The Philadelphia Eagles are in pursuit of Marcus Mariota and have been zeroed in on moving up to No. 2 with the Tennessee Titans, but they could instead try to business with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Buccaneers are planning on taking Jameis Winston, but receiving multiple pieces for the first overall pick would allow Lovie Smith and Jason Licht to quickly rebuild an entire team. The move also allows them to bypass the risk that comes with selecting Winston.

The Buccaneers want an extra first round pick already and could receive extra picks in subsequent years.

Leonard Williams believes he should be the top overall pick in Thursday's draft.

Williams is rated by RealGM's Jeff Risdon as the top overall prospect in the 2015 NFL Draft.

"I respect his confidence," Williams said Wednesday when asked about comments from Dante Fowler thinking he is the best defensive player in the draft. "I feel like every player is going to have to have that type of confidence to do well at the next level, but at the same time I feel like I'm the best defensive player."

Williams was asked if he feels like the best player in the draft.

"Yeah, I feel like I should be taken No. 1," he said with a smile.

Williams has been linked to the Tennessee Titans at No. 2.

"I love the D-line coach (Giff Smith), we have a pretty good connection," he said when asked about the Titans. "The defensive scheme they showed me, I feel like I'd fit in pretty well. With (defensive lineman) Jurrell Casey being from USC, I feel like he would be a good mentor for me."

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have conducted an extensive level of vetting into Jameis Winston as they consider whether to draft him first overall.

Jason Licht said the Buccaneers “spoke to upwards of 75 people” about Winston. The Tribune has determined that those “upwards of 75 people” include “family members, friends, teammates, former high school coaches, former college coaches and an assistant state attorney.”

“[W]e all couldn’t feel more confident about the process we have gone through,” Licht said.

The process, as PFT previously has reported, included contact with assistant Tallahassee district attorney Georgia Cappleman, who spoke to the Bucs not only about Erica Kinsman (who claims Winston sexually assaulted her) but also about a second victim to whom Kinsman’s lawsuit against Winston refers.

“I advised them that there was another woman who received some counseling services from Florida State University as a result of an encounter with Mr. Winston that was of a sexual nature,” Cappleman told the Tribune.  While Cappleman hasn’t personally spoken to the second victim, Cappleman said the second victim “doesn’t even consider herself a victim.”

The New York Jets quietly brought Marcus Mariota to their practice facility on April 2nd for a workout five days after privately working him out in Eugene.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tennessee Titans are the other two teams to have worked out Mariota at both their own practice facility and on Oregon's campus.

Mariota's visit came after he went to meet with the Chicago Bears.

Mariota is expected to be the second quarterback selected in the 2015 NFL Draft.

The number of teams who realistically might trade for Adrian Peterson are less than what has been previously reported.

The Arizona Cardinals, Jacksonville Jaguars and Tampa Bay Buccaneers represent the three teams who could deal for Peterson.

Despite speculation to the contrary, the Dallas Cowboys are not in play for Peterson.

"Whoever says otherwise is 1,000 percent wrong," said Charles Robinson. "The Cowboys have not spoken to the Minnesota Vikings about Adrian Peterson. It has not happened. They haven't offered a draft pick, they have not picked up the telephone to talk to the Minnesota Vikings about Adrian Peterson. It simply has not happened."

The Minnesota Vikings want a resolution to the Adrian Peterson situation during draft week.

"If he's not traded next week, they're going to keep him," the source said.

The Vikings could entice a team to trade for Peterson once Melvin Gordon and Todd Gurley are drafted.

According to a source, the Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Dallas Cowboys, Jacksonville Jaguars, San Diego Chargers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the six teams that could deal for Peterson.

Peterson was reinstated last week from an NFL suspension for a child-abuse incident. 

The Tennessee Titans will consider selecting Jameis Winston with the second overall pick if the Tampa Bay Buccaneers pass on him at No. 1.

The Titans have done their homework on Winston, and the team feels he "checks out," according to the source. 

While the team does see maturity issues, Winston made a fantastic impression during his April 13 visit to Titans headquarters.

The Detroit Lions have agreed to send George Johnson to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Lions dropped their grievance after reaching an agreement with the Bucs.

As part of the deal, the two teams will exchange unspecified late-round draft picks.

Mike Mayock has moved Marcus Mariota ahead of Jameis Winston on his draft board.

Winston has been widely considered the top prospect in the 2015 NFL Draft.

"I've been fighting with this thing all along," said Mayock. "There have been two issues for me with Winston. Number one is on the field. He threw 18 interceptions this year. On a team that arguably had the best talent in the country, he continued to put his team at a disadvantage almost weekly," Mayock said on NFL Network's "Path to the Draft" Wednesday. " ... Off the field, regardless of what did or didn't happen in that alleged rape, he continued a pattern of poor decisions throughout his career. The bottom line for me is, can you trust him off the field?

"As far as Mariota is concerned, the more tape that I've watched, the more I've appreciated what he's been asked to do in their version of the spread offense. He reads combination routes, takes tremendous care of the football, and he wins games. He's not a natural thrower, but in the correct scheme, I think he can be productive. I've been fighting this for a long time, and I think that's what I've come down on."

George Johnson has signed a three-year deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Johnson had six sacks last season with the Detroit Lions.

The Bucs are desperate for some pass rush help on the outside, while the Lions have to be concerned about a defensive line that has lost Suh and Nick Fairley.