Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston are believed to be the two likeliest candidates to be selected No. 1 overall by the by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and early suggestions are that the Bucs may be leaning towards the former Oregon QB.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote a predictions column Thursday and mentioned that the sense is that the Bucs are leaning towards Mariota.
“Plus, there’s a real sense that Tampa Bay has its sights set on Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota. So for now, Mariota shapes up as the most likely No. 1 pick,” Schefter wrote.
Schefter isn’t the only person to speculate that the Bucs are leaning towards the former Duck. When Tampa Bay hired Mike Bajakianas their new quarterbacks coach, FOX’s Bruce Feldman said the hire could be a sign that they want Mariota because Bajakianas is a spread offense guy.
Many have said Winston is further along in NFL development than Mariota because of the offenses they played in — just look at Trent Dilfer’s argument for example — but Mariota is the better athlete and may be able to make up the ground over time. We sure know UCLA coach Jim Mora would be on board with the decision if Tampa Bay selected Mariota.
