Drafting a quarterback in the first round is no easy task, unless, of course, you're the Indianapolis Colts. Just ask the Tennessee Titans, who took Vince Young with the third overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft and Jake Locker with the eighth overall pick of the 2011 NFL Draft.
ESPN Insider Todd McShay projects in his latest mock draft that the Titans will select Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota with the No. 2 overall pick after having predicted USC defensive end Leonard Williams in his previous three mocks. Tennessee does need a quarterback, but the question marks surrounding Mariota do not guarantee immediate success on his behalf at the professional level, which is what the Titans need.
Here's what McShay wrote about the potential selection:
"The Titans could very well take Mariota, even though he doesn't fit the pocket passer prototype that head coach Ken Whisenhunt has had success with in the past, because Mariota would provide good mobility from the QB position behind an offensive line that really struggled last year. He has the potential to be a major upgrade over incumbent starter Zach Mettenberger, but he'll need time to be developed properly. He has rare athleticism from the position and elite intangibles, but he needs to improve his footwork and anticipation as a pocket passer to win consistently in the NFL."
ESPN Tennessee Titans reporter Paul Kuharsky believes the NFL will require Mariota to become more of a pocket passer rather than a more mobile, read-option type player, and that's the kind of quarterback Whisenhunt needs to run his offensive system. Just look at Whisenhunt's resume: he was the offensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 2004-2006 and had Ben Roethlisberger as his quarterback; then he became the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals (2007-2012) where his success stemmed from Kurt Warner (followed by struggles with Derek Anderson, Kevin Kolb and John Skelton); and most recently before Tennessee, he served as the offensive coordinator for the San Diego Chargers and quarterback Philip Rivers. See the similarities?
It's not that Mariota doesn't have the ability to perform at the NFL level, it's just that he'd be forced to perhaps make a bigger transition with Tennessee, which would likely take away from his primary strengths (moving outside the pocket, running with the ball, passing in an offense with simplified reads, among others). With the No. 2 overall pick, a team such as the Titans needs a guaranteed pocket passer who has shown consistent success at the collegiate level in running a pro-style offense. Mariota is a tremendous talent, but his development would be strict and take a lot of time.
One source told Kuharsky he is he is "not sure the offense staff is flexible enough to do the stuff they need to do with Mariota."
However, Whisenhunt said earlier this week that Mariota "does a lot of things that, no matter what offense you run, transition well to the NFL game."
With a number of other pressing needs, the Titans have countless options with the No. 2 pick. We'll see what they decide to do on Apr. 30.
