Maurice Jones-Drew thinks Marcus Mariota could be a bust

Former All-Pro running back Maurice Jones-Drew believes Marcus Mariota could be a bust in the league if he isn’t drafted to the right situation.

A majority of players drafted in the NFL don’t make it and are out of the league rather quickly.

When it comes to top picks, the scrutiny that draft picks are place under is far greater than that of any other potential pick.

When you’re a quarterback, you can multiply that metric even further.

For Marcus Mariota, much like the rest of his career, he has an uphill climb to prove to the rest of his doubters that he can be a successful NFL quarterback.

While many expect Jameis Winston to go No. 1 overall, it is up in the air where Mariota will land, but it is believed he will have many suitors. Some of whom might even trade up to secure his services.

Still, wherever Mariota ends up, it will have to be the right fit and system for him to have a shot at succeeding in this league.

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Otherwise he will join the long lists of great college quarterbacks who weren’t able to take the next step and make it in the NFL.

Former running back Maurice Jones-Drew thinks Mariota could be a bust.

Speaking to Mike Freeman, Jones-Drew thinks it’s all about the fit when it comes to Mariota.

"“Some first-rounders will end up in horrible situations,” Jones-Drew said. “Some scouts will say that a player fits a system when he clearly doesn’t. Mariota is a good example of that.”"

Jones-Drew knows firsthand what it’s like to play with a quarterback who became a bust in a bad situation. The Jaguars selected Blaine Gabbert in 2011 ahead of several other players that ended up becoming stars and he quickly fell out of favor in Jacksonville and is now hoping to hang on in San Francisco.

"“It wasn’t that Blaine was bad. It was that he was uncomfortable,” said Jones-Drew. “You don’t take Mark Zuckerberg and have him run a construction company. Blaine never adapted to the complicated pro offenses.“The thing with Mariota is that it will take a long time for him to adjust to the NFL. It will take years. He will have to go to the absolute perfect place. It won’t take Winston as long.”"

Jones-Drew makes some interesting points. Perhaps Gabbert would have had a better shot at succeeding in the league if he was in a different place with someone who could develop a young quarterback.

Mariota comes from the fast paced style of the Oregon offense and the speed of the NFL will be something he hasn’t even seen before.

He’s going to need a coach that could mold him and turn him into a successful young quarterback. Will that be Ken Whisenhunt in Tennessee?

Whisenhunt struggled to develop any quarterbacks after Kurt Warner retired. The likes of Kevin Kolb, John Skelton, Max Hall and Ryan Lindley never were able to amount to anything in Arizona. In Tennessee, Jake Locker retired because of injuries and Whisenhunt has his wagon hitched to the hopes that Zach Mettenberger can become a quarterback in this league.

With job security on the line it doesn’t seem likely that Tennessee would take a risk on Mariota.

The Eagles and Chip Kelly probably make the most sense of any team because Kelly coached Mariota in college. All off-season the Eagles have been linked to Mariota and many wouldn’t be surprised to take him in the draft. Kelly has been implementing the system that he ran at Oregon into the NFL and has added a bunch of former Ducks to the roster. Would Mariota be the final piece?

Mariota has a lot of talent, but if he doesn’t find the right home, that talent could go to waste.

Maurice Jones-Drew witnessed a good college quarterback fail in Jacksonville, so it’s no surprise that he has reservations about the future of Mariota.

[H/T: bleacherreport]

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