On the eve of the 2015 NFL Draft, the experts have weighed in with their final mock drafts.

We surveyed 15 experts to get a consensus prediction for the most likely selections for all 32 first-round picks.

The experts: ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay, NFL Network's Mike Mayock and Daniel Jeremiah, NFL.com's Charley Casserly, Bucky Brooks, Charles Davis, Brian Baldinger, and Lance Zierlein, SI.com's Don Banks, CBSSports.com's Rob Rang, Fox Sports.com's Pete Schrager, Rotoworld's Josh Norris, WalterFootball.com, and The Big Lead's Jason McIntyre.

1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Jameis Winston, QB

2. Tennessee Titans — Marcus Mariota, QB

3. Jacksonville Jaguars — Leonard Williams, DL

Randy Gregory, a pass rusher from Nebraska who's considered one of the top prospects in the NFL Draft, has seen his stock tumble in the days leading up to the draft.

In a strange development, unnamed "off-the-field" issues are scaring teams off to the point where some are taking him off their draft boards entirely, according to a report from NFL.com's Ian Rapoport and Albert Breer.

Rapoport and Breer wrote Wednesday:

"At least three general managers view [Gregory] as a top-five talent. But according to more than a dozen coaches, scouts, personnel chiefs and GMs, there is concern about Gregory's ability to handle the mental rigors of professional football. And just how far he drops in this week's draft will likely hinge on the individual psychological profiles (and the results of related testing) put together by each team, according to multiple veteran evaluators. He has been taken off a several team's draft boards, according to multiple sources."

There's no elaboration of what these issues actually are. Gregory tested positive for marijuana at the 2015 Combine, but that's a fairly common occurrence, and the NFL.com report from Wednesday seems to be referring to something else entirely. 

It's clear Gregory's draft stock is taking a massive hit.

On March 23, NFL.com's Bucky Brooks' mock draft had Gregory going fifth to the Washington Redskins. A week later, after news of the positive marijuana test broke, Brooks' updated mock draft had Gregory going 13th to the New Orleans Saints.

Since then, Gregory has been slowly sliding down mock drafts. Our final expert consensus mock draft doesn't have him going in the first round.

The fallout seems to have worsened since Rapoport and Breer's report. Jay Glazer told Dan Patrick that he wouldn't draft Gregory:

It's an odd situation all around, and we may have to wait until the draft is over to get some clarity.

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One week after firing head coach Scott Brooks, the Oklahoma City Thunder are hiring Florida head coach Billy Donovan to take over the job, according to Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Terms of the deal haven't been announced yet, but Wojnarowski reports that it is a five-year deal.

Donovan coached 19 years at Florida and won two national titles. He's coached current NBA players like Al Horford, Joakim Noah, Chandler Parsons, Bradley Beal, Corey Brewer, and David Lee, among others.

Interestingly, Donovan's hire may have been in the works for a long time. As ESPN's Marc Stein notes, the Thunder have hired several former Florida staffers in the last 12 months.

Expectations are high for Donovan coming into the job. The Thunder haven't made the Finals since 2012, and with Kevin Durant's free agency approaching in 2016, Donovan needs to try to get the Thunder back to the Finals while convincing Durant to re-sign.

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Floyd Mayweather Jr. is widely regarded as the best fighter of his generation and one of the best defensive fighters of all time.

He enters his May 2 fight with Manny Pacquiao with an undefeated record of 47-0. There's a case to be made that Pacquiao can pull an upset, but most expect Floyd to win this fight the same way he has won fights for years — making his opponent miss early, timing his counters to perfection, and eventually winning on points.

There's a radical juxtaposition between Mayweather's persona out of the ring (obnoxious, offensive, appalling) and his style within it (calm, intelligent, pragmatic). Over the years the fighters who've lost to Mayweather have spoken about his boxing brilliance in glowing terms, and explained what makes him so hard to beat.

