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Better Prospect: Jameis Winston or Marcus Mariota?

Find out which quarterback the Tampa Bay Buccaneers should take with the first pick in the draft.

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With the NFL Draft months away, teams are doing their due diligence on potential fits. The most intriguing debate heading into the draft comes from the quarterback position.

Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston are a little over a week removed from battling against each other. Mariota won the duel in impressive fashion, as his Oregon Ducks came out victorious to a tune of 59-20. The Heisman winner completed 26 of 36 passes for 338 yards to go along with two touchdowns, while Winston struggled, committing two turnovers in the contest.

In the short term, both players are heading in two different directions. Mariota is prepping for the biggest  game of his life against Ohio State, while Winston has his eyes set on the next level.

Assuming Mariota declares for the NFL Draft as expected, which quarterback should the Tampa Bay Buccaneers select with the No. 1 overall pick?

The answer to this question is very tricky and to be quite frank, there may not be a true right or wrong answer here. If you’re Bucs general manager Jason Licht, the decision will come down to what’s your preference.

If you want an explosive dual threat quarterback that takes care of the football, then Mariota is your guy. In his three seasons at Eugene, Mariota has thrown for 103 touchdowns to only 13 interceptions. This season, he’s accumulated a touchdown to interception ratio of 40:3, which is why he became the first Duck ever to win the Heisman trophy.

Another luxury with selecting Mariota, unlike Winston, he doesn’t come with all the extra baggage off the field. Mariota comes off as a mature leader on and off the field, which makes him less of a risk if you’re Tampa Bay.

At the same time, Winston may be the bigger prize, but is he worth the risk?

It’s impossible to project if the former Heisman trophy winner will mature over time, but it appears that he’s more pro ready than Mariota. Yes, Mariota has the glamorous numbers coupled with his elite athleticism. But at the next level, there will be defensive ends just as fast as Mariota, so we’ll have to find out if he can win as a pocket passer.

When it comes to Winston, we already know he can win games in the pocket. I mean, the kid was just undefeated in his collegiate career before last week.

Winston appears to be confident about making the leap to the pros.

“As I embark on the next challenge of playing in the NFL, I look forward to contributing to a long line of successful alumni at the next level,” Winston said. “I want you all to know that I will make Seminole Nation proud and continue to bring the passion and love for the game you all have seen in Doak Campbell since my first day as a ‘Nole. Thank you for making my time in Tallahassee some of the best years of my life.”

The Bucs recently hired Dirk Koetter as offensive coordinator, which makes one wonder if Mariota is the better fit. Koetter is known for running an up-tempo offense and we all know that’s what Oregon is known for.

With that being said, the right man for Tampa Bay is Winston. He already has a NFL body, at 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds. He’s also shown the ability to make all the throws necessary on the gridiron.

But in Tampa Bay’s case, this decision is more than just on the field play. The franchise finished 28th in attendance, only beating out St. Louis, Oakland and Minnesota.

 

Mark Gunnels is an NFL columnist for Football Insiders. He has several years of experience covering the NFL and NCAA football. He's the radio color commentator for Lincoln University football. Mark's work has been featured on Sports Illustrated, Fox Sports and Yard Barker.

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