Mariota: No. 1 'not a huge thing'

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Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Marcus Mariota may or may not be the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' targetwith the first pick of the 2015 NFL draft, and that's just fine with the Heisman Trophy winner from Oregon.

"Being the first pick, to me, it's not a huge thing," Mariota told the Bucs' team website Monday during his visit to Tampa. "I'd love to play for the Bucs. With that being said, if you find the team that wants you, that's going to be the right team. I look forward to marketing myself and finding that team."

Mariota was in Tampa to visit with Bucs general manager Jason Licht ahead of the draft, which will be held April 30 to May 2 in Chicago. Licht attendedMariota's pro day on March 12.

"This is an opportunity to kind of show how much you know mentally," Mariota told the website about his visit. "It's going to be one of those times where you get to talk about football. I've been looking forward to it."

The Bucs likely will take a quarterback with the first pick, and several draft experts, including ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay, have forecast that Jameis Winston will be Tampa Bay's selection.

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