Things might get a little awkward for Roger Goodell at the beginning of the NFL Draft.
About two weeks ago, it was reported that projected No. 1 overall pick Jameis Winston doesn’t plan on attending the draft and won’t be in Chicago when the commissioner calls his name.
Now it appears that the potential No. 2 pick won’t be in the building, either. Former Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota informed the league he’s planning to spend draft day with family and friends in his native Hawaii, league sources told ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter on Tuesday.
“Mariota told the NFL that it is important to him, both personally and culturally, to be in Hawaii to celebrate the next step in his life,” Schefter wrote on ESPN.com.
Mariota’s decision is understandable; the 21-year-old has strong roots in his home state, something he made clear in his emotional acceptance speech after winning the Heisman Trophy in December. Still, his and Winston’s absence certainly won’t help the draft, which will be held outside New York for the first time since 1965.
Schefter added that Mariota plans to invite both ESPN and NFL Network to have cameras on him on draft day to document his experience.
Thumbnail photo via Brian Spurlock/USA TODAY Sports Images
