Who will be No. 1: The 2015 NFL Draft Thread

[Kramerica Industries]

Just gonna drop this link in here as a recommended reading on Mariota/Winston. I'm personally undecided right now as for who I think the better selection would be, and obviously while you can only evaluate head-to-head based on what happens on the field, the fact that Jameis has the off-the-field track record he does is a fair bit disconcerting. Then again, it's not like Winston would be the first 21-year old who ever grew up and developed some maturity, either.

And, certainly, as much as I enjoyed the Florida State throttling yesterday, one thing that's going to be a nuisance with Bucs fans now (a fan base that, surprise surprise, is comprised of a ton of Florida and Florida State fans) is how that one game yesterday is going to be used as a some kind of referendum on who the better choice is, disregarding 2-3 seasons worth of play on either end.

[FiddySicks]

I still think that Tampa needs to take the bigger risk here and draft Mariota. He's got such incredible potential, and having Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson to throw to will help with some of those accuracy concerns. If Tampa can actually fix that downright AWFUL line (which I'm not sure I trust them to do), they could have a realy lethal combination there.

Not that Winston would necessarily be a bad choice, he's a great quarterback, but I still think his off the field issues would be enough to give Mariota the edge.

[PSUcelticsWON95]

His off-field issues would only earn him a one-game suspension though

If I had to pick a QB to have in college? I'd pick Mariota, but it'd be a toss-up. If I had to pick a QB to have in the NFL? I'd pick Winston. I've been surprised that Cam Newton has done well in the NFL, and even though I love Mariota, he's a smaller Cam Newton, but still a bigger Johnny Manziel. Winston is like a more athletic Big Ben. Yeah, Winston makes mistakes. But he can also squeeze the ball into the tightest windows. That last game shouldn't define his career. Him f-ing up was him trying to win the game for his team. I just see Winston surviving better in the NFL than Mariota. Again, I love both quarterbacks, and I wanted Mariota to win the Heisman for the last 3 years, and he's a better ATHLETE than Winston, but I think Winston is the better QUARTERBACK, especially from an NFL standpoint.

Side note: So while I was watching the New Era Pinstripe Bowl, I heard the commentators talking about Hackenberg's draft stock (of course he can't enter the draft this year, but they were discussing it). This year, Hackenberg has had more interceptions than touchdowns. BUT, the commentators were saying that if Hackenberg was eligible for the draft, and he entered, that he would be a first round (or high second round) draft pick. They said that they know it sounds crazy, but that NFL scouts love the type of quarterback he is, the poise he has, and the talent and potential he shows. I found that really, really interesting. I hope that doesn't go to his head though

[dfwabel]

I still think that Tampa needs to take the bigger risk here and draft Mariota. He's got such incredible potential, and having Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson to throw to will help with some of those accuracy concerns. If Tampa can actually fix that downright AWFUL line (which I'm not sure I trust them to do), they could have a realy lethal combination there.

Not that Winston would necessarily be a bad choice, he's a great quarterback, but I still think his off the field issues would be enough to give Mariota the edge.

There is little reason to talk about the Bucs and the "upside" of drafting a QB since the team had never given a second contract to any QB they've ever drafted.

[FiddySicks]

Be that as it may, they have the #1 overall pick and are going to draft a quarterback (short of another team going Ricky Williams/RGIII style ham in order to get their pick). So yeah, there there's a lot of reason to talk about this.

I just feel that while Mariota is a more long term project, he has the greater long term upside than Winston.

[2001mark]

Chiming in, it has to be Mariota. At the same time, I think Winston has the longer more prolific career. Mariota seems a safe franchise guy... Winston seems he'd have 1-2 big free agent contracts with high demand.

[Raysfan12]

I'm going off the deep end here, and I say the Bucs should draft Brandon Scherff (Iowa) instead of Winston and Mariota with the 1st pick. The Buccaneers need an offensive lineman badly and contrary to what some think, Glennon didn't have a terrible year (plagued by injuries). Plus with the weapons they have in Doug Martin, Chris Evans, and V-Jax (not sure if he's going to return), you could possibly wait to get a quarterback in the later rounds (plus a good O-line is a rookie QB's best friend). They also need a pass rusher to keep pressure off of Gerald McCoy and Lavonte David on the defense. For the QB spot, I would draft Sean Mannion (Oregon State) or Bryce Petty (Baylor).

Here's my Buccaneer mock draft (1st 3 rounds):

1st round: Brandon Scherff - Iowa OT

2nd round: Alvin Dupree - Kentucky DE

3rd Round: Bryce Petty - Baylor QB

[FiddySicks]

Yeah you're right. You really are going off the deep end.

[BigEd76]

Bengals clinch #21 and will pick there every round

Steelers clinch #22 and will rotate picks with AZ at minimum

If the Lions lose, they get #23 and Arizona gets #24

If the Cowboys lose, they get #24 (and will pick there every round) and Arizona gets #23

[Kramerica Industries]

Yeah you're right. You really are going off the deep end.

Seriously. The Bucs have a dire need for QB, they can have their pick of whichever one of two potential franchise QB's they so please to have, and Bryce Petty is probably a third day selection at best.

If they were to pass up Mariota or Winston, then that's it. I just don't know how much more nonsense I could tolerate. The only decision will be which QB to take, but the decision about which position to take from at #1 is at obvious as it gets. Regardless of my level of confidence in this organization, there's no way I can fathom them screwing this one up.

