clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

NFL Draft 2015: Todd McShay evaluates the Buccaneers' top options

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

ESPN's Todd McShay is diving into the discussion of the first overall pick, and he presents three options: Marcus Mariota, Jameis Winston, and trading down.

Winston's issues have to do with his off-field behavior, but for Mariota, it's the fact that he's good but not great at winning from the pocket. He'll need to become more consistent with his anticipation and ball placement from inside the pocket in order to excel at the NFL level as he adjusts to the much tighter throwing windows he'll encounter compared to what he's had at Oregon.

For Winston, the issues aren't on the field, but off the field. How do the Bucs view his issues? McShay thinks that if Jason Licht and Lovie Smith think Winston's off-field issues are not a problem, he should be the number one pick. He sees Winston as the better on-field player, which is a fairly common opinion.

A third option floated by McShay: trading down with a team that is convinced of the quality of the quarterbacks. Specifically, he notes the New York Jets at number six as a real option. I don't think that's a particularly likely outcome, though. The Bucs need a quarterback as much as any other team in the league, and there would have to be a pretty big disparity in how they view those quarterbacks and how the Jets view them for a trade to happen.