The 2015 NFL draft is more that a month away. However, there are rumblings already about what teams will do. Are these rumblings just smokescreens or are they legit? One such rumbling has to deal with the Washington Redskins and the 5th pick. Reports are now linking the Redskins to Marcus Mariota. Is this viable and how would the reaction be from the fans? Here are some pros and cons on the move.
Pros
1. Pocket presence – Mariota has a great pocket capability. More so than Robert Griffin III. He extends the plays in a way like Russell Wilson does in Seattle. He uses his feet to his advantage but can throw the ball from the pocket. This would be an upgrade at the position.
2. Change – I wrote about McCloughan bringing change to the organization. If they were to draft Mariota at 5 then change would be more than evident. This would mean that McCloughan is making all the calls and has the ability to override the owner. Many say that Dan Snyder has taken a step back since he hired Mike Shanahan. However, we all know how he feels about his boy RG3.
3. Rid the circus – Even though winning is a cure all for most circuses, the drafting of Marcus Mariota at 5 would remove the tent as well. If the Redskins take this move it more than not end the RG3 era in Washington. An era that has more downs than ups in 3 years.
Cons
1. Starting over – The Redskins just went through a QB change 3 years ago. Do they really want to go through that kind of change again? If you think your QB is not on the roster and you are not confident in the future QB classes then maybe you do.
2. System – We know that Mariota comes from a spread style offense at Oregon. RG3 came from a spread style offense at Baylor. Will Marcus Mariota be able to translate his talents to a more conventional pocket type offense?
3. More needs – The Redskins have more needs than QB. They have more than one QB who is capable of doing good things if he wants to. Lacking in other areas and taking Mariota may not be what this team needs right now.
If the Redskins are to take Marcus Mariota with the 5th overall pick it will not be a surprise. This team has done other things that do or do not make sense. However, the main thing it would say is that McCloughan would truly be 100% in charge. It would also mean that he has seen what he needs to from the current QB staff. Mariota will make a great QB in this league. Weather it is with the Redskins or another team will be seen on April 30th.