Ricky Hatton (lost by knockout, December 8, 2007) 

"I was fighting a genius, a boxing artist. I was getting more and more frustrated. Lose your cool against Floyd Mayweather and what you do is you get knocked out." — to Showtime

Oscar De La Hoya (lost by split decision, May 5, 2007):

"Now we have to give credit to Mayweather because what Mayweather can do is what Mayweather Sr. calls 'walking your opponent down.' So what he does is he gets in the pocket and covers himself and he'll walk you down. And he'll let you throw punches and Pacquiao is probably going to keep throwing punches in bunches and he might tire himself out while Mayweather is just blocking everything. And then Mayweather can just come, throw his combinations of two or three punches, win the round, put the rounds in the bag, and win the fight." — to HBO

Canelo Alvarez (lost by majority decision, September 14, 2013)

"He doesn't expose anything. He's a fighter that if with three punches he wins the round from you, he's fine with that. He doesn't expose anything and give a beautiful fight. He doesn't care in what way he wins as long as he wins." — to FightHype

"He's very fast and accurate and moreso when he's just trying to make points. I didn't really feel his punches were that strong. But he's making points and he's very fast." — at his post-fight press conference

Shane Mosley (lost by unanimous decision, May 1, 2011)

"I felt that I had the advantage on Floyd. I was very certain that I could hit him with good shots and I thought that could be the difference. I caught him when he thought that he was out of the way. I kind of slid it, a veteran move, and caught him right on the button and rocked him. He was surprised and I was like, 'Wow, this is my chance. I'm going to get him. I'm going to knock him out.' But I just couldn't. He made the adjustment. He was able to capitalize. After that the fight was over. Mayweather did what he was supposed to do as a champion to win." — to Showtime

Juan Manuel Marquez (lost by unanimous decision, September 19, 2009)

"Mayweather has had great defense, long arms, and he's very smart." — to Showtime

"Mayweather’s reaction time is amazing. He sees what you are about to throw and is out of there before you can punch." — to WSJ

Zab Judah (lost by unanimous decision, April 8, 2006)

"His defense is still impregnable, his hand speed is still super fast, his conditioning is always marvelous. What can you say? The guy, he’s probably one of the hardest working fighters in boxing." — to Mark Giongco

Paulie Malignaggi, who thinks Mayweather is going to beat Pacquiao, gave this great description of Mayweather's defensive skill in 2013 before the Canelo fight (via Yahoo's Kevin Iole):

"He makes you miss a lot in his fights, but he doesn't make you miss the same way. If he made you miss the same way all the time, guys would start timing it and start hitting him. He'll make you miss the right hand in different ways. He'll make you miss the left hook in different ways. … He varies the ways he's able to defend and that is what makes him so difficult."

While there's an argument to be made that Pacquiao is a tricky matchup for Mayweather, there's a reason Mayweather is undefeated, and a reason he's a significant favorite to remain that way on May 2.

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Everybody suddenly thinks Chip Kelly and the Philadelphia Eagles are going to go all-in and make a run at the No. 2 pick in the NFL Draft in order to select Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota.

In the days leading up to the draft, Peter King of Sports Illustrated, Adam Schefter of ESPN, and Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com have all either cited sources or have speculated that the Eagles are going to do whatever it takes to move up far enough to draft Mariota.

While there is universal agreement that Kelly would love to have Mariota — Kelly called his former recruit the best quarterback in the draft— nobody seems to know for sure how Kelly would pull off the move.

In fact, there are two huge barriers standing in the Eagles' way.

1. Sam Bradford does not want to play for the Cleveland Browns.

In the most oft-cited scenario for how the Eagles could get from No. 20 to No. 2, Philly would need to trade quarterback Sam Bradford to the Cleveland Browns for one of their first-round picks, Nos. 12 and 19.

The Browns are reportedly interested in acquiring Bradford and the trade would give the Eagles an extra first-round pick they could then deal to the Titans. However, a source told Mark Eckel of NJ.com that Bradford's agent has told the Browns "he won't even listen on a contract extension. He won't even listen, period."

That doesn't mean the Browns couldn't still make the deal for Bradford, who has one year left on his contract. However, to keep Bradford, the Browns would have to give him the franchise tag which would require the team to pay him something in the neighborhood of $20 million each season starting in 2016.

2. This year's draft has only a limited number of first-round quality players.

NFL insider Adam Caplan was a guest on ESPN Radio's "Mike & Mike" and reported that one general manager told him that his team had only ten players on its board with first-round grades.

