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Marcus Mariota is quickly becoming the popular pick for the Jets, we need a quarterback, he is rated as one of the best quarterbacks in the draft, it seems like a logical fit. However some have reservations about how he'll adapt to the NFL. Personally I think he's going to be absolutely fine, I think he has enough about him to be a good to great starting QB for the next 10 years. Some will disagree, but Kiper thinks the Jets will find him too hard to pass up.
Analysis: It's not a given that Mariota couldn't fall further than this. But in his second season in New York, Geno Smith put up a QBR of 35.4, meaning the only regular starting QB from 2014 who performed worse was Blake Bortles. The reality is New York is no closer to knowing who their potential long-term solution at QB is than they were after the second day of the 2013 NFL draft. I'm certainly not alone in wondering whether Mariota's brilliance in the Oregon offense makes him a likely star at the NFL level, but when you combine his skill set and his tremendous athletic ability combined with a great temperament and work ethic, he's a player worthy of placing a bet on at this stage. It's not so much a question of whether the Jets are convinced he's the answer, as it is whether it would be smart to pass on him and assume they can find a solution anywhere else.
It's worth noting that the following players were already taken in this mock draft:
1) Jameis Winston
2) Leonard Williams
3) Shane Ray
4) Amari Cooper
5) Randy Gregory
As I've said for a while now, I would really like to take Amari Cooper in this draft. However I see no way he falls past the Raiders at #4. They have a young promising QB with absolutely no weapons, giving him the best receiver in the draft instantly helps him and the Raiders win more games in 2015 and beyond.
Would I take Mariota? I'd have a hard time passing him up. Kevin White would need to be in the conversation, as would Devante Parker. Dante Fowler Jr would be an interesting selection and I would actually consider trading back to pick up offensive line help or one of the players mentioned above, a little further down in the draft.
Mariota falling to #6 would be great news for the Jets. If we evaluate him and think he's elite, you take him. If we think there are better options for this franchise right now, we get Cleveland and Philadelphia and a host of other teams on the phone, and try and start a bidding war.