Winston's Declaration Makes Titans' Pick More Valuable
Jan 11 2015 12:00 AM | Views: 131 | Lucas Davis in Tennessee Titans
When Florida State's Jameis Winston declared for the 2015 NFL Draft, the Tennessee Titans' second-overall pick shot up in value, giving the team multiple options come draft day. (Photo Credit: Orlando Sentinel)
With Florida State out-going sophomore quarterback Jameis Winston declaring for the NFL Draft on Wednesday, a world of possibilities has opened up for the Tennessee Titans.
After finishing at a disappointing 2-14 record under first-year head coach Ken Whisenhunt, the Titans hold the No. 2 pick in the upcoming draft. The value of the second pick jumped up ten-fold with Winston making it official that he will be playing in the NFL next season.
Oregon Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota, who will be playing in the 2014 NCAA College Football Playoff Championship on Monday against Ohio State University, has been projected to go with the first pick of the draft, which belongs to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Now that Winston is in the mix, the Buccaneers have a decision to make. They can either take Mariota, who has had a fantastic year as a system quarterback, or Winston, a pocket passer that had success while playing in a pro-style offense.
Whoever the Buccaneers decide, it leaves the other quarterback still on board when the time comes for the Titans to decide what to do with their pick. As of now, it looks as if everything is pointing towards the Buccaneers using the first-overall pick on Mariota, who has all of the hype at the moment while playing in the title game.
If that rings true, the Titans have a former Heisman Trophy winner who has had a world of off-field issues sitting in their lap.
A lot can happen between now and the draft, but if the Titans do not add a veteran quarterback before draft day, Whisenhunt will have to decide if he would rather stick with Zach Mettenberger or draft Winston.
Will Whisenhunt want to go with another rookie or use a quarterback he has spent a full season with? It is widely known that Whisenhunt doesn’t work well with rookies for the most part. His job will also presumably be on the line if he does not show substantial improvement upon this season.
Whisenhunt hand-picked Mettenberger, who was selected in the sixth round of last year’s draft. He has spent a year in the offense and ended up starting a good portion of the games before suffering a shoulder sprain that ended his season prematurely. Mettenberger had an up-and-down rookie season, but his confidence never wavered. He has made it clear that he wants the Titans to trust in him and give him the reins to the franchise.
If the Titans decide to stay with Mettenberger, that immediately makes the second pick available via trade to a team looking to acquire a quarterback.
The team to watch out for is the New York Jets, who currently hold the sixth-overall pick. With a new front office and coaching regime set to take over in the immediate future, the Jets may be looking to move up to obtain the services of Winston.
If the Jets are indeed interested in taking Winston, they have the perfect pick (No. 6) to package with other 2015 picks or future draft picks to trade spots with the Titans, who will need all the help they can get in the draft to fill out their roster with talent.
If the Titans decide Mettenberger isn’t the answer and take Winston, they will have their work cut out for themselves. Winston has been praised for his high-football IQ and very strong mechanics as a pocket passer, but his overall stock is down. Winston’s sophomore season wasn’t as strong as his Heisman-winning freshman year and the off-field problems continued to make headlines.
The Titans have had an unfortunate history of drafting immature quarterbacks, the prime example being Vince Young, who was taken with the third-overall pick in the 206 NFL Draft. Young’s tumultuous career with the Titans has been well documented and doesn’t need to be discussed in detail.
The difference between the two, of course, is that Winston is a much more polished passer and is quite a bit smarter in football terms than Young ever was.
The lone bright spot for Young’s career in Tennessee was his 30-17 record during his five years in the two-tone blue. An important statistic to note: even with all of the controversy in his two seasons of college football, Winston only lost one game while at FSU.
Things will become clearer for the Titans when free agency takes place and the draft nears, but one thing is certain: Winston declaring draft has given the Titans a bevy of options when their time on the clock begins.
Lucas Davis is a Tennessee Titans Staff Writer for Pro Football Spot. You can follow him on Twitter [twitter]spot_titans[twitter]. You can also follow the SPOT’s Tennessee Titans Twitter feed at @spot_titans and LIKE the Tennessee Titans Facebook page here.