This means that teams may not view the Eagles' pick at No. 20 as a true first-round pick. Instead, teams may want to avoid picks in the second-half of the first round where they may end up with a second-round talent and yet still have to pay him first-round money.

In fact, Jeff Darlington of the NFL Network reported that if the Titans do trade down they want to stay within the top 16 or 17 picks in order to still have the chance to draft "an impact player."

If the Titans are going to make a move, they would be much better off dealing with a team like the Jets, who own pick No. 6.

This doesn't mean the Eagles can't ultimately acquire the No. 2 pick.

There has been talk of the Eagles also making some of their top players available, including Fletcher Cox, whom one analyst called a better player than any defensive player available in the draft.

Yet, when most people talk about the possibility of Kelly moving up, instead of mentioning how, they often just speak about Kelly's creativity and out-of-the-box thinking as if he has the powers to just magically make it happen.

There is little doubt at this point that if anybody could pull off the move, it is Kelly. But this may be one of those moves that even Kelly's magic can't make happen.

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The SEC has more players taken in the first round of the NFL Draft than any other conference, and it is not even close.

Over the last 10 drafts, nearly one-third of all players taken in the first round (88, 28%) played football in the SEC. The ACC comes in second with 56 players, followed closely by the other three so-called "Power-5 conferences," the Big 12, Big Ten, and Pac-12.

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The boxing world has been waiting nearly six years for Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao to fight.

Since 2009 there have been several negotiations to get the top two pound-for-pound boxers in the world to fight, but money, drug testing, and ego issues have gotten in the way.

Finally, in 2015, the two fighters made real progress on a potential megafight, thanks in part to a meeting at an NBA game.

SI's Chris Mannix and Greg Bishop broke down the making of the fight and tell the story of how Mayweather purposely arranged to meet Manny Pacquiao at a Miami Heat-Milwaukee Bucks game in January 2015. 

The meet-up has long thought to have been coincidental. ESPN's Dan Rafael reported at the time that both fighters were sitting courtside at the game and spoke at halftime. Though Rafael notes that CBS chairman Les Moonves was negotiating with both boxers' camps about a May 2 fight at the time, Rafael described the meetup as "unexpected" and quoted Pacquiao adviser Michael Koncz as saying it was "purely coincidental."

However, Mannix and Bishop say the meeting was planned, at least on Mayweather's part.

On January 26, the day before the Bucks-Heat game, Mayweather told members of his entourage to travel to Las Vegas where he'd later meet them. Once they got there, they got a late text message from Mayweather telling them to pack their bags for Miami. Though they didn't initially know why, he later told them they were going to the Heat game.

One of Mayweather's bodyguards, Alonso Ridic, told Mannix and Bishop, "Halftime, boom, whistle blows, floor clears. Floyd gets up and walks right over to Pacquiao. Didn't even say a word."

It was the first time they've met.

Pictures began circling around social media:

Pacquiao and Mayweather spoke, exchanged phone numbers, and agreed to meet up later. They met later at Pacquiao's hotel room and began discussing details, with both sides reportedly excited about the other's enthusiasm.

Mayweather told Mannix and Bishop, "That's the reason the fight happened."

Of course, at the same time, Moonves was negotiating the details with both camps, including helping HBO (partner's with Pacquiao's Top Rank) and Showtime (who signed Mayweather to a $200 million deal in 2013) come to a joint pay-per-view deal.

But without clear intent from both boxers, and without Mayweather making plans to approach Pacquaio at the Heat game, it's possible the fight would've been delayed longer, if not ruled out altogether.

Read the entire SI article here >

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Former Baltimore Ravens star Ray Lewis visited Frederick Douglass High School to discuss the recent protests and violence that have rocked the city.

Produced by Jason Gaines. Video courtesy of Associated Press.

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While everyone else settles into their favorite flatscreen-equipped bar to watch the Mayweather vs. Pacquiao fight on Saturday, Manny Pacquiao will be listening to a special playlist to pump himself up — and he's published it on Spotify.

Like any good pump-up sports playlist, it opens with "Eye of the Tiger."

From there, Pacquiao spans the decades, from Sly and the Family Stone to Ed Sheeran.

