’t trade down, I get the feeling that this is an organization that has to do something bold at the most important position. Whether or not Mariota needs extensive development and whether or not Whisenhunt is actually a good coach who can develop him are big issues, but the Titans would have even bigger issues on their hands if they suffer through yet another poor season.

Nov 30, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Tennessee Titans quarterback Zach Mettenberger (7) throws in the pocket against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Mettenberger’s inaccuracy on short and intermediate routes is troubling, because he seems to feed off of the deep throws, and he doesn’t strike me as someone who will get the most out of the weapons around him. It’s crazy to think that he played with Jeremy Hill, ODB, and Landry (three of the best rookies in 2014) in college and could only be a sixth-round pick.

Even so, the Titans would be justified if they choose to take Williams over Mariota in an effort to see what they have in Mettenberger, but with Whitehurst as their only other legit QB, failure from Mettenberger would mean even more failure for the Titans.

Mariota is a more advanced prospect who has the ability to win at all levels of the field with his arm strength, accuracy, rushing ability, pocket awareness, and toughness.

The problem is that the scheme questions and inconsistent ball placement make him a risky prospect, but the upside outweighs the risk, especially since his football IQ and work ethic are both at a high level.

Next: Making the case for Mariota

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