The NFL draft will be here before you know it. And the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the clock!!! Everyone knows that Tampa needs a quarterback. Conventional wisdom has Tampa choosing Jameis Winston as their pick. Number 1 picks for quarterbacks haven’t exactly had a history of resounding success. The question is Winston worthy of a number 1 pick and is he really a better pick than Marcus Mariota?

Winston is supposed to be more a more pro ready quarterback who can make the throws. I don’t know if it is character issues or his history of throwing interceptions but I would rather have Mariota.

Yes, Marcus Mariota is a system quarterback, but he has a higher upside due to his physical ability and the fact that in the Oregon offense you are required to make quick decisions. In the short time he has had to work on a 3 and 5 step drop, Mariota has shown an ability to quickly adapt to a pro offense. The recent Heisman winner is a skilled runner with the ability to escape a pass rush. In fact, Mariota reminds me of the super bowl winning, quarterback Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks. Mariota’s speed was on display at the NFL combine in Indianapolis as he ran the 40 in 4.5 seconds.

If I were to choose a quarterback, the closest thing to a franchise quarterback is Mariota. He can make the throws, he has a quick mind, quick enough from running Oregon’s offense to make the proper reads and he does not have a history of interceptions that Winston had at Florida State.

Tampa is not the only team with a need at quarterback. Look for the Jets to try to move up in the draft. The Eagles may attempt to move up to a higher position as well. The Eagles are not short on skilled quarterbacks but what makes Mariota different is that he has run the same offense that Kelly ran at Oregon when Kelly was the head coach there. The Cleveland Browns might be in the market for another try at a franchise quarterback as well as Buffalo.

The intrigue and mystery surrounding the various football teams and what their needs are make the NFL draft an exciting show especially if you are a fan of pro football and have a favorite team that needs help to make it to the Super Bowl.

If there any pro football fans out there in the blog world, let’s have a conversation with all of you on who you think your team should draft.