The NFL Draft returns to Chicago tonight:

Tonight is the night you’ve been waiting for. The speculation ends at 8PM EST when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are finally, and officially, on the clock. There were unconfirmed reports yesterday that Buccaneers players had been told Jameis Winston would be the first pick in the draft, and all signs point to that being the case. Winston has spent a lot of time in Tampa recently, and any other selection for Tampa Bay tonight would be an absolute shock that would likely shake up teams’ boards right out of the gate.

The other big story line tonight is about where Marcus Mariota will land. Unlike Winston who’s been widely believed to be the first pick for some time now, the speculation around Mariota involves several teams and speculations of a move up for the Oregon quarterback.

The latest rumors have been swirling around the Cleveland Browns who hold picks 12 and 19 in the first round, and have reportedly been sniffing around the Tennessee Titans second selection overall. The Browns have insisted that while they’re always looking at their options, they still believe in Johnny Manziel.

“We didn’t draft him to sell jerseys or tickets but to be a top-notch quarterback,” Mike Pettine told NFL Media’s Andrea Kramer. “His career didn’t start out the way we wanted. We had to hit the pause button and we have reset. I’m not ready to give up on him.”

If the Browns do swing a deal to move up to the second pick, expect the package to begin with both of Cleveland’s first round picks. It’s hard to imagine a team drafting a quarterback in Round-1 two consecutive years,  and it’s harder to imagine them having to move up to do so each time. If the Browns make a move for Mariota tonight, it’s going to be difficult for Ray Farmer to make it sound like there’s much of a plan in Cleveland.

LSU Tackle La’el Collins leaves Chicago to speak to investigators:

The NFL Draft is often one of the biggest nights in a young man’s career in the NFL, but for LSU tackle La’el Collins, that dream is quickly turning into a nightmare, as he’s been forced to leave Chicago to return to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to answer questions regarding the shooting death of 29-year old Brittany Mills who was shot to death in the doorway to her apartment last Friday night.

Collins is not a suspect in the case, but speculation is that he had a romantic relationship with Mills, and Baton Rouge police want to find out if he may have any information about why Mills was murdered. Baton Rouge Police Cpl. Don Coppola stressed that while they want to speak with Collins, they are not looking at him as a suspect.

“We’re looking to get in touch with Mr. Collins to question him about the shooting,” said Coppola. “Again we’re not pursuing him as a suspect, but we know he had some type of relationship with Mills. As part of the investigation, we would like to sit down with him, and ask him who may be responsible for this.”

While this will be one of the most exciting night of some young men’s lives, it will likely be a much more bitter-sweet experience for Collins. Collins was considered to be a first-round pick before the news came out, and now his NFL future along with the millions of guaranteed dollars is up in the air.

While Collins will see his dream of becoming an NFL player realized this weekend, being involved in an investigation regarding the murder of a woman close to him has to be awful. Collins will be rewarded for a lifetime of hard work this weekend, but he’s had the dream of walking out of the green room to hug Roger Goodell and hold up his new team’s jersey, and someone close to him taken away during what should be such a positive time for the young man.

Bears shopping Martellus Bennett:

Chicago Bears tight end Martellus Bennett reportedly wants a new contract, and has told the Bears that he won’t be showing up for them, or anyone else without one. Bennett had a monster year for a tight end last season recording 90 catches for over 1,000 yards.

Bennett is one of the most colorful players in the NFL. When a team is winning, his antics are usually considered fun and entertaining, but when they’re not, he’s sometimes seen as a distraction. For NFL clubs needing a presence in the middle of their offensive passing attack, Bennett is likely a distraction they’d like to have.

When tight end needy teams look up at their draft boards this weekend they’ll realize that the very best tight end available this weekend is Bennett. If a team is comfortable with extending Bennett, than they’d be crazy not to toss a mid-round draft pick Chicago’s way for the veteran tight end.

While Bennett’s stance is one NFL players must take when they feel they’ve outplayed their contracts, it’s a difficult stance to take with a new regime running things in the Windy City. Jon Fox is a no nonsense kind of coach, and for all his abilities, Bennett certainly comes with a little nonsense.