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To the dismay of Philadelphia Eagles fans everywhere, there was no Marcus Mariota–Chip Kelly reunion at the 2015 NFL Draft. Kelly reportedly wasn’t willing to give up the king’s ransom for his prized college quarterback, so instead, the Tennessee Titans were fortunate enough to draft the new face of their franchise.
In Mariota, the Titans got a dynamic play-making quarterback to lead their offense for years to come. The Heisman Trophy winner led the Oregon Ducks to the National Championship Game, but he was unable to finish the job and beat the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Now, Mariota gets to start over with the Titans as he enters his first season in the NFL. He’ll likely go through some growing pains from Oregon’s up-tempo, no-huddle offense where he was rarely under center, but he has the mental makeup and desire to make the necessary adjustments.
The first major change Mariota has to make is commanding an NFL huddle. In college, he looked to the sidelines to get the play-calls, as did the rest of the offense. He rarely huddled up his teammates to give them the play, something he’ll have to do on nearly every play in Tennessee. He’s soft spoken, unlike fellow rookie Jameis Winston, but Mariota will get the job done.
As far as during the play, Mariota won’t be able to take off and run for 40 yards as he did at Oregon. NFL players are much faster than players in the Pac-12 and will close in on the long-striding Mariota in a hurry. Staying cool in the pocket is a must, even with Tennessee’s 28th-ranked offensive line from 2014, according to Pro Football Focus.
On offense, Mariota won’t have as much help as he’d probably like. Dorial Green-Beckham will probably take a year to develop, Bishop Sankey is unproven at running back and Kendall Wright isn’t the most explosive receiver in the world. That doesn’t help Mariota’s cause as a rookie. He’ll have to refrain from trying to do too much in his first season, as that could lead to mistakes and turnovers early on.
With Zach Mettenberger likely his backup, Mariota should be the day-one starter for the Titans. Mettenberger is injury prone and didn’t show enough as a rookie to prevent Mariota from cracking the starting lineup right away. Mariota could compete with the likes of Winston, Melvin Gordon and a bevy of other talented running backs for Offensive Rookie of the Year, but I think he’ll fall short. In years down the road, however, Mariota should be solid starting quarterback in the NFL.
