Mariota or Winston?

[Bucman 891]

If you're picking #1 and need a QB. Which one do you take and why?

Both have major question marks, Winston for the most part come with his off the field immaturity and possible worse if the rape allegation is true. Mariota come from the scheme he played in and the unknown about his pocket passing.

 

I would go with Mariota for now. I think he is someone that is going to work hard to become a better pocket passer and leader of the team. You won't have to worry about what he is doing the night before the game either.

[Cherry 1,302]

Easily Mariota. Better on and off the field.

 

Winston has the better arm but literally everything else goes to Mariota. Tell me you want a franchise QB and I'll show you a picture of Mariota.

 

Scrambles well. Passes at an elite level. Shows up big in big games.

 

"But Winston is so clutch..."

 

Winston keeps his team in tight games, Mariota didn't leave room for interpretation where he beat the #7 Arizona team 51-13. Florida State is arguably more talented too.

 

38-2 TD to INT for Mariota. 24-17 TD to INT for Winston.

 

Basically...

 

Mariota

 

Winston

Edited December 17, 2014 by Chernobyl426

[DonovanMcnabb for H.O.F 2,241]

I don't see Mariota as a special prospect. Give me Winston.

 

Although, both of these guys are boom/busts (Winston though with WAY more boom).

[Bucman 891]

I wouldn't look into the TD to INT ratio too much. Winston playing in a pro style offense makes his #s more realistic then the crazy #s Mariota put up. If you take Mariota, you will need a talented OC that can scheme to his strengths because he is not going to be a pocket passer right away.

 

 

Neither QB is a safe pick, but if you're a team like the Bucs you need to take a chance on one of them.

[Cherry 1,302]

Even with the differences between the offenses it's still unreasonable for Winston to skim by every team. Throwing four interceptions to Florida is shameful.

[McTater 28]

Winston looks like he took a step back this year, while marriota took one forward.

[Shotgun 442]

I'd probably end up choosing Mariota although it's a tough choice. With Winston you have to worry about off the field issues, and when it comes to QB"s that's one thing a lot of the busts have in common.

 

With Mariota you have a guy that's coming from a read option offense, so you have to hope he can learn how to make multiple reads at the speed level of the NFL, and you need to have the coaching staff and offensive play calling to support him at a proper speed.

[Vin+ 3,121]

What're the responses going to be if Winston outplays Mariota on the 1st? Are people going to take him seriously or are there going to be plenty of "Oh, it's just one game" responses?

[Cherry 1,302]

Oregon doesn't have the talent that Florida State has on defense. Honestly don't know how I'd feel.

[BJORN 679]

Gimme Winston. He is the more prototypical NFL QB. He has all the natural talent & instincts you could want from a QB. Add on to this the fact that he is a fiery competitor & leader it's hard for me to pass up on him. I personally found his off of the field shenanigans to be pretty funny *aside from the rape accusations obviously*. He does need to work on decision making at times (i/e taking unneeded risks) but at the same time you have to love that he attempts the more difficult passes and connects on them quite often. I think he is a slam dunk.

 

It's harder to project Mariota due to scheme and as a disclaimer: I need to watch more of his tape as I don't follow the PAC as much as other conferences. From what I've seen, I personally think he projects as a rich man's Kaepernick, though I'm not sure how good of a comparison that is because Kaep may still progress himself. But it's definitely not a bad thing. He can be inconsistent at times with inaccuracy but he is dynamic and makes good decisions. Should be fun to see how he develops as a player. He appears to be very likable & coachable from what I've seen of him in the media.

[DonovanMcnabb for H.O.F 2,241]

Mariota is pretty mu CK with a weaker arm.

[butta54 371]

First off I wouldn't take any QB this year with the 1st pick. JUST SAYIN

 

But, If I was forced to choose it would be hard not to pick Winston. Mariota is an electric college player and he is great in the Oregon system, but he is in no way, shape, or form close to Winston as a QB prospect.

 

The only thing Mariota has over Winston is better scrambling ability and better off-the-field record. Now my opinion might change after I actually study the tape, but at first glance watching Mariota this season...his arm isn't very strong. He has pretty solid mechanics and that helps him deliver strikes BUT when his mechanics break down he will throw some serious ducks (no pun intended). Not to mention you don't know his capacity to learn outside of a one-read, spread-option passing system. I haven't met him so couldn't tell you.

 

However, Winston has red flags and I take those seriously. In a real situation this eliminates him from my consideration which means QB is out as a pick for me. But since I'm forced to choose I will take the gamble with the bigger, stronger, more polished QB. On the field he is a leader and simply gave his team supreme confidence in bad situations. They always looked like they were gonna win when Winston was on the field. Off-the-field issues have to be looked into, but this is probably the guy you want.

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

Winston is the better pure QB prospect, IMO. He looks at home in a pro style type offense... He has the skill set and tools to be a very good player and QB in the NFL. He has the arm, he has the experience. However, the kid is very unlikable. He's a moron, and doesn't use his brain. He's not a guy I can see being the leader of a football team. And of course the off field stuff has to be taken into consideration because of the leagues recent crackdowns. I am afraid he will get to the next level and take it for granted, and not put the work in needed to be the best and develop as he should.