A pleasant surprise comes in the form of Pacquiao's apparent love of R&B and pop divas.

He includes two Ashanti tracks and Shakira's "La Tortura."

Curiously absent from the list is Pacquiao's own contribution to the annals of music: a cover of "Sometimes When We Touch," which he recorded in 2011. Thankfully, that song lives on via Spotify, too.

Pacquiao will face off against Floyd Mayweather at the MGM Grand Garden Arena this weekend. 

1. Eye of the Tiger (Survivor)

2. I Got It (Ashanti and Rick Ross)

3. Thank You (Sly & The Family Stone)

4. Stole The Show (Kygo Parson James)

5. See You Again (Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth)

6. La Tortura (Shakira and Alejandro Sanz)

7. Sugar (Maroon 5)

8. Cheerleader — Felix Jaehn Remix (Omi)

9. Gold On The Ceiling (The Black Keys)

10. Thinking Out Loud (Ed Sheeran)

11. I Loved You (Blonde Melissa Steel)

12. Lover’s Carvings (Bibio)

13. Hours (Tycho)

14. Rumble (Link Wray & His Ray Men)

15. Lights Out, Words Gone (Bombay Bicycle Club)

16. You Make Me Feel Good (Satin Jackets)

17. Rock Wit U (Awww Baby) (Ashanti)

SEE ALSO: How Floyd Mayweather orchestrated the meeting that made the Manny Pacquiao fight finally happen

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Manny Pacquiao is a boxing champion and a Philippine politician. Did you know he's also an accomplished singer?

Pacquiao released a full-length album in his native tongue of Tagalog in 2006, called "Laban Nating Lahat Ito." He also recorded a song called "Pac-Man Punch" in 2007.

But his crowning achievement is definitely this cover of Dan Hill's "Sometimes When We Touch," which was released in 2011. Click here for the YouTube video, or watch it below:

 The backstory, courtesy of Wikipedia:

"Manny Pacquiao sang this song on November 3, 2009 showing of the Jimmy Kimmel Live! show. This was Pacquiao's first guest appearance on an American late night TV talk show and his first singing performance on American TV. He would later revive this song on April 2011 as his single and reached number 19 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary top 20 list and has become the third most added song on radio playlists in the US. "

Click here to watch the Jimmy Kimmel video, or watch it below.

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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have selected Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston with the No. 1 pick in the 2015 NFL Draft.

It's an expected move. Winston has been the consensus No. 1 pick since the NFL Combine in February, and all the experts had him going to Tampa in their mock drafts.

Winston went No. 1 despite off-field issues that many initially believed would hurt his draft stock.

He was accused of sexual assault but never charged in 2013. He now faces a civil suit from the same accuser.

On the field, Winston is widely considered the best pocket passer in the draft. He won the national championship and Heisman Trophy in 2013-14. Despite a relatively less productive 2014-15 season, Winston blew away NFL scouts at the Combine and solidified his hold on the No. 1 pick weeks before the trade.

He's the first quarterback to go No. 1 since Andrew Luck in 2012.

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With the first pick of this year's NFL draft, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Florida State University quarterback Jameis Winston.

While the Bucs wouldn't tip their pick prior to the draft, the move is not a surprise as all 15 NFL Draft experts we surveyed prior to the draft were projecting Winston to go first overall.

On the following pages, we'll track each pick of the NFL draft and compare those selections to where some of the top draft experts predicted the player to be picked.

1. Jameis Winston, QB (Florida State) — Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Where the experts projected this player ...

Mel Kiper (ESPN): No. 1, Tampa Bay

Todd McShay (ESPN):  No. 1, Tampa Bay

Mike Mayock (NFL Network):  No. 1, Tampa Bay

Daniel Jeremiah (NFL Network): No. 1, Tampa Bay

Whom the experts most often projected to be picked here ...

QB Jameis Winston, Florida State

2. Marcus Mariota, QB (Oregon) — Tennessee Titans

Where the experts projected this player ...

Mel Kiper (ESPN): No. 2, Tennessee

Todd McShay (ESPN): No. 2, Tennessee

Mike Mayock (NFL Network): No. 2, Tennessee

Daniel Jeremiah (NFL Network): No. 2, Tennessee

Whom the experts most often projected to be picked here ...

