Marcus Mariota Most Intriguing Early Storyline of 2015 NFL Draft

If you were tasked with creating the most intriguing NFL draft storyline you could that had to revolve around one prospect, you would be hard-pressed to top Marcus Mariota.

Just look at all the ingredients that are in place—he won the Heisman Trophy at a high-profile football program, he plays the most recognizable position in all of American sports in quarterback, and there are some who think he could be the best player in the draft and others who think he’s simply a product of his college system.

Throw in the fact that the college coach who once recruited him to Oregon is now in charge of the Philadelphia Eagles and could theoretically trade up to get him, and there is a lot to digest.

The pure talent is obvious with Mariota. Not only did he win the Heisman Trophy, he did so by putting up prolific numbers with 4,454 passing yards, 770 rushing yards, 57 total touchdowns and only four interceptions. Those numbers aren’t just prolific; they are downright astounding considering he threw 445 passes, and only four of them were picked off all season.

He also led his team to an appearance in the CFP National Championship and destroyed the previous year’s Heisman winner and potential No. 1 pick Jameis Winston in the Rose Bowl in the process.

Mariota proved he can hit receivers deep and underneath or run designed runs or when the pocket breaks down.

The numbers are one thing, but Mariota is so intriguing because there is the school of thought that he could just be the product of the no-huddle, high-octane Oregon attack.

Matt Hinton of Grantland did his best to dispel that notion, but the fact that Mariota and the Ducks failed in front of the biggest audience in the history of cable television in the National Championship only steeled the resolve of the doubters who see the quarterback as just another flashy product of the Oregon system.

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

Is Mariota the next great NFL quarterback worthy of a top-notch pick, or is he the newest edition of Joey Harrington, Akili Smith, Darron Thomas and Dennis Dixon?

That is a question teams will have to ask themselves on draft day as they attempt to weigh the realization that Mariota seemingly made every play in college with dazzling talent against the acknowledgment that he took every snap out of shotgun and oftentimes threw to wide open guys streaking downfield.

Another thing that is interesting about Mariota is the sheer number of teams that could realistically pick him.

Eric Gay/Associated Press

Speculation has arisen that the Philadelphia Eagles will make a run at him given Mariota’s connections with head coach Chip Kelly (who recruited Mariota to Oregon), but the Eagles' head man responded to that suggestion, via Phil Sheridan of ESPN.com:

"

Let's dispel that right now. I think that stuff's crazy. You guys have been going with that stuff all along. I think Marcus is the best quarterback in the draft. We will never mortgage our future to go all the way up to get somebody like that, because we have too many other holes we have to take care of.

We're not mortgaging our future for any particular player. That's just not philosophically what we think is the right thing to do, that you're going to package 20 picks to move up from 20 (in the draft) to some other spot. We have not had any discussions (about such a trade).

"

Of course, coaches aren’t exactly in the business of tipping their hands at this time of year, which means we shouldn’t read too much into Kelly’s comments, as Pablo S. Torre of ESPN.com indicated:

The Eagles aren’t the only NFC East team that could have its eye on the Oregon product. ESPN commentator John Clayton appeared on ESPN Radio’s The Freddie Coleman Show and proposed that Washington could select Mariota with the No. 5 pick, via Dan Steinberg of The Washington Post:

"

Honestly, [people say Mariota] may fall to the Jets; he’s not gonna fall to the Jets at six, I’ll tell you this right now. The Redskins will take him at [No.] five. Dan Snyder may not think there’s quarterback issues; Jay Gruden and everybody else in the front office thinks there’s quarterback issues. And if Marcus Mariota falls to five – now it’s not a position where they’re desperate enough to trade up to get him – but if he falls to 5, I’m telling you this right now, they’ll take him.

"

What’s more, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tennessee Titans are not exactly set for the next 15 years at the quarterback position either, and they have the top two picks in the draft. Perhaps Mariota hears his name called that early?

Throw in the New York Jets, who seemingly always have quarterback questions, and Mariota could be the potential answer under center for a number of teams with top 10 picks come draft day.

Then there is the chance that all the predraft noise surrounding Mariota is just that—noise—and he actually slips a la Aaron Rodgers because teams are more concerned with Mariota’s skill set transferring than perhaps they have let on thus far.

Yet another layer of intrigue to the Mariota story comes when you consider he is theoretically battling with Winston to be the top pick in the draft. These two were the face of college football the last couple of seasons, took home the last two Heisman Trophies and battled at the Rose Bowl in January.

Eric Gay/Associated Press

They have different skill sets and came from vastly different offenses, and teams (and fanbases waiting for the draft with bated breath) may have to choose between the two.

There are a number of things that can happen with Mariota come draft day, and all of them seem realistic on the surface. He could be the No. 1 pick, he could fall to the later stages of the first round or his former college coach could swing a headline-making trade on draft day and add him to an Eagles roster that is already teeming with former Oregon Ducks. 

Whatever happens, it is bound to be the most intriguing storyline of the draft.

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