NFL Draft Rumors: Marcus Mariota could have Aaron Rodgers-style fall

By Josh Hill | Apr 9, 2015

Oct 11, 2014; Pasadena, CA, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) during pre-game warmups before the game against the UCLA Bruins at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports /

The NFL Draft is right around the corner, but Marcus Mariota could be a name that we see slide down the draft board once the chips start to fall.

Marcus Mariota was once thought to be the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft this year, but a lot has changed over the course of the offseason and now it’s unclear where the Oregon product will go. Mariota is back near the top of Mel Kiper’s latest mock draft, but the ESPN personality seems to be in the minority of those high on Mariota.

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According to Charles Robinson, who spoke with an NFL executive, Marcus Mariota could suffer an epic fall in the draft in they same style as Aaron Rodgers in 2005.

"It sounded like a glowing comparison. But in what may be the only negative Rodgers analogy that still exits, this is what the personnel man said: “If [Mariota] doesn’t go in the top six picks, he could do an Aaron Rodgers,” he said."

It’s not a bad thing to be compared to Aaron Rodgers, but it’s always bad to slide in the draft. Rodgers is a commonly cited example of a guy who slid in the draft order because he ended up panning out to be a future Hall of Famer. But for every Aaron Rodgers, there are a handful of Brady Quinn’s and Geno Smith’s to counter the argument that all top prospects that fall end up being good.

Marcus Mariota may not be Brady Quinn, but there’s no guarantee that he’s going to be Aaron Rodgers either. What this does show us though is that all of this talk about teams needing to trade up to No. 2 overall to draft Mariota may be hogwash. If Mariota slides, then teams like the Chicago Bears, San Diego Chargers, Cleveland Browns and especially the Philadelphia Eagles will take notice and could make moves to get him.

It’s impossible for the Eagles to trade up to No. 2 and draft Mariota, but if he does have an Aaron Rodgers type slide that sees him available in the middle of the first round, then that’s a deal that a lot of teams might try to pull off.

All of this depends on whether or not this is a smokescreen or not. The Tennessee Titans hold a lot of power with the No. 2 pick at the moment, but if Mariota slides, then it will be teams in the middle of the first-round who suddenly find themselves with a lottery ticket to hold for draft pick ransom.

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