 QB Marcus Mariota, Oregon

3. Dante Fowler, DE (Florida) — Jacksonville Jaguars

Where the experts projected this player ...

Mel Kiper (ESPN): No. 5, Washington

Todd McShay (ESPN): No. 5, Washington

Mike Mayock (NFL Network): No. 3, Jacksonville

Daniel Jeremiah (NFL Network): No. 5, Washington

Whom the experts most often projected to be picked here ...

 DL Leonard Williams, Southern California

In the middle of a Game 6 drubbing against the Chicago Bulls, the young, inexperienced Milwaukee Bucks team seemed to lose its composure, Giannis Antetokounmpo in particular.

With 1:34 left in the first half, Bulls forward Mike Dunleavy, who had a game-high 19 points at halftime, nailed a three-pointer from the corner. 

As he landed, Antetokounmpo came charging at him and tackled Dunleavy to the ground:

Antetokounmpo received a Flagrant 2 foul and was ejected.

From the get-go, Antetokounmpo looked overwhelmed by the pressure of the game. He had five points on 2-6 shooting with three rebounds, two assists, and two turnovers.

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Marcus Mariota was welcomed to the NFL with a mispronunciation of his last name.

Selected by the Tennessee Titans with the No. 2 pick in the draft, Roger Goodell announced the pick and called him "Marcus Marioto."

Here's the Vine from SBNation:

This happens occasionally – sometimes players have tough names to pronounce. Mariota isn't really one of them. Most of the remaining first-round prospect names seem pretty safe, although Goodell could have trouble with Cedric Ogbuehi.

Welcome to the NFL, Marcus Marioto!

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In a mild surprise, the Tennessee Titans selected Marcus Mariota with the No. 2 pick in the NFL Draft.

It's not surprising that Mariota went so high, it's surprising that the Titans took him instead of trading the pick for a monster package from the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Eagles, who were widely expected to go all-in for Mariota, put a huge offer on the table, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. The reported offer, as described by Rapoport on Twitter, is insane:

• Two first-round picks
• One third-round pick
• Fletcher Cox, the team's best defensive player
• Brandon Boykin, nickel corner
• Sam Bradford, starting quarterback
• Mychal Kendricks, starting linebacker

*At a press conference late Thursday night, Kelly claimed he never offered any players for the No. 2 pick. Given Kelly's history with being less-than-straightforward with the media about personnel decisions (he said Nick Foles would be the team's quarterback for "the next 1,000 years" and he wanted to keep LeSean McCoy before trading them both), and the fact that these players now have to come back to Philly after hearing their names in trade rumors all week, it's fair to be skeptical of this claim.

If Rapoport's report is true, the Eagles would have given up a ton. Outside of throwing in a third first-round pick, there's not much else the Eagles could have put on the table.

In 2012, the Washington Redskins gave up three first-round picks and a second-round pick to move up from No. 6 to No. 2 to draft Robert Griffin III. The Eagles offer — especially because it contains a proven star player as good as Cox — is at least as strong as that.

As much as Chip Kelly talked about not mortgaging the future for a single player, this would have been a wild gamble for Philly. He would have been trading a huge proportion of his available assets for one guy. The only way it would have worked out is if Mariota became one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.

In turning down the deal, the Titans showed that they were more committed to Mariota than they let on publicly. While there was talk that they loved current starter Zach Mettenberger, you don't turn down that sort of offer unless you think you're getting a special player.

Immediately after the pick, head coach Ken Whisenhunt essentially declared Mariota the starter.

The Titans could have easily justified taking the trade. Instead, they bet big on Mariota.

*[Edit note: This post was updated after Kelly's claim that no players were offered.]

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Kevin White, the wide receiver who was picked No. 7-overall by the Chicago Bears in the NFL Draft, nearly never made it to the NFL.

In a terrific profile of White's journey to the NFL by the NFL Network's Michael Silver, Silver details how White had to beg coaches from Division I schools to take a chance on him.

After having a solid high school career on the field, White's poor grades turned several recruiters off, leaving him to go to Lackawanna College, a Pennsylvania junior college near his hometown.

