Not that long ago, Mike Mayock was the most trusted NFL Draft analyst on television. His pre-draft conference calls would go for hours and NFL fans hung on every word as he revealed his favorite players each week.
One of Mayock’s most “controversial” rankings came during the 2015 draft cycle as he ranked Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota ahead of Jameis Winston on his final draft board. While Winston was eventually selected at No. 1, Mariota went No. 2 to the Titans.
In his most recent media session, Mayock was asked why he liked Mariota coming out college over Winston and he gave a very thoughtful answer. Take a look at Mayock’s thoughts below on the two former Heisman Trophy Winners:
“They were both high-level prospects. I was at both pro days. I watched every throw that both of them made. They won an awful lot of football games. My take on Jameis was that on a really good football team with a lot of talent, he threw some interceptions. And I felt like Marcus took care of the football better, plus he had the element of being able to extend plays and use his legs. So, if you ask me what the determining factor in that conversation was, that was it right there.”
For the most part, Mayock pretty much nailed his evaluation on both quarterbacks. In 61 career starts, Mariota has thrown only 41 interceptions. Compare that to Winston, who threw 30 interceptions alone last season and it’s not hard to see which quarterback is more careful with the ball. Winston is the far more aggressive passer and that led to him throwing 33 touchdowns and leading the NFL in passing yards last season.
But both players need to improve as each will be playing on their second teams this season. However, neither will open Week 1 as starters after poor performances last season. Each player is looking to revitalize their careers in new places.
The Raiders are hoping that in time, Mariota can develop into a high-quality backup quarterback behind Derek Carr. Given Mariota’s ability to be cautious with the ball, he’s a perfect backup quarterback in today’s NFL as he will be playing behind a strong offensive line and an elite run game.
However, it will be fascinating to see if head coach Jon Gruden can “unlock” anything more in Mariota’s game to prove that Mayock was right in ranking him as the best prospect in the 2015 NFL Draft.
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