Todd McShay Still Believes Marcus Mariota Is The Top Quarterback Prospect

Nov 16, 2013; Eugene, OR, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) throws the ball against the Utah Utes at Autzen Stadium. The Ducks won 44-21. Mandatory Credit: Scott Olmos-USA TODAY Sports

There has been an ongoing debate on who is the best quarterback prospect that could be entering the draft this season. A few people believe that it is Louisville’s Teddy Bridgewater and others believe that it is Oregon’s Marcus Mariota. ESPN analyst Todd McShay can be considered “Team Mariota.” He has ranked Mariota as his top quarterback:

“The fact that Mariota has struggled twice now against a Stanford defense that has limited his running ability and put a lot of pressure on him definitely raises questions about his prospect status, but remember, the draft process is a long process for a reason. There’s a lot more work to be done on evaluating Mariota, especially how he fares on pressure drops, but one game doesn’t make a prospect’s draft stock. He didn’t play to the level expected of him against the Cardinal, but it’s clear the knee injury hampered him as a runner, and that’s a big part of what makes him so effective. He still has tremendous upside, with a very quick release, good arm strength, and elite speed and explosiveness in the running game.” McShay writes.

Come NFL Draft time, we will see what the NFL minds think of Mariota. If you were the Jacksonville Jaguars or the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, would you rather have Bridgewater or Mariota starting under center flinging the ball out to your wide receivers?

H/T ESPN