Despite two strong years on and off the field at Lackawanna, White still wasn't getting much interest from schools. According to White, in 2012 he emailed 250 college coaches asking for a chance to prove himself, only receiving mild interest from Hawaii and Texas Tech.

White told Silver, "I was on the laptop, 'cause I was doing a work study. And I saw it pop up, like, 'Hey, Kevin White, this is the wide receivers coach for West Virginia. Would love to get in contact with you — would you please call?'"

White signed with West Virginia, but got hurt his first year and put up middling stats. In his second year (his senior year of college), White exploded for over 1,400 receiving yards with 10 touchdowns, becoming one of the top receivers in the country.

It's a far cry from where White was in 2011, when, frustrated by having to attend Lackawanna, he nearly gave up his NFL dream and went to Bloomsburg University with his younger brother.

Now, White will fill a position of need for the Bears, making millions of dollars in the process.

Read the entire NFL.com profile here >

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Base jumping can be exhilarating, but base jumping off the world's second tallest residential building? That's just crazy.

Thanks to a partnership between Skydive Dubai and XDubai, The Princess Tower in Dubai — all 1,358 feet of it — was opened up to 558 base jumpers from the public for a limited time, and a video has been posted to YouTube showing some of the craziest spins, pyramids, and pure insanity of the jumps. 

Watch the video below to experience the adrenaline rush yourself:

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The Denver Broncos made one of the surprising moves of the first round of the NFL Draft by trading up to draft pass rusher Shane Ray with the 23rd pick.

The Broncos traded their 28th pick, a 2015 fifth-round pick, a 2016 fifth-round pick, and offensive lineman Manny Ramirez to the Detroit Lions for the 23rd pick.

It seems like a bounty to move up five spots in the draft, especially when you consider Ray's draft stock was falling after getting caught with marijuana three days before the draft.

In terms of talent, the Broncos may have gotten a steal with Ray at No. 23. Prior to his marijuana citation, most mock drafts had Ray going in the low 20s. Afterward, his stock declined, with SI's Peter King putting him 32nd in his mock draft, the last pick of the first round, while quoting a GM who said he saw Ray as a second-rounder.

Additionally, former Tampa Bay Buccaneers GM Mark Dominik told ESPN's "Mike & Mike" that the citation and some injury issues make him risky to take in the first round:

"This changes Shane Ray dramatically because it’s, to me, such a poor decision this close to the draft. It’s the decision making. What is this guy going to do on Friday or Saturday night before a big game? Is he going to make another poor choice like this? The timing is so bad, and the foot issue, tells me that this guy isn’t just dropping out of the first round, he’s dropping to the third or fourth round now."

Dominik added, "I don't see any way he's going in the first round."

SBNation's Dan Kadar gave the pick a "D+" grade and NFL.com gave it a "C+."

Though it's harder to find game-changing talent in the fifth round, smart teams can find value deep in the draft. The Broncos clearly thought Ray was a sure-thing player and any issues he has could be dealt with on their team.

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The Tennessee Titans surprised a lot of people in the first round of the NFL Draft when they didn't trade away the No. 2 pick and instead used it to take the one player a lot of people thought they didn't want, Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota.

In the weeks leading up to the NFL Draft, all signs said the Titans were open to trading the pick.

They were committed to Zach Mettenberger at quarterback, the reports said. In addition, coach Ken Whisenhunt has always coached traditional pocket passers, not dual-threats like Mariota. Considering the haul the St. Louis Rams got for Robert Griffin III in 2012, everyone thought they were willing to make a deal.

After they selected Mariota, there was some early speculation that they may have overplayed their hand and got stuck with Mariota when other teams called their bluff and refused to up their trade offers.

But now a simpler explanation looks more likely: the Titans planned to draft Mariota all along.

Peter King of theMMQB.com raised this scenario prior to the draft, writing that he thought the Titans would draft Mariota, noting that the team had scouted Mariota heavily.

"The Titans were all over Mariota all through the college season, and beyond," wrote King. "One Oregon source told me the Tennessee scouts were the most fervent of all teams during and after the season investigating Mariota."

