Tennessee Titans select Marcus Mariota with No. 2 overall pick in the NFL Draft

The Tennessee Titans selected quarterback Marcus Mariota with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft. Mariota watched the NFL draft from his home in Honolulu with friends and family.

The Oregon Ducks star had been coveted by several teams. A league source told ESPN.com’s Paul Kuharsky that the Philadelphia Eagles and Chicago Bears were pushing hardest for the pick. A source told ESPN’s Bob Holtzman that the New York Jets, Cleveland Browns and St. Louis Rams also had talked with the Titans about the selection.

While Tennessee’s offensive system differs greatly from the one Mariota operated at Oregon, the Titans believe his skills will translate into coach Ken Whisenhunt’s system and that they will adjust for him a bit, creating more offense where he could be on the move.

Tennessee has never truly had a franchise quarterback sine Steve McNair left following the 2005 season. Since then the Titans have used first-round selections on both Vince Young (No. 3 overall, 2006) and Jake Locker (No. 8, 2011) but neither proved to be reliably successful and both have retired.

The reigning Heisman Trophy winner, Mariota figures to battle Zach Mettenberger, whom the team drafted in the sixth round last season, for the starting quarterback job in training camp.

The Titans will open the season at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who drafted quarterback Jameis Winston with this year’s No. 1 overall pick.

via Tennessee Titans select Marcus Mariota with No. 2 overall pick.