on the marcus
todd’s troops get up close with duck qb
Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan took a break from signing free agents and swinging trades to attend Oregon’s Pro Day on Thursday to scout quarterback Marcus Mariota.
Mariota had an underwhelming performance in front of representatives from most of the teams in the NFL. He hit his receiver on 60 of 67 overall throws, but never looked comfortable.
“At best it was just a solid workout,” draft analyst Mike Mayock said on the NFL Network.
Now, there are cautionary tales about putting too much stock in Pro Days. JaMarcus Russell had the best Pro Day anyone had seen by a quarterback and we all know how that worked out for the Raiders. Teddy Bridgewater had a poor Pro Day last year and fell to the final pick of the first round. He had a strong rookie year for the Vikings, though.
The Jets hold the No. 6 pick and they may not even have to make a decision on Mariota because he could be off the board by then. But Maccagnan trekked to Oregon along with offensive coordinator Chan Gailey, quarterbacks coach Kevin Patullo and director of college scouting Rex Hogan to check out Mariota in person. The Jets also have a predraft visit scheduled with Mariota, according to a source.
There were five NFL general mangers as well as Titans coach Ken Whisenhunt at the workout. The Titans hold the No. 2 pick. Buccaneers GM Jason Licht was there. Tampa Bay has the No. 1 pick, but is expected to take Florida State’s Jameis Winston.
After the workout, Mariota told NFL Network he had private workouts with the Bucs and Eagles already and was having one with the Titans on Thursday night. Eagles coach Chip Kelly coached Mariota at Oregon, which has led to speculation Kelly would trade up from the 20th pick to take him. Kelly shot that speculation down on Wednesday, but that denial probably won’t quiet the rumors.
Mariota said he was nervous when the workout began Thurs- day but settled in.
“I thought it went OK,” he told NFL Network. “There were some missed throws here and there but I thought overall the group did well. It was fun out there.”
Mariota took every snap from under center, showing teams his footwork dropping back. He took only five snaps under center last year, primarily playing in the shotgun formation, leading some to question if he could adjust in the NFL.
“We saw footwork, we saw arm strength, we saw an athlete,” Mayock said. “Does he need to polish for the NFL? Yes.”