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Jameis Winston is favorite for No. 1 overall pick coming out of combine - 2015 NFL draft - ESPN
By Todd McShay
The 2015 NFL combine is in the books. Who stood out, and what will it mean come April 30 when the first round of the draft kicks off? Here are my top seven takeaways from Indianapolis, starting with why I believe FSU's Jameis Winston has a better chance to be the No. 1 pick than Oregon's Marcus Mariota:
1. The favorite to go No. 1 overall to the Buccaneers is Winston.
I could see Tampa Bay going with either Winston or Mariota with the top pick. But when I watch the tape on these guys, there's a clear difference between the two. Winston is second only to Andrew Luck among NFL quarterback prospects of the past 10 years, in my mind, if you base things solely off of what guys have done on the field.
Now obviously, it's not that simple with Winston, as his off-field behavioral issues have been well-documented. Tampa Bay and any team that considers drafting him is going to have to be comfortable with him from a character and psychological standpoint. But from what I heard from NFL sources, Winston really impressed teams during interviews, handling himself well when answering questions about his past and displaying an outstanding football IQ.
Mariota also nailed it in his interviews. We've always known that Mariota is a person of extremely high character and that he has an intense passion for football. But teams I spoke to raved about Mariota's football IQ, which is important for a quarterback coming from a college system that doesn't translate favorably to most NFL offenses.
Ultimately, I think it will come down to the Bucs' preferences and what they put their emphasis on. I would lean toward Winston, because I think he is more advanced at this point and also has a higher ceiling; he's just a very natural passer in terms of anticipating throws and delivering the ball accurately. I also think that Mariota has the potential to develop into a really good starter if he's handled properly, and I know some guys in the league who think he's going to be a star.
So Winston to the Bucs is by no means a done deal. But if you're asking me to pick one, I'd go with Winston, and most of the sources I talked to in Indianapolis this week seemed to share that opinion.
2. USC DL Leonard Williams made the Titans' decision at No. 2 a lot harder.
Tennessee also needs a quarterback, but if we operate under the scenario that Winston goes No. 1, I think the team will have a really difficult decision to make. Williams is the best overall player in this draft class, and he made it really difficult for the Titans to pass on him with the workout he turned in, showing outstanding athleticism for his size and backing up what he's shown on tape.
But no matter how good you think Williams is, the bottom line is that you need to have a quarterback to win in this league. If Winston is off the board, the Titans are going to have to choose between drafting and developing Mariota or continuing to develop second-year guy Zach Mettenberger. I absolutely think that coach Ken Whisenhunt's experience and preference of working with pro-style dropback passers could be a deterrent in picking Mariota, as that isn't Mariota's game at this point in his career.
3. If Tennessee decides against Mariota, several different landing spots come into play for him (including via a trade).
Let's say Winston goes No. 1 to the Bucs and Williams goes No. 2 to the Titans; what happens to Mariota then?
I think the Jets are a realistic possibility with the No. 6 pick, if he slides that far, but I also think there are a few teams that could consider moving up to draft him. The Rams, who own the No. 10 pick, could be interested depending on whether they trust Sam Bradford to come back healthy and be a productive starter for them. The Browns have more assets to try to trade up than most teams, as owners of the No. 12 and No. 19 picks, but I have a hard time seeing them draft a QB in the first round two years in a row.
That brings us to the Eagles. I know from talking to Chip Kelly previously how highly he thinks of Mariota, his former QB at Oregon, and especially now that he has control over personnel decisions, you have to consider a trade-up a possibility for Philadelphia. But I have no idea if he'd be willing to give up as much as it would take to jump up 15 or more spots to get ahead of the Jets at No. 6 (and remember, Washington has the No. 5 pick; I don't think it'd be too eager to help its division rival Eagles get their guy at QB) -- likely in the neighborhood of two first-rounders plus other picks and/or players. He's already gotten adequate quarterback play from Nick Foles and Mark Sanchez -- does he want to give up that much just for Mariota? The Texans at No. 16 are another team to keep an eye on if Mariota slides down the board.
Ultimately, I think the team that drafts Mariota has to have a plan in place to develop him. By that I mean incorporating some up-tempo and zone-read elements into your offense while at the same time helping him improve at winning from inside the pocket, which is what he'll ultimately need to learn in order to have long-term success. He's bulked up some, but he isn't Cam Newton in terms of his size; he'll only be able to rely upon his athleticism and running ability so much.
