NFL Player Comparison: Jameis Winston v. Marcus Mariota
As we approached the NFL Draft back in April, the biggest factor was where Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota would go. For the most part we knew Jameis would end up with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but Mariota was the big mystery that would set up the entire draft.
Despite the near certainty people felt regarding Winston, the question in the back of everybody’s minds was which Heisman winner would have more success in the NFL. Could Oregon Duck quarterback make the successful transition to an NFL system? On the flip side, could Winston keep his head on straight and reduce the turnovers?
While it’s clearly to early to define either players careers and declare on”victorious” over the other, it’s about time we compare the top two picks for the 2015 NFL draft. Here’s the Jameis Winston v. Marcus Mariota comparison after about a third of the way through of their first NFL season.
Check out this chart, courtesy of PointAfter and Graphiq:
Surprisingly, there’s not THAT much difference between the two quarterbacks so far. Nearly every passing stat is practically identical, if not extremely close.
Right now Jameis has the edge on passing yards, but not by much. Remember that he has Vincent Jackson and Mike Evans; a much better toolbox than Mariota.
Completion percentage was and still is Mariota’s specialty. He easily leads Jameis in this category by 7.5%.
Touchdowns are practically the same, but Jameis has just one more than Mariota. I should note that Winston has had more opportunities to pass the ball than Mariota, giving him somewhat of an advantage.
Interceptions have always been a problem for Jameis Winston. He has more than double what Mariota has thrown, so chalk up a win for Mariota in the interception category. On the flip side, fumbles are a victory for Jameis. Not by much, but still a win there.
Passer rating once again goes back to Mariota. His is 22 points better than his Heisman counterpart in Tampa Bay. Once again, Mariota wins the decision over Winston.
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Completion average is a narrow win for Jameis Winston. It’s only a difference of 1.3 yards, but every yard counts in this crazy game.
With these two quarterbacks, it’s hard not to compare their rushing stats. Surprisingly, Mariota does not have a rushing touchdown. Jameis on the other hand has one. Interestingly, Mariota has more than double the rushing yards per attempt, so let’s call it a draw on the rushing category.
Another thing not included in this chart is number of NFL wins. With the Buccaneers having played one more game than the Titans, it’s really hard to compare. Winston’s Buc’s do have one more victory than the Titans, but remember the Titans beat them week one.
As you can see, there’s really not that big a difference in how the top two picks have performed. If I compare the stats I think are either more relevant or easily won, Mariota wins 5-3.
In the end, both quarterbacks seem to be on their way to success in the NFL. They both clearly have things to improve on, but the pieces in Tennessee and Tampa Bay are starting to come into place for the two to have a long, successful career.