With the Buccaneeers deliberately scheduling workouts and classroom sessions with quarterbacks Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota on consecutive days and with NFL Network’s Mike Mayock putting Mariota ahead of Winston on Mayock’s list of quarterback rankings, some are starting to wonder whether the gap between Winston and Mariota is actually a gap between Mariota and Winston.
Winston’s biggest edge comes from his one-loss-in-two-seasons track record at Florida State, which uses a pro-style offense under coach Jimbo Fisher. But with that same system generating a first-round bust in Christian Ponder and a potential first-round bust in EJ Manuel, at what point does the success of the players become attributed more to the coach than the players? (By the way, Fisher also coached JaMarcus Russell at LSU.)
Mariota ran a far different offense, and that has been the primary source of concern regarding his ability to thrive at the next level in a different one. But it’s impossible to ignore the fact that, athletically, Mariota has a clear edge over Winston.
PFT has obtained the full Scouting Combine numbers for Winston and Mariota. They’re listed below.
Height: Mariota, 6'3.5"; Winston, 6'3.5".
Weight: Winston, 231 pounds; Mariota, 222 pounds.
Hand: Mariota, 9-7/8"; Winston, 9-3/8".
Arm: Mariota, 32"; Winston, 32".
Wingspan: Winston, 78-3/4"; Mariota, 76-3/8".
40-yard dash: Mariota, 4.52/4.55 seconds (electronic), 4.46/4.43 and 4.48/4.45 (handheld times); Winston, 4.97/4.99 seconds (electronic), 4.96/4.95 and 4.91/5.00 (handheld). (The handheld times were measured by two different people.)
10-yard split: Mariota, 1.57/1.61 seconds (electronic), 1.59/1.59 and 1.57/1.56 (handheld); Winston, 1.74/1.74 (electronic), 1.77/1.68 and 1.78/1.67 (handheld).
20-yard split: Mariota, 2.62/2.66 seconds (electronic), 2.59/2.53 and 2.57/2.60 (handheld); Winston, 2.89/2.90 (electronic), 2.95/2.86 and 2.83/2.84 (handheld).
Vertical jump: Mariota, 36"; Winston, 28-1/2".
Broad jump: Mariota, 9'11"/10'1"; Winston, 8'3"/8'7".
20-yard shuttle: Mariota, 4.13/4.11 seconds; Winston. 4.39/4.36 seconds.
Three-cone: Mariota, 6.87 seconds; Winston, 7.16/7.19.
While each has won a Heisman Trophy, when they met on the same field it wasn’t close; Mariota’s Oregon Ducks blew out Winston’s Seminoles. And Winston’s performance included a Garo Yepremian moment that possibly will be repeated at the next level (repeatedly) if Winston doesn’t have the raw athletic ability to compete with defenders who generally and will much stronger and faster and harder hitting than anyone either player faced in college.
Off the field, it’s even more of a blowout. Mariota’s record is spotless. Winston has multiple incidents that will create concern for NFL teams -- especially in this new era of paid leave whenever a credible allegation of violent crime is made against a player.
Instead of turning the page on the past, however, Winston opted to engage in a pre-emptive meeting with Commissioner Roger Goodell, reinforcing the impression that Winston falls into the same category as the guys who are required to meet with Goodell in advance of discipline for off-field conduct. Even if the meeting was solely Winston’s idea, his agents arguably should have advised against it. Then again, his representatives are baseball agents with, per NFLPA records, zero active NFL clients between them.
Representing rookies is now easier than ever from a financial standpoint, thanks to the rookie wage scale. But it would be foolish to ignore the broader structure of the league, where the management of relationships with coaches and scouts and owners with 32 teams and at multiple levels of the league office becomes vital to the advancement of a player’s interests.
It likewise would be foolish for coaches, scouts, and owners to ignore the many tangible differences between the two players. While the Buccaneers still seem to be intent on taking Winston, there’s a reason they haven’t formalized the process by finalizing a contract and making Winston the pick. And that reason surely isn’t preserving the element of surprise in advance of the moment when Winston hears his name called from backstage at the draft and walks out to the stage, because Winston won’t be attending the draft at all.