However, there was plenty of other evidence that suggested the Titans either wanted to trade the pick or draft another player, perhaps Leonard Williams or Dante Fowler.

We continuously heard that the Titans were high on Mettenberger. According to David Climer of The Tennessean, head coach Ken Whisenhunt and general manager Ruston Webster thought they pulled "the steal of the 2014 draft" when they nabbed Metternberger in the sixth round.

That appears to have been a smokescreen. Whisenhunt made it clear that he expects Mariota to be the starter in week one of the 2015 season.

Another assumption that became widely accepted in NFL Draft circles was that the Titans would only draft a quarterback if Jameis Winston was still available since he fit coach Ken Whisenhunt's system and Mariota did not.

In a round table discussion for the MMQB.com prior to the draft, Andy Benoit raised this concern:

"I find it hard to believe that Whisenhunt truly likes Mariota. Mariota is the antithetical style of QB that Whisenhunt’s system demands. And we know Whisenhunt won’t change his system because he didn’t in Arizona even after Warner left. It’s in Whisenhunt’s best interest for people to think he loves Mariota. That keeps the trade value high for the No. 2 pick."

The problem with this theory is that it ignores the possibility that Whisenhunt is willing to make basic adjustments to his system if he has a talented enough quarterback. Quarterback is the most important position in the NFL. A good coach is going to build around a good quarterback, no matter his skillset.

Certainly many of the experts were on board with the Titans trading out. In the days leading up to the draft, everybody agreed that Mariota would be the second pick but nobody knew who was going to take him, as most figured a trade was coming.

But then draft day came and the Titans reportedly turned down a monstrous trade offer from the Philadelphia Eagles for the No. 2 pick. Here is what they reportedly would have received, according to the NFL Network's Ian Rapoport:

• Two first-round picks
• One third-round pick
• Fletcher Cox, the team's best defensive player
• Brandon Boykin, nickel corner
• Sam Bradford, starting quarterback
• Mychal Kendricks, starting linebacker

The Eagles deny this offer was on the table. Eagles coach Chip Kelly said he never offered any players in a package for Mariota. But there are other reports that Philly included at least Bradford and another player in an attempt to move up.

It would seem that a team wouldn't turn down an offer like that unless they were hell-bent on drafting Mariota.

Before the draft, there were also whispers that Whisenhunt's job was in jeopardy this year and there may be pressure on him to win now. If true, some argued, a more experience quarterback like Mettenberger gave him the best chance to do that.

However, the opposite may be in play here. Drafting Mariota actually buys Whisenhunt time. Now there is less pressure to win in 2015 and maybe even 2016. Now Whisenhunt has time to develop a quarterback and see what he can do in two or three years instead of one.

So why would the Titans pretend like they weren't going to take Mariota when the Bucs were almost certainly going to take Jameis Winston? There are two reasons, and both may have come into play.

The first is the obvious one. Maybe the Titans just wanted to keep their options open and see if somebody made a Godfather-like offer they couldn't refuse. At some point every player has a value and everybody has a price. It might have been steep, but people do crazy things at the NFL Draft.

The second is murkier, but probably shouldn't be ignored. Maybe the Titans were worried the Bucs would trade the first pick to a team that wanted Mariota.

There were reports the Bucs were willing to move, and the Eagles reportedly tried to make a last-minute trade with Tampa Bay when they couldn't make a deal with Tennessee. But by making the NFL world believe they were open and even eager to deal, the Titans ensured teams who wanted Mariota were coming to them with trade offers rather than Tampa.

In other words, maybe the Titans fooled teams into believing No. 2 was where they could get Mariota and then pulled a rope-a-dope and never made the trade.

If this theory is true, it was a pretty genius move.

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Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer totally lost his cool Thursday night as his Clippers battled the San Antonio Spurs in Game 6 of their first-round playoff series.

It was a close game, and the Clippers eventually won 102-96 to force a Game 7. 

But Ballmer, who bought the Clippers for $2 billion in May 2014, looked like he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown throughout the game.

Ballmer is known for his game-time antics, usually involving lots of red-faced screaming and dancing.

Head over to ESPN for the full video from last night.

SEE ALSO: Steve Ballmer turned the Lakers' locker room into his owner's lounge for the playoffs

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