What if the Buccaneers Prefer Marcus Mariota to Jameis Winston?
The 2015 NFL Draft is rapidly approaching, which means the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are going to have to make a decision soon on what player is going to be the new face of their franchise.
Right now, the question is whether that young man will be either Jameis Winston of Florida State, or Marcus Mariota of Oregon. The Bucs obviously have a huge decision to make, and for the most part, it’s been assumed that Winston is that guy.
Feb 21, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Florida State Seminoles quarterback Jameis Winston and Oregon Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota watch drills during the 2015 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
There were some interesting developments, however, on Wednesday as NFL Network’s Mike Mayock changed his quarterback rankings. Mayock previously had Jameis Winston on top of his rankings, and he’s now been replaced by Marcus Mariota.
Ron Jaworski on ESPN also hinted that the Buccaneers might prefer Mariota to Winston, and the Bucs have certainly done their due diligence by doing extensive research on both players. They recently held private workouts for both guys and have already had them both into team facilities for a visit.
This is a big decision, and the Bucs aren’t taking any chances that they might miss something.
Heck, they sent someone from their staff to track Winston on an airplane they knew he’d be flying on, just to see how he acted when he felt like no one was watching.
Pretty crazy, eh?
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The fact that Mayock changed his rankings doesn’t mean anything for the Buccaneers, but it’s certainly interesting timing for a guy who is respected as probably the best in the business at what he does. Mayock had Winston as his top overall in February and March, so why the switch now, three weeks before the draft?
Mayock has ties to NFL teams and personnel and executives, and he certainly has ears in places that he is getting inside information.
If Mayock has heard something, that could have prompted him to go back and look at the tape and change his rankings.
It seems like many might agree that Winston has a higher ceiling than Mariota, but Mariota might be the safer prospect for his lack of off-field antics. That has really cost Winston greatly since he’s been at Florida State, but it might not have been enough to cost him the number one overall pick.
What the Buccaneers do with the number one overall pick remains to be seen, but things might get a little bit more interesting as we get closer to the draft.