The Sports Xchange

Tennessee Titans fans, already showing their support for new quarterback Marcus Mariota, are buying the No. 2 overall draft pick’s jerseys to lead the NFL in sales this month.

Mariota has the NFL’s best-selling jersey so far in May, Titans director of finance Stuart Spears told Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com.

The Titans have been searching for a franchise quarterback for 10 years — ever since they traded Steve McNair to the Baltimore Ravens in 2005.

Mariota becomes the face of the Titans franchise after winning the Heisman Trophy at Oregon in 2014. The Titans hope he can adapt quickly to being an NFL quarterback after first-round misses on Vince Young in 2006 and Jake Locker in 2011.

According to ESPN, the Titans struck quickly after they selected Mariota in the 2015 NFL Draft on April 30. The next day, the Titans had digital billboards up pushing season tickets around Nashville.

In addition to the jersey sales, a study by a sports marketing company found that Mariota ranks as the 39th most marketable athlete in the world, according to SportsPro.

For a player who hasn’t played a professional game yet, Mariota enters the NFL with a significant fan base in Nashville and elsewhere.

The Titans, 2-14 last season, and Mariota have not reached an agreement on his rookie contract. He is the only pick taken in the top seven of the draft who has not yet signed.