Marcus Mariota Still Makes Most Sense for New York Jets at No. 6

The New York Jets have been here before, 45 straight times to be exact. After another season falling short of that elusive second Super Bowl win, the Jets must now decide how they feel about their depth chart at quarterback.

They have taken different approaches to giving themselves some cushion at the quarterback position, but despite already taking one approach this offseason by trading for Ryan Fitzpatrick, they still can't feel comfortable about the long-term future at the game's most important position. 

Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota may not be "the present" when it comes to quarterbacks who are ready to contribute immediately in the NFL, but he could certainly be "the future." The giant block of marble is there. What's missing is the shape, the polish, the details.

The Jets have two options: They can either take the chance on Mariota or stick with either Fitzpatrick or Geno Smith. Franchise quarterbacks do not grow on trees—neither do the opportunities to select one with a top-10 pick in the draft. The wise move would be to take the shot while they're within striking range.

They seem legitimately interested in Mariota—or at least legitimately interested in making teams think they're legitimately interested. According to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News, the Jets sent a strong contingency to Oregon to watch Mariota work out. 

That contingency included general manager Mike Maccagnan, head coach Todd Bowles, offensive coordinator Chan Gailey, quarterbacks coach Kevin Patullo, director of college scouting Rex Hogan and director of player personnel Brian Heimerdinger. The goal of the trip, according to Mehta, was to assess Mariota with "on-field drills and classroom work designed to test his football IQ."

The Heisman Trophy winner has been compared to San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick for his otherworldly athleticism and serviceable arm.

NFL.com's Lance Zierlein says he has a floor that is much higher than any of the quarterbacks drafted in 2014 and adds that "Mariota's ability to create outside the pocket will help win games here and there and buy him time as he plies his craft. However, to reach his potential and match the play with the traits, he must develop more poise and feel in the pocket and improve his field vision." 

As alluded by ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr., Mariota is the only choice if the Jets want to quickly close that gap with the New England Patriots—and all their other offseason moves suggest that's exactly what they want to do. 

"So I would think that, at that point, I don't know how you'd pass him up," Kiper said, via Darryl Slater of NJ Advanced Media. "You're going against [New England Patriots quarterback] Tom Brady. Tom Brady has probably got another five years in him. And Mariota needs a little bit of time. So Fitzpatrick and Geno Smith would give you time to develop Mariota, who in another two or three years, could be really good." 

But make no mistake, the Jets are not ruling out their other options just yet.

"We're spending a lot of time on it," Bowles said, per Mehta, at the league meetings in Phoenix about the Jets' quarterback evaluation process. "We've still got to work [Winston and Mariota] out. We're going to do our homework on those guys at the top of the draft, but then we're going to do our diligence on all the guys that could possibly go at No. 6. It's not just the quarterbacks. It's all of them."

But is it really? 

An outside linebacker would sharpen the teeth of a pass rush whose teeth have resembled Lil Bub of late, but would it put the Jets over the hump to a Super Bowl? Probably not. An offensive lineman would help open up holes for the running game and would also help protect whoever it is that's tossing the rock for the Jets in 2015. Again, that would not be the piece to put them into the final game of the year. 

The question then becomes whether Mariota will even be available at No. 6 or whether another team will leapfrog the Jets to take him. If said team comes along, should the Jets try to move up to ensure they land the Oregon quarterback? Consider this: The Washington Redskins gave up three first-round picks in 2012 to move up from No. 6 to No. 2 to draft Robert Griffin III, widely regarded as a can't-miss product.

Well, they missed, and they're still paying the price. 

Mariota is an enigma, and to forfeit a king's ransom for such volatility would be foolish.

That being said, so much has been made of Mariota's status as a "system quarterback" who might struggle in a more complex pro-style offense that's not designed to make life as easy for him as possible. My response to that would be this: If you're going to draft a quarterback as high as No. 6, why wouldn't you make it a point to make life as easy for him as possible?

Chan Gailey has been known to make more out of less than he would have with Mariota. He made a $60 million man out of Fitzpatrick just shy of four years ago; he could certainly make a star out of Mariota in two to three years' time. 

If Mariota is available at No. 6, the Jets have almost no choice but to pull the trigger. Teams spend years searching for the next Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers or Andrew Luck.  Mariota may never be one of those quarterbacks, but the value of the position is just too great to pass up with such a high draft choice.