Are you ready for some football? Of course you are. But unfortunately we have to wait until September for the season to start. However, the NFL Draft begins today which is by far the most exciting event in the NFL offseason. This draft is shaping up to be a good one with the center of attention on Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota.
There is a lot of debate as to which of these guys will be more successful in the NFL and who will be taken first, with a majority of the analysts going with Winston. Both were obviously great college players and very talented but, as history has shown, things are completely different when you get to the pros. Look at guys like Tim Tebow, Vince Young, and JaMarcus Russell that were great in college but their game just couldn’t translate to the NFL.
Statistically speaking, Mariota would seem like the safer pick as his numbers show that he is a lot more efficient than Winston. The category that jumps out is last year’s touchdown to interception ratio with Mariota’s being 38-2 and Winston’s being 25-18. He also led in yards, completion percentage, and yards per attempt.
So why is Winston the favorite for the number one overall pick? The numbers point to Mariota and Winston has found himself in a lot of off the field issues at Florida State while Mariota is about as clean-cut as you can get. It comes down to Jameis’ star quality.
He has the ideal build of an NFL QB (6’4”, 230 lbs.), a very strong arm, great poise and the dude is a straight-up winner. He’s lost only one game in his two years at FSU, won a Heisman, won a National Championship, led several fourth quarter comebacks and seems to have a tremendously high ceiling if he stays out of trouble. Not to mention, a lot of people have pointed out that it is unfair to compare college guys solely on numbers because of all the different offensive systems.
Jimbo Fisher’s FSU style of offense has allowed Winston to show off his pro-style production. He proved he is great at anticipating openings, throwing into tight windows, making complex reads, scanning the field, getting through progressions and thriving as a pocket passer.
Meanwhile Mariota played a much faster paced spread offense that didn’t quite test his abilities in the same ways.
One side story on the Winston/Mariota draft headlines is that they could potentially be the overall #1 and #2 picks, and neither of them will be attending the draft in Chicago. They both have decided to watch it with their family and friends at home. Michael Irvin has an interesting perspective on this, “I understand you want to be with your family, Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota, but you’re a quarterback. Nobody profits more from this league than quarterbacks and I do have an issue with them not being there,” Irvin told USA TODAY Sports. “This is a family. You’re coming into something that is much bigger than you. Don’t big-time it, and that’s what I feel is being done.”
Winston and Mariota may be the soaking up the national spotlight, but the big focal point in the draft locally is where our beloved running back, David Johnson, will end up. Johnson had a great career here at UNI and gained a lot of recognition after his great game in the Reese’s Senior Bowl along with a stellar NFL Combine performance. He has shown off his dynamic skill set and has really excelled in his ability to catch passes out of the backfield. NFL scouts are loving his combination of size, speed and great hands, making him one of the top RBs in the draft.
Johnson is projected to be picked sometime in the second or third round so keep an eye out where our UNI Panther pride and joy will land as he takes his game to the next level and makes us all proud.