 

Just watching his interviews and seeing how he interacts with other people and the media... I would be scared to draft this kid. If he 'passes' any teams interview portion of the draft process, I would be stunned and it would be more of a credit to good 'coaching' by Winston and his people more so than him actually being impressive.

 

I just don't think Mariota will translate well to the NFL. I don't think he has the arm to succeed in a real proficient NFL offense. Watching him throw makes me cringe half the time. I think he will struggle making reads and getting through his progressions. I am not even sure how he will handle an NFL playbook. Just overall, his skill set is much weaker. I don't think the 'Football IQ' is there. Personally, I think he's a good guy.. I think he has the attitude and mindset that Winston lacks. I think he will do everything he can to get better and to adapt and I don't doubt that he will work his ass off.

Watching him play and imagining how he will contribute to a pro offense.... I would be scared to draft this kid. I know every QB and every player does it, so it's nothing new. But I expect his pro day and draft workouts to be so heavily prepared and practiced that he will probably look close to flawless.

 

So the big questions that you have to ask yourself...

 

Is your team or core of your team / staff strong enough to withstand the character concerns of Jameis Winston and can you 'fix' him in that regard. Can he stay out of trouble? Will he mature soon enough? Does he have the right mindset and perspective needed to be a GREAT quarterback?

 

Do you have the scheme or are you willing to build a scheme around the skills of Marcus Mariota? Will you be able to take his strengths and allow him to excel? Can you mitigate his short comings to a point that they won't come back and bite you in the ass? If you aren't willing to change your scheme, can he adapt to a pro style offense and if so, how long will it take?

Winston is more NFL ready today than Mariota is and I don't see that changing. However, he could be a much larger bust than simply not producing on the field. Unlike Mariota, even if he busts out... That's probably all he will be doing. Winston has more upside, but I think his character (even on the field and in the locker room) will cause frustration beyond belief.

I would pass on both of these guys, which only leaves the question of... If these guys fall, where do you feel the risk is worth the reward? At what point do you actually feel comfortable taking a chance on either of these guys and using a valuable draft choice on them?

I am not sure I would ever get to that point.

Edited January 7, 2015 by Favre4Ever

[BradyFan81 404]

From what I've seen of them, I don't think either one's gonna be good. Wisnton's a terrible decision maker, throws into traffic too much. Mariota runs a gimmicky tempo offense where the defense is off guard the entire time. Impossible to evaluate. He misses an awful lot of easy throws tho.

[Packers Dynasty 2010 116]

Not a fan of either QB and glad my team is not in a position of needing to draft a QB. Winston has way too many off the field problems surrounding him and did not look very good at all this season. While Mariota is a pure system QB that will struggle unless he goes to the Eagles. Haven't been able to look into the draft prospects too much yet, but if I was needing a QB; getting a guy like Petty or Hundley with mid-round pick would be more appealing.

[AllYouNeedIsLovie 377]

As of now, I want Winston because I don't trust the Bucs coaches to put Mariota in a good offensive system. With the right coaches, I think Mariota could be very good though. I just think Winston is the more prototypical NFL QB and has a lot of the traits you look for in a NFL QB. Yea, he has some question marks, but pretty much every QB does coming out of college, unless your name is Andrew Luck.

[Maverick 791]

They're both gonna suck.

[butta54 371]

F4E didn't answer the question

 

LoL just like I said I don't want either, but you have #1 and are forced to pick

[DonovanMcnabb for H.O.F 2,241]

Really don't see Winston busting.

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

I am not taking either of these guys... Lol.

Even in a complete perfect situation, I don't think Winston will ever truly understand the significance of this opportunity and turn it around character-wise. And even in a totally perfect situation for Mariota, I am not sure he has the talent to succeed. I guess I take Winston because I feel he has more upside? But then I guess I take Mariota because he won't be a distraction to my team and be an asshole? PDs advice is best...

[SteVo+ 3,702]

Hopefully NFL scouts have the same opinion of Mariota F4E does so that he has a Bridgewater-esque fall down the board to the Eagles at #20.

 

By the way, I'm not saying F4E or anyone is wrong about Mariota. In fact, I think concerns about him in a pro style offense are legitimate, which is why is best landing spot is undoubtedly Philadelphia.

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

To this day, I don't understand Teddy's fall. Even though it was still a fall beyond I would have expected, I look back at the Cleveland Browns and laugh mightily at their incompetence. How could you screw up so incredibly bad in that situation.

 

As far as Mariota fitting in with the Eagles, I think that seems most natural. And honestly, I would kind of like to see that. As mentioned previously.. It's very easy (for me anyway) to hate on Winston, because he seems like such an ass. Mariota actually seems like a good dude, and rooting for him would be a lot easier.

[butta54 371]

TB-Water landed with Norv Turner....huge difference between him and the rest of the rookies.

[OSUViking 505]

Yeah. Teddy landed with one of the few teams that had a solid foundation for developing a QB in place, made possible by Norv Turner. It really seems like there are a surprising amount of NFL teams that lack the ability to develop QBs, especially considering the large amounts of coaches in the NCAA that have shown they can be QB whisperers.

[Bucman 891]

I'm interested to see Bridgewater in year 2 with Adrian Peterson back.
Mettenberger too. He was quietly one of the better rookie QBs