Fansided

Marcus Mariota won’t go to draft, will stay in Hawaii

By Ryan Ratty

Jan 1, 2015; Pasadena, CA, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) passes against the Florida State Seminoles in the 2015 Rose Bowl college football game at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 1, 2015; Pasadena, CA, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) passes against the Florida State Seminoles in the 2015 Rose Bowl college football game at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

On Tuesday, Marcus Mariota said that he would stay in Hawaii, instead of going to the 2015 NFL Draft.

Throughout the offseason, many have pegged Jameis Winston as the best quarterback in this draft class as well as the top pick of the draft. Granted Winston has a lot of potential, many also believe Marcus Mariota has the ability to do special things in the NFL. Although Mariota is coming from a system that hasn’t had a ton of success in the past few decades at the professional level, there are a ton of traits about Mariota that could lead to success at the next level.

Jameis Winston announced at his pro day today that he could very well stay at his home in Alabama for the draft. Here’s what Winston had to say about the prospects of him staying home, via ESPN:

"“My grandmother, she can’t travel, she has Type 2 diabetes and has multiple surgeries and I want her to be there,” Winston told NFL Network. “I want the people who I’ve been with Day 1 to be around me and enjoy this moment. It’s a celebration to me and it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity. We really haven’t made that decision yet. There’s been a lot of pressure on people trying to get me to come and make the draft.”"

More from NFL

Even if Winston goes first overall, the second overall

Tennessee Titans

are a team that could draft Mariota if he slips past the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

. If the Bucs select Winston and the Titans select Mariota, that could very well mean the top two draft picks in this year’s class may not be at the draft, as Mariota said on Tuesday that he plans to stay in Hawaii for the draft.

If the Buccaneers go with Winston, one team will be extremely happy to draft Mariota, however, it’s yet to be determined which team that will be. Despite his potential, the Titans seem fine on bypassing Mariota and sticking with Zach Mettenberger. However, Todd McShay had the Titans selecting Mariota in his latest mock draft, so the possibility of the Titans drafting Mariota shouldn’t be ruled out entirely. Even if that happens, Mariota has a strong connection with his home state and that is why he’ll be in Hawaii during the draft instead of at the event.

More from FanSided

Home/NFL