Marcus Mariota's Decision to Throw in NFL Combine Drills Shows His Confidence

For quarterbacks, the NFL draft process has become more about avoiding NFL scouts than convincing them. 

Instead of throwing at the combine, where conditions may be less than ideal, many prospects will instead choose to showcase their arm during their pro days, when they are in the comfort of their home stadium and everything is much more controlled to their liking. 

Consider this stat from ESPN Stats & Info:

The general argument is that first-round prospects have nothing to gain by throwing at the combine. Scouts have been watching these players—on tape and up close—for two, three or more years, learning their strengths and weaknesses and forming strong opinions, yet there is a fear that a few bad throws against no defense will drastically affect a player's stock. 

It's weird, but it often scares off prospects. 

Not Marcus Mariota. The former Oregon quarterback is a first-round lock, an extremely likely top-10 choice and a strong candidate to be taken first off the board. But he's still planning on throwing at the combine, per ESPN's Chris Mortensen: 

A player's character is sometimes just as important as talent, and this is a strong positive in Mariota's favor. It's good for your quarterback to have confidence, and by doing something that is perceived as a major risk, Mariota is showing he has plenty of belief in his arm. 

Sports reporter Holly Rowe gave her thoughts on the situation: 

"You just have to get one team to love you. That's all that really matters," Mariota told reporters, via The Associated Press, per ESPN.com. "You are interviewing and trying to market yourself to get a job. That's what's fun about this process."

That's exactly right. This is an interview process. Mariota should be showcasing what he has to offer, not avoiding scouts and hoping that whatever he did during the season was good enough—even though he enjoyed one of the most productive campaigns ever. 

Ultimately, whatever Mariota does at the combine shouldn't affect his draft stock. We know he's a tremendous athlete, we know he can escape the pocket, and we know he can make throws on the run. The deciding factor between him and Jameis Winston will be how confident teams are in his ability to move quickly through his progressions and make throws from the pocket. 

Combine drills won't test or change anyone's opinion on the latter. 

But with little to gain and presumably a lot to lose, he's going out there and doing what he will soon be paid to do: throw the ball. It may not matter in the long run, but it makes it much easier to bet on him.