Which NFL teams are likely to pursue Oregon QB Marcus Mariota? By NATE DAVIS To the surprise of few, Oregon’s Marcus Mariota is joining Jameis Winston by entering the 2015 NFL draft, which seems light on quarterback prospects outside of the past two Heisman Trophy winners. Where might Mariota best fit at the pro level? Let’s assess his likely suitors. Philadelphia Eagles: They’re currently slated to pick 20th in the first round of the 2015 draft, a spot Mariota is unlikely to plummet to. But former Oregon coach Chip Kelly has made no effort to hide his admiration for Mariota’s ability, and the Eagles offense probably represents the best NFL fit for a player who will have familiarity with the playbook. With Kelly newly installed as Philadelphia’s personnel czar and the club’s quarterback position hardly locked down, would this team make another bold bid for a Duck? Good chance it would take multiple first-round picks to pay the freight. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: They will get the first draft crack at Mariota … and Winston. The latter’s skill set more closely resembles those of David Garrard and Matt Ryan, the quarterbacks new OC Dirk Koetter has spent most of his NFL career working with. However the Bucs do have a nice group of young skill players who could ease Mariota’s transition to the NFL. New York Jets: New coach Todd Bowles will change this team’s identity, and that seems likely to translate to the quarterback position, where Geno Smith has underwhelmed for two seasons. However if the Jets pursue Mariota, they better enlist the right offensive coordinator and quarterback coach to develop him and ought to bring in a reliable veteran — or keep Michael Vick? — to allow Mariota time to make what promises to be a tough jump from Oregon’s style of play. Still, obtaining Mariota would achieve the kind of back-page splash the Jets typically love. Tennessee Titans: They pick second in the draft and would seem to be in need of quarterback help. But they’ve also said a lot of nice things about 2014 rookie Zach Mettenberter, whose abilities more closely align with those of Ben Roethlisberger, Kurt Warner and Philip Rivers, passers who have thrived under coach Ken Whisenhunt. Winston also seems like a better match here than Mariota, and the Titans have plenty of other holes they could address while rolling with Mettenberger. Houston Texans: They need a long-term quarterback solution. However coach Bill O’Brien has mostly worked with pocket-bound passers in the NFL — Tom Brady, Ryan Mallett and Ryan Fitzpatrick. Once again, Winston would probably be higher on their board. Cleveland Browns: Nothing seems outside the realm of possibility. GM Ray Farmer owns multiple Round 1 picks and isn’t opposed to drafting another passer early. Mariota’s game has a lot of Johnny Manziel in it, but his persona does not. But the Browns still need to hire a new offensive coordinator before they mull yet another big change under center. Chicago Bears: Another city where anything could happen, whether it’s incumbent QB Jay Cutler getting a fresh start under a new staff or the team trying to go in a completely different direction to find the right player to maximize all of the offensive talent that’s already on the roster. Buffalo Bills: New OC Greg Roman, who spent the past few seasons working with multi-dimensional QB Colin Kaepernick in San Francisco, would pair nicely with Mariota if — big if — the Bills can get their hands on the reigning Heisman winner after shipping out their 2015 first rounder to reel in Sammy Watkins in last year’s draft.
Posted on: Thu, 22 Jan 2015 21:30:00 +0000