Oregon Ducks’ Marcus Mariota overhyped?
Oregon Ducks’ quarterback Marcus Mariota looked like the Heisman Trophy front runner before injuring his knee and dropping games against the Stanford Cardinal and Arizona Wildcats. This year, he has completed 50-of-71 passes for 806 yards with eight touchdowns and zero interceptions while rushing for 156 yards and three touchdowns, leading many to believe he is not only the front runner to with the Heisman, but could be the number one-overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft.
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Bo Marchionte of Football Insiders believes Mariota may be overhyped.
"Many of the experts considered Mariota as the top prospect available in the 2015 NFL Draft. Mariota is doing everything possible to vault himself at the top of the list of elite. After watching him against Michigan State, he looked like a guy that has all the tools to be a legit NFL quarterback. But, Oregon is a tricky school to evaluate. Their players and their offense make it hard to judge just how good these players can be in the NFL, especially quarterbacks since two first-round quarterbacks (Akili Smith and Joey Harrington) were huge busts. Both were drafted with the third pick overall in the first round upon entry into the NFL.Mariota is a generation away from Smith and Harrington, but Oregon still leaves hesitation in my analysis. Mariota is a solid prospect. Clearly he can beat you with his legs and arm. His character and ability to lead make him a guy to cheer for on Saturdays. Mariota shows plenty of upside and likely will be in the mix as one of the top quarterbacks in 2015 NFL Draft."
Although the statistics may suggest it, simply showing that other Ducks’ quarterbacks have been productive and flamed out in the NFL, including some who played under other coaches, doesn’t mean Mariota is going to do the same. He has been an excellent player since stepping on the field as a redshirt freshman and seems to be a better prospect than any of the other Ducks’ quarterbacks.
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