[DS729]

I'm going off the deep end here, and I say the Bucs should draft Brandon Scherff (Iowa) instead of Winston and Mariota with the 1st pick. The Buccaneers need an offensive lineman badly and contrary to what some think, Glennon didn't have a terrible year (plagued by injuries). Plus with the weapons they have in Doug Martin, Chris Evans, and V-Jax (not sure if he's going to return), you could possibly wait to get a quarterback in the later rounds (plus a good O-line is a rookie QB's best friend). They also need a pass rusher to keep pressure off of Gerald McCoy and Lavonte David on the defense. For the QB spot, I would draft Sean Mannion (Oregon State) or Bryce Petty (Baylor).

Here's my Buccaneer mock draft (1st 3 rounds):

1st round: Brandon Scherff - Iowa OT

2nd round: Alvin Dupree - Kentucky DE

3rd Round: Bryce Petty - Baylor QB

You should probably stick to covering Louisville.

[BigEd76]

Two more spots set:

#25 = Carolina

#26 = Baltimore

If the Colts lose, they get #27 and the DAL/GB loser gets #28

If the Broncos lose, they get #28 and the DAL/GB loser gets #27

[Cosmic]

So is Winston really gonna go high in the first round? After his off-field troubles and his last impression in college being his coach telling him "Calm the frak down, or I'm gonna take you out!", I just can't fathom investing a high draft pick in the guy.

[BigEd76]

Absolutely. If it wasn't for the off-the-field nonsense, he'd be a lock for #1 overall. I wouldn't be shocked if Tampa took him over Mariota

[FiddySicks]

They'd be absolutely stupid if they did that.

So yeah, you're right. I wouldn't be surprised either.

[BBTV]

Absolutely. If it wasn't for the off-the-field nonsense, he'd be a lock for #1 overall. I wouldn't be shocked if Tampa took him over Mariota

Local radio has been having Tampa reporters on and other nfl "experts" who say that the Bucs are decided on Winston and that he's all they're talking about internally and they (and some other clubs) think Mariota is a system QB who won't make it.

Point being, if he slips a few spots on draft day and it makes it even a little more feasible, I totally see Big Balls Kelly mortgaging the future for him.

[BigEd76]

Yea I've seen where McShay and Dilfer and others are starting to sour on Mariota and say he would need to sit on the bench for all of 2015 to learn whatever system. Despite that, the Eagles would still have to get into the top 5-10 to get him, and it would take at least three #1s and more to jump from #20

[See Red]

Off-field issues aside, I'm taking Winston over Mariota if I'm looking for my franchise QB. I think there's just more questions about how Mariota's game translates to the professional game. But I'm also basing this more on Winston's redshirt Freshman season more-so than this last season since I think he regressed a bit. He has all the tools and abilities you look for, but misread coverages and threw INT's a little too often considering how much more talented his teammates were than just about any team they played this season.

[Kramerica Industries]

There is something to be said for the misreading coverages that can be concerning, no doubt. However, I take 2013 with more stock than 2014 because of the fact that he played with not just more talent, but more experienced talent that year, and was phenomenal with it. Part of this problem this year stemmed from having inexperienced teammates that he didn't always trust (loosely translated - "quick, where's #80 or #35?"). Winston throws with much more anticipation than Mariota does (a systemic byproduct), and generally does it very well. That is probably the biggest token in the Winston > Mariota debate as well, the fact that with Winston there's a great deal more of the projection and knowledge of what he can do in a pro-style system than there is with Mariota. It's important to be mindful that just because Mariota hasn't played in a traditional pro-style offense doesn't mean that he can't do it and, furthermore, if you (general you) watch a Green Bay game, or a few other teams, there's an offensive system that quite frequently uses pistol and shot gun formations that take the QB off the line. I don't necessarily see why a system can't be designed at the pro level that could utilize some of those concepts that Mariota is familiar with, if even just so that the integration process is smoother for him coming into the league.

Me? Without being able to project any further off the field issues, which I think was something that clouded many of our general opinions on this subject for many months (and, only now that we're getting further away from them are we beginning to go back to projecting what we see on the field first), I would take Winston. However, I do think Mariota is a skillful and intelligent player himself, and I wouldn't doubt his ability to learn, adapt, and play in the pros at a high level either.

[BBallSuperFan]

I'm going off the deep end here, and I say the Bucs should draft Brandon Scherff (Iowa) instead of Winston and Mariota with the 1st pick. The Buccaneers need an offensive lineman badly and contrary to what some think, Glennon didn't have a terrible year (plagued by injuries). Plus with the weapons they have in Doug Martin, Chris Evans, and V-Jax (not sure if he's going to return), you could possibly wait to get a quarterback in the later rounds (plus a good O-line is a rookie QB's best friend). They also need a pass rusher to keep pressure off of Gerald McCoy and Lavonte David on the defense. For the QB spot, I would draft Sean Mannion (Oregon State) or Bryce Petty (Baylor).

Here's my Buccaneer mock draft (1st 3 rounds):

1st round: Brandon Scherff - Iowa OT

2nd round: Alvin Dupree - Kentucky DE

3rd Round: Bryce Petty - Baylor QB

This is not a bad idea, but I'd rather go with Garrett Grayson in the 2nd if the Bucs draft a QB at all. The kid looks very scary and I think will adapt fast to the NFL, similar to Kapernick.