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With one quarterback off the board right away in APC's 2015 NFL Mock Draft, one of the tougher things to project for us is where the second quarterback will land. With the sixth pick in our Mock Draft, Brendan Kennedy thinks that the Jets will use another high draft pick on a QB, this time to replace Geno Smith.
The Jets select Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 222
Combine 40 time: 4.54 seconds
Here's our Brendan Kennedy explaining the pick:
This is pretty much the dream scenario for the Jets. I mean, they've already spent huge money on a washed up Brandon Marshall and given Darrelle Revis enough cash to literally buy an island. The only thing left to complete the Jets off-season trifecta is to draft a fresh-faced kid from the West Coast, only to ruin him just a few years later. Mark Sanchez nods vigorously.
In all seriousness, Mariota could be just the thing the Jets need. They've already got a great defense and Geno Smith has proven to only be a slightly more competent version of Blaine Gabbert. They need a quarterback and with a new coach, could actually give the Jets a bit of a luster they haven't had in years.
As for how Mariota will actually fare, who really knows? He's drawn comparisons to Aaron Rodgers, but that was from Jim Mora and Tony Dungy, two people who are very bad at making player comparisons (among other things). The Heisman winner certainly has the athleticism and, from all accounts, the smarts to make plays in the NFL. But again, we're talking about the Jets here, a team so dysfunctional that its biggest fan peaced out on them. Could Mariota be the franchise's savior? I don't know. But I'm cheering for him.
Here's the mock draft so far:
Pick | Team | Player | Position | School |
1 | TB | Jameis Winston | QB | Florida State |
2 | TEN | Leonard Williams | DT | USC |
3 | JAX | Amari Cooper | WR | Alabama |
4 | OAK | Randy Gregory | OLB/DE | Nebraska |
5 | WAS | Dante Fowler, Jr. | OLB | Florida |
6 | NYJ | Marcus Mariota | QB | Oregon |
7 | CHI |