Fansided

10 leading candidates for rookie of the year

By Andrew Garda

Apr 30, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; A general view as the Tennessee Titans make their pick in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 30, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; A general view as the Tennessee Titans make their pick in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 21, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota does the shuttle run during the 2015 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 21, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota does the shuttle run during the 2015 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /

Marcus Mariota, QB, Tennessee Titans

Maybe Zach Mettenberger gets a shot at starting, but we’re all pretty sure that Marcus Mariota will be the guy under center come September.

It won’t be easy for him to perform well enough to win this award, though he has the pure talent to do it.

First of all, this team has offensive line problems. Yes, injuries were a massive issue, but Michael Oher was a bust of a free agent signing and Andy Levitre struggled too much. They’ve also addressed the line with high draft picks in Chance Warmack, who has been hot and cold, and Taylor Lewan, who was very good last season.

The team cut bait on Oher, but are hoping for big improvements from Warmack and Levitre this season.

If the line struggles again, Mariota’s mobility will factor into their success massively.

Kendall Wright and Justin Hunter have both had moments and shown a lot of promise and Delanie Walker has been very productive at tight end.  The run game was pretty bad last season though, and Mariota might find a lot of pressure if defenses don’t respect the run. Hopefully, rookie David Cobb can help with that.

The team tried to add a few weapons in the draft, but as mind-blowingly good as Dorial Green-Beckham can be athletically, they ignored a massive number of red flags on the guy. One would think they had learned from the debacle of unfulfilled expectations that was Kenny Britt, but here they are again with a talented guy who can’t get out of his own way off the field. One hopes the Titans keep an eye on him.

Tre McBride is a solid receiver with tremendous hands but who also might struggle to gain separation at the pro level.

The long and short of it is, if Mariota can be highly productive despite the issues the Titans have around him, he could walk away from the award. The problem would be that Mariota himself is very raw and while I think he’ll be able to handle the playbook, it could take him a while this season.

Next: Amari Cooper, WR, Oakland Raiders

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