First things first: The 2015 NFL Draft is 76 days away. A lot will change in that time, starting with next weekend's combine. After that, there will be pro days and individual workouts, all in an effort to determine when and if a player should be drafted.
The Buccaneers have the No. 1 pick, and by releasing Josh McCown this week, they made it clear that they will be in the market for a quarterback (CBSSports.com's Will Brinson wrote about just that Thursday.) The top two candidates are Oregon's Marcus Mariota and Florida State's Jameis Winston. And according to BleacherReport.com's Jason Cole, Mariota is the early favorite to end up in Tampa.
"According to the sources I have talked to, at this point in time, the Bucs are leaning towards taking Marcus Mariota because they believe he is the safer option," Cole said Friday, adding one pretty important caveat.
"However, it is way early in the process, and there is a lot to discuss between these two. It may be the most hotly discussed debates on quarterbacks since Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf [in 1998].
"From a physical standpoint, Jameis Winston appears to be the better prospect; he's played in a pro-style offense, he's made the throws, he knows how to make anticipation throws, knows how to make all of the reads, has all the physical aspects you're looking for.
"With Mariota, he's a big man and a fast man," Cole continued. "He's played in that Chip Kelly offense, which does not necessarily project to playing in most NFL [offenses]. You have to wonder if he knows how to make the anticipation throws, make the reads that go with playing in the NFL. That is the big concern, particularly with how he played in the college playoffs this year.
"But right now, the safe option is to go with Mariota, who has none of the off-field transgressions that Jameis Winston had when he was at Florida State."
http://mweb.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-o...cus-mariota-with-no-1-pick?utm_source=dlvr.it
The Buccaneers have the No. 1 pick, and by releasing Josh McCown this week, they made it clear that they will be in the market for a quarterback (CBSSports.com's Will Brinson wrote about just that Thursday.) The top two candidates are Oregon's Marcus Mariota and Florida State's Jameis Winston. And according to BleacherReport.com's Jason Cole, Mariota is the early favorite to end up in Tampa.
"According to the sources I have talked to, at this point in time, the Bucs are leaning towards taking Marcus Mariota because they believe he is the safer option," Cole said Friday, adding one pretty important caveat.
"However, it is way early in the process, and there is a lot to discuss between these two. It may be the most hotly discussed debates on quarterbacks since Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf [in 1998].
"From a physical standpoint, Jameis Winston appears to be the better prospect; he's played in a pro-style offense, he's made the throws, he knows how to make anticipation throws, knows how to make all of the reads, has all the physical aspects you're looking for.
"With Mariota, he's a big man and a fast man," Cole continued. "He's played in that Chip Kelly offense, which does not necessarily project to playing in most NFL [offenses]. You have to wonder if he knows how to make the anticipation throws, make the reads that go with playing in the NFL. That is the big concern, particularly with how he played in the college playoffs this year.
"But right now, the safe option is to go with Mariota, who has none of the off-field transgressions that Jameis Winston had when he was at Florida State."
http://mweb.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-o...cus-mariota-with-no-1-pick?utm_source=dlvr.it
