Gentlemen, start your machinations. If Marcus Mariota’s breeze through the NFL Combine this past week did anything, it opened up rather than limited the possibilities of where the former Oregon quarterback could land when the NFL Draft runs its course.

For example, if Tampa Bay follows through on taking Jameis Winston from up the road at Florida State and Tennessee opts for former USC defensive lineman Leonard Williams, well, "… nothing would be shocking," ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay said in a Monday media conference call.

Even Philadelphia digging deep to make the leap from No. 20?

"I know it would be a monster move to move up 15 spots, but I wouldn’t rule anything out," McShay said.

"Cleveland (at 12), I doubt would be willing to do it, but you never know," McShay said. "You’ve also got St. Louis at 10 and Houston at 16 …"

Yes, the plot thickens in advance of the April 30 draft.

The prospect of the Washington Redskins, who spent lavishly (three first-round picks and a second-round selection) to get Robert Griffin III in 2012, trying to recoup some of that by swapping their pick (No. 5) with the highest bidder deepens the intrigue while presenting some interesting scenarios.

Jacksonville owns the No. 3 pick but has Blake Bortles. Oakland, at No. 4, has Derek Carr. Then comes Washington, which seems intent on giving RG3 another shot.

"If Marcus Mariota gets to (No.) 5, that’s (Washington’s) best chance to put together a deal to move down," McShay said. "There are plenty of teams that have quarterback needs behind them."

Foremost among them being the Jets, of course, who reside at No. 6, and are under new management. "It is up to Todd Bowles and (offensive coordinator) Chan Gailey," McShay said. "How does Chan Gailey feel about (Mariota) and how he fits the system and is he a better option than what we already have in-house? And my guess is that the answer would be ‘yes.’"

But if the Jets plan to grab Mariota, McShay says they best have a blueprint for an offense that will allow him to compete while he acclimates.

"You’d better have a plan, if you are the Jets, on how you are going to develop him — and really feel great about the fact that he’s going to be able to make the transition and what your plan is."

McShay said, "I just think that he has to make a transition. And that’s no fault of his. I think, because he has a football IQ that’s off the charts, because he eats, breathes, sleeps football, then he has the work ethic that it will require in order to make the transition he needs to make, from that offense to the NFL."

Something, perhaps, for Tampa Bay and Tennessee to ponder as well.

"If put in the right situation and given a little time to develop and handled properly, he has a chance to be a really, really good starter in the league," McShay said. "You only say that about one, two, maybe three quarterbacks a year. He’s one of the only two in this year’s class. I think very, very highly of him as an individual and just in terms of football character, and also his potential (and) what he can become."

Wherever he lands.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.