Report: Tampa Bay Buccaneers have sights set on drafting Marcus Mariota

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers own the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft this year, but it appears they know who they want to take. 

It was a rough season for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as they posted the worst record in the NFL despite the fact that they started the Lovie Smith area with so much hope. Big name free agents were signed, new schemes were put into place but that all resulted in the No. 1 pick at the end of the year.

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There is still a few months until the NFL Draft but the Buccaneers appear to be settled on who they want to select with the top pick in the draft. Tampa Bay has a bevy of options, but there is one — possibly obvious — choice that stands out above the rest.

According to Adam Schefter from ESPN, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have their sights set on Marcus Mariota with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft this year.

"Plus, there’s a real sense that Tampa Bay has its sights set on Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota. So for now, Mariota shapes up as the most likely No. 1 pick. But there are still three months of combine work, pro days, interviews and investigations to go."

Mariota was the consensus No. 1 pick before the National Championship Game loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes but the dent that game put in the Oregon quarterback’s draft stock is starting to fix itself. The Buccaneers have had eyes on Jameis Winston but Mariota seems to be winning scouts over once again with his work ethic and the film on him other than the National Championship Game.

There is still a great chance that he ends up being a bust in the NFL, but the Buccaneers are such a bare bones team at the moment in terms of schemes that they can build around Mariota and manage to make their system fit his skills rather than the other way around.

[H/T: Bleacher Report]

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