Oregon offensive coordinator Scott Frost took offense to what ESPN’s opinion is of quarterback Marcus Mariota.
Even though the National Championship game between the Oregon Ducks and the Ohio State Buckeyes are just a few days away, there is sill some focus on the upcoming NFL Draft which will take place in April.
According to College Spun, ESPN analysts have been busy talking about where college stars such as Jameis Winston, Amari Cooper and Heisman winner Marcus Mariota will end up. One minor detail though, is that Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota has yet to play for the National Championship and is just focusing on that right now. He has yet to declare for the NFL Draft.
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Speculation is that he will ultimately declare for the draft, but there is still a possibility that he returns to Oregon for the 2015 season. That hasn’t stopped ESPN analysts from comparing Winston and Mariota against each other.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers hold the first overall pick and are most likely in the market for a quarterback. So, the big discussion upon ESPN analysts have been whether they should take Oregon’s Marcus Mariota or Florida State’s Jameis Winston with the first overall pick.
The consensus among the ESPN analysts is that Winston would be the better choice. He is the better quarterback and he is more NFL-ready than Mariota. They say Mariota is a product of the system in Oregon and not NFL ready like Winston.
Well, that didn’t sit too well with Oregon offensive coordinator Scott Frost. When asked about what he thought about the ESPN analysts’ opinions on his Heisman-winning quarterback, he fired back at ESPN.
Scott Frost on claims Mariota product of system & not as NFL ready as Winston: "Makes me wonder who ESPN is hiring as draft experts"
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) January 10, 2015
Shots fired!
If I were Scott Frost or Marcus Mariota, I wouldn’t really worry about what the draft experts have to say. It’s just their humble opinion and they are entitled to it. They are also entitled to being very wrong. Look at what they said about Russell Wilson back before he was drafted. Now, he’s a Super Bowl-winning quarterback.
I can understand the frustration Frost is expressing though. Mariota won the Heisman and is about to play for a National Championship, yet it’s still Winston that gets all the credit and recognition.
Don’t worry gentlemen, sometimes it’s better to not be the center of attention.
H/T to College Spun and Brett McMurphy of ESPN for the information and quotes.