One franchise has already locked up both Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston.
Nike, the world’s largest shoe and apparel company, has signed the two Heisman Trophy winners, who could be the top two players selected in the upcoming NFL Draft, according to ESPN.com.
The article further states that Nike also has signed other top prospects in Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon, Alabama wide receiver Amari Cooper and Georgia running back Todd Gurley.
Terms of the deals were not disclosed.
Mariota, a former Saint Louis School and University of Oregon standout, won the 2014 Heisman Trophy and led the Ducks to the inaugural College Football Playoff national championship game.
Winston won the 2013 Heisman Trophy and that season led Florida State to a national title by beating Auburn. He suffered his first loss in his two seasons as starter to Mariota’s Ducks in the College Football Playoff semifinal game.
Gordon was No. 2 and Cooper No. 3 in this past year’s Heisman Trophy voting. Gurley was among the early-season favorites before suffering a knee injury. All are expected to be drafted in the first round.
Winston likely will be selected No. 1 overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when the NFL Draft commences on April 30 in Chicago.
Mariota, though, actually has been the buzz of the draft on a daily basis, with many teams rumored to be angling to acquire him.
The Tennessee Titans hold the second overall pick and could use a quarterback. But teams such as the San Diego Chargers, Cleveland Browns, Philadelphia Eagles and St. Louis Rams are all rumored to be interested in trading with the Titans in order to draft Mariota.
Some scenarios have the Chargers trading star quarterback Philip Rivers, who has not signed an extension to his contract that will expire at the end of the season, to the Titans.
Titans coach Ken Whisenhunt is said to prefer traditional pocket-type quarterbacks and coached Rivers when he was the Chargers’ offensive coordinator in 2013.
Another has the Browns trading their two first-round picks and more to the Titans. The Browns’ new quarterbacks coach is Kevin O’Connell, who worked with Mariota after the season when O’Connell was still with Prolific Athletics helping train NFL Draft prospects.
The Eagles are coached by Mariota’s former Oregon coach, Chip Kelly.
Kelly, though, said months ago that he would not mortgage the future of his team to move from No. 20 overall to draft his former signal-caller.
