NFL Draft: Breaking down the differences between Winston and Mariota

Character

None of these categories have been a blowout so far, but that changes here.

We all know the numerous run-ins with the law that Winston has had, and his issues away from the football field extend further than that. He was suspended for one game in 2014 for an on-campus incident and all attempts to show remorse for any of those problems have come across as half-hearted. Winston is often referred to by those around him as “cocky,” which isn’t a great sign.

I don’t know if Winston is a “good” or “bad” kid, and I won’t pretend to know what’s going on in his mind, but his string of bad decision-making stretches back pretty far and I’m not 100 percent convinced that he’s past it.

Mariota resides on the other end of the spectrum. He is a humble kid with an outstanding work-ethic who has dedicated himself to improving on and off the field. Rarely has there been a college athlete of universally praised for as character the way Mariota is. At the very least, any team drafting him is guaranteed to be getting an outstanding citizen.

Winston’s troubles have been well-documented and I don’t feel the need to dredge them all up here. It’s obvious that Mariota is the safer choice in regards to character.

Advantage: Mariota 

Next: Final Analysis