With the college football season already begun I thought I'd put together some scouting reports of players who might be available in the 2015 draft. I've always been fascinated by the draft and would just like to share some of the same passion that I have about it with you guys. These reports don't have anything to do with the Bills needs, they just come from a list of players that I already have or will be scouting. I have a number of players to look out for in the 2015 NFL Draft, starting with none other than Marcus Mariota (QB, Oregon) himself.
2013 Scouting Report:
Something became clear early on when I was scouting Marcus Mariota: he has a strong arm. And I don't mean in the traditional sense where he can throw a ball 60 yards on his knees (I'm looking at you JaMarcus Russell) but rather in the sense that he really can fire the ball in short yardage situations. He really guns it to his receivers. Another thing I noticed was that he almost always had his eyes down field. Too often in college football, and on a lesser scale in the NFL, a Quarterback gets forced from the pocket and stops looking downfield. Its a very frustrating thing as usually the moment the Quarterback puts his head down his receiver tends to get open. Mariota has consistently shown that he is aware of everything around him, even when the pocket is collapsing. He seems to be a very smart Quarterback, never looking down his targets and usually going through all his progressions. Those are all positives, but every prospect has something that might not be ideal for the NFL, some more than others. Something that concerned me while watching Mariota was his size; or lack there of. His height is no issue, but he seems a little wiry to me. I got the same feeling last year about Teddy Bridgewater, who like Marcus Mariota has a strong arm. Bridgewater almost fell out of the first round completely, before being scooped up by the Minnesota Vikings at 32nd overall. Also, Mariota left the pocket often, which concerned me at first until I realized that the Oregon offense might be designed that way. Either way, he simply won't be able to do that in the NFL. Its certainly not detrimental, but he'll have to prove that he can throw from the pocket to be a first round pick.
Overview:
I like Mariota, but that's not to say there aren't any questions regarding his draft stock. He has the arm and the smarts to make it in the NFL, but he will have to prove that he has the size. He offers a lot of value as a dual threat Quarterback, and seems to be liked on and off the field. He should focus on staying in the pocket more often in 2014 if he plans on becoming the top pick in the 2015 draft. If Mariota bulks up and operates a more pro style offense than I see no reason why he can't be the first selection in 2015, especially considering how difficult and important it is to find a franchise signal caller in this league.
How he would fit with the Bills:
There has been a lot of E.J. bashing recently, which I disagree with. I see no reason why Manuel can't be our franchise guy. With that being said, if E.J. doesn't play well there is a possibility the Bills decide to go for a Quarterback with their first pick. Mariota would be hard to attain, but if he doesn't perform well the Bills could find a way to trade into the first round and take him or wait until the second round if he falls that far. I don't see that happening, but then again we are eight months way.
Thanks for reading and feel free to comment with your opinion on Marcus Mariota or this new Prospect Watch series that I hope to continue. Go Bills!