Marcus Mariota Showcases Ability to Throw on the Run in Titans Preseason Win

Leading up to the 2015 NFL draft, many analysts questioned whether Marcus Mariota would be able to make a successful transition to a pro-style offense. A dual-threat quarterback who is as dangerous with his feet as he is with his arm, Mariota came into the NFL needing to prove he could be consistently effective as a pocket passer.

Having played only six series of preseason action thus far, it remains too early to tell whether the Tennessee Titans rookie will be able to achieve the latter. What the No. 2 overall pick was able to showcase in his second preseason game, against the St. Louis Rams on Sunday night, was that his ability to make plays on the run can continue to be an asset at the NFL level.

Just as he did in his preseason debut against the Atlanta Falcons on Aug. 14, Mariota had eight passing attempts on three drives in Sunday’s game, which the Titans won, 27-14.

After completing seven passes for 94 yards against the Falcons, Mariota only completed five throws for 58 yards against the Rams. That said, one of those incompletions was Titans running back Dexter McCluster's drop on what would have been a nine-yard touchdown pass.

Mariota also had no turnovers Sunday—although he was nearly intercepted by Rams safety Mark Barron—after giving the ball away twice (one interception, one fumble) versus Atlanta.

Date	Opponent	Comp-Att	Yards	TD	INT
8/23/15	vs. Rams	5-8	59	0	0
8/14/15	at Falcons	7-8	94	0	1
Total	2 Games	12-16	153	0	1

The highlight of Mariota’s second preseason game—and of his brief career in NFL exhibition games to date—came on his first passing attempt of the Titans’ second possession.

After faking a handoff to running back Bishop Sankey on his left, Mariota ran a bootleg right—away from Rams defensive linemen Aaron Donald and Chris Long's pressure—and completed a pass to tight end Craig Stevens more than 30 yards through the air along the right sideline. The NFL highlighted Mariota's impressive ability to throw on the run:

That play exemplified why Mariota was considered to be an elite quarterback prospect, leading the Titans to select him with the No. 2 selection in the draft.

While Mariota’s week-to-week success will be contingent on consistency as a pocket passer, his ability to throw the ball accurately downfield on the run—even without setting his feet—gives him a special playmaking ability outside the pocket that most quarterbacks, even at the NFL level, cannot match.

He demonstrated that ability again on the Titans’ third series of the night, albeit on a much-shorter throw. Rolling left off a play-action fake right, Mariota completed a pass to fellow rookie Dorial Green-Beckham that went for a 2nd-and-6 conversion.

Mariota’s ability to throw on the run will give Titans' opponents another variable to defend against. While opponents will certainly try to keep Mariota contained within the pocket, he legitimately has the speed to run away from pass-rushers and keep a play alive, as he exhibited on the throw to Stevens.

That athleticism gives him the potential to use his legs to rush for positive yardage. He only gained one yard on his lone rushing attempt in Sunday’s game, but that was because Alec Ogletree—one of the NFL's fastest linebackers—was able to get a bead on him and force him out to the right sideline.

Mark Zaleski/Associated Press

Mariota failed to prove anything as a pocket passer on Sunday, as all five of his completions went to open receivers. That had more to do with limited playing time, however, than any deficiency on Mariota’s part. In his much-discussed preseason debut, Mariota had numerous throws that demonstrated his ability to complete passes against coverage from the pocket, as I broke down following that game.

Having not had a pass hit the ground in that game, his first non-intercepted incompletion came on his first series Sunday.

It was not a terrible pass: Mariota threw an accurate ball 16 yards over the middle to wide receiver Kendall Wright, but Rams defensive back Lamarcus Joyner was able to break in from behind as the ball reached Wright to knock the pass away. Nonetheless, ball placement on downfield passes into tight windows is something Mariota might need to continue working on, as noted by Pro Football Focus’ Steve Palazzolo:

As Mariota works on developing the precision that passing from the pocket requires at the NFL level, his ability to scramble out of the pocket can enable him to let plays develop and set up easier throws, as was the case on the completion to Green-Beckham.

That’s not to say that Mariota needs to rely on his ability to throw on the run right now. For the most part, the rookie quarterback showed impressive composure Sunday as he subtly used his eyes and feet to maneuver the pocket and make reads. It's a sentiment Sports Illustrated's Doug Farrar shared:

The only major blemish of Mariota’s night came on a 3rd-and-6 that would be his final play of the game.

After calling an audible with just five seconds left on the play clock—forcing him to snap the ball just before the clock hit zeroes—Mariota’s situational discomfort showed as he stared down wide receiver Kendall Wright and hesitated before throwing the ball.

This allowed Rams safety Mark Barron to break on Mariota’s pass and get both hands on it, but Mariota caught a break as Barron dropped what should have been an interception.

"

Was a good night for Marcus Mariota except for this play: http://t.co/lDk2FImScl Can't stare down a receiver then hesitate to throw the ball

— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) August 24, 2015"

Mariota’s apparent panic on that play was the greatest indicator in Sunday’s game that the rookie is still a work-in-progress when it comes to running a pro-style offense and making quick decisions from the pocket.

A note from Fox sideline reporter Pam Oliver, however, shed light on how well Mariota truly has done in picking up Tennessee’s offensive system. As documented on Twitter by CBS Sports’ Will Brinson, Oliver reported that Mariota’s “communication system went down” on the Titans’ first series, leaving the quarterback to run the show without the benefit of having offensive coordinator Jason Michael in his ear.

“It was one of those deals; it happens,” Mariota later told Oliver on the Fox broadcast when asked about the communication system failure. “I just had to kind of run over to the sideline, get the call and say it in the huddle.”

Titans coach Ken Whisenhunt praised the manner in which the rookie pressed on in that situation, as relayed by the team's official Twitter account:

All in all, Mariota is off to an impressive start this preseason. He has had a few rookie mistakes, but that is to be expected. Aside from those errors, Mariota has looked poised and has shown playmaking ability as a passer, including when he is on the run, and that could make him the star of the Titans offense for years to come.

Dan Hope is an NFL/NFL Draft Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report.

Follow @Dan_Hope