AP

With the clock ticking (lurching, crawling, staggering) toward the start of the 2015 NFL Draft Thursday night, we’re in the final phases of the will-they-or-won’t-they game of the top two picks.

And at last, there’s some clarity.

The Titans seem comfortable taking Marcus Mariota. Unless they trade the pick.

That’s via Peter King of Sports Illustrated, who has talked to a lot of people and come to the conclusion that it’s hard to tell what’s going to happen.

The Titans are still open to dealing the pick, but apparently haven’t gotten the right kind of offer yet.

That’s ostensibly why they’ve been talking up quarterback Zach Mettenberger all offseason, to convince people they really are fine making a deal, if the right one comes along.

But they’re also confident in Mariota’s ability to transition to a pro offense, with an Oregon source telling King the Titans were the most thorough team researching him throughout last season and offseason. There, they learned that Mariota was more comfortable in the pocket than many think, as he threw 23 of his 36 passes against Florida State in the national semifinal from the pocket.

What does all that mean?

The Titans are clearly sitting by the phone, waiting for it to ring, with nothing bigger than the direction of their franchise in the balance.