The Tennessee Titans already have a promising young quarterback on their roster. Zach Mettenberger, a former LSU star who tumbled down draft boards last year after he suffered a knee injury, was taken by the Titans in the sixth round. Will that stop the team from drafting either Jameis Winston or Marcus Mariota?
The Titans currently hold the No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. On Saturday, Mettenberger said he is confident he could beat out either Winston or Mariota if Tennessee decides to draft one of the two.
“They are obviously very talented guys,” Mettenberger said at 104.5 The Zone’s SportsFest in Nashville, per Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com. “ … If they were here I think they would say the same thing: If we had to compete out there, I think I’d beat them out.”
Mettenberger played very well in the preseason for the Titans last year. During the regular season, he threw eight touchdown passes and seven interceptions in seven games. While he clearly has a long way to go, there’s no reason to believe he can’t be an effective NFL quarterback.
Offensive tackle Taylor Lewan, Tennessee’s first overall pick in last year’s draft, loves hearing the confidence from his teammate.
“I think any person that doesn’t say that is not going to be successful,” Lewan said when asked about Mettenberger’s comments. “There are only so many positions in the NFL you can be a part of. If another guy comes in that’s a first-round pick or a second-round pick or a higher pick than you were, you either fold it up or you can take that adversity and thrive with it.”
Let’s for a second assume that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers end up selecting Mariota with the No. 1 overall pick in April. Can the Titans really pass on Winston, especially given some of the things we have heard about the former Florida State star in recent days?
There’s always a possibility that the Titans could trade the No. 2 pick. If scouts are still high on Mariota and Winston in a month and the Titans believe in Mettenberger, that may be the best solution.