Jameis Winston is favorite for No. 1 overall pick coming out of combine - 2015 NFL draft - ESPN
By Todd McShay
The 2015 NFL combine is in the books. Who stood out, and what will it mean come April 30 when the first round of the draft kicks off? Here are my top seven takeaways from Indianapolis, starting with why I believe FSU's Jameis Winston has a better chance to be the No. 1 pick than Oregon's Marcus Mariota:
1. The favorite to go No. 1 overall to the Buccaneers is Winston.
I could see Tampa Bay going with either Winston or Mariota with the top pick. But when I watch the tape on these guys, there's a clear difference between the two. Winston is second only to Andrew Luck among NFL quarterback prospects of the past 10 years, in my mind, if you base things solely off of what guys have done on the field.
Now obviously, it's not that simple with Winston, as his off-field behavioral issues have been well-documented. Tampa Bay and any team that considers drafting him is going to have to be comfortable with him from a character and psychological standpoint. But from what I heard from NFL sources, Winston really impressed teams during interviews, handling himself well when answering questions about his past and displaying an outstanding football IQ.
Mariota also nailed it in his interviews. We've always known that Mariota is a person of extremely high character and that he has an intense passion for football. But teams I spoke to raved about Mariota's football IQ, which is important for a quarterback coming from a college system that doesn't translate favorably to most NFL offenses.
Ultimately, I think it will come down to the Bucs' preferences and what they put their emphasis on. I would lean toward Winston, because I think he is more advanced at this point and also has a higher ceiling; he's just a very natural passer in terms of anticipating throws and delivering the ball accurately. I also think that Mariota has the potential to develop into a really good starter if he's handled properly, and I know some guys in the league who think he's going to be a star.
So Winston to the Bucs is by no means a done deal. But if you're asking me to pick one, I'd go with Winston, and most of the sources I talked to in Indianapolis this week seemed to share that opinion.
2. USC DL Leonard Williams made the Titans' decision at No. 2 a lot harder.
Tennessee also needs a quarterback, but if we operate under the scenario that Winston goes No. 1, I think the team will have a really difficult decision to make. Williams is the best overall player in this draft class, and he made it really difficult for the Titans to pass on him with the workout he turned in, showing outstanding athleticism for his size and backing up what he's shown on tape.
But no matter how good you think Williams is, the bottom line is that you need to have a quarterback to win in this league. If Winston is off the board, the Titans are going to have to choose between drafting and developing Mariota or continuing to develop second-year guy Zach Mettenberger. I absolutely think that coach Ken Whisenhunt's experience and preference of working with pro-style dropback passers could be a deterrent in picking Mariota, as that isn't Mariota's game at this point in his career.
3. If Tennessee decides against Mariota, several different landing spots come into play for him (including via a trade).
Let's say Winston goes No. 1 to the Bucs and Williams goes No. 2 to the Titans; what happens to Mariota then?
I think the Jets are a realistic possibility with the No. 6 pick, if he slides that far, but I also think there are a few teams that could consider moving up to draft him. The Rams, who own the No. 10 pick, could be interested depending on whether they trust Sam Bradford to come back healthy and be a productive starter for them. The Browns have more assets to try to trade up than most teams, as owners of the No. 12 and No. 19 picks, but I have a hard time seeing them draft a QB in the first round two years in a row.
That brings us to the Eagles. I know from talking to Chip Kelly previously how highly he thinks of Mariota, his former QB at Oregon, and especially now that he has control over personnel decisions, you have to consider a trade-up a possibility for Philadelphia. But I have no idea if he'd be willing to give up as much as it would take to jump up 15 or more spots to get ahead of the Jets at No. 6 (and remember, Washington has the No. 5 pick; I don't think it'd be too eager to help its division rival Eagles get their guy at QB) -- likely in the neighborhood of two first-rounders plus other picks and/or players. He's already gotten adequate quarterback play from Nick Foles and Mark Sanchez -- does he want to give up that much just for Mariota? The Texans at No. 16 are another team to keep an eye on if Mariota slides down the board.
Ultimately, I think the team that drafts Mariota has to have a plan in place to develop him. By that I mean incorporating some up-tempo and zone-read elements into your offense while at the same time helping him improve at winning from inside the pocket, which is what he'll ultimately need to learn in order to have long-term success. He's bulked up some, but he isn't Cam Newton in terms of his size; he'll only be able to rely upon his athleticism and running ability so much.
Jimmy Kempski