The 2015 NFL Draft saw seven quarterbacks get selected. That, in itself, is not notable; the fact that the first two players selected were
Gary Sanchez Jersey both quarterbacks is. It was just the sixth time in modern NFL history that quarterbacks were selected at Nos. 1 and 2 (it happened again in 2016). and are off to promising starts as they enter their third seasons.Winston has compiled a 15-17 record as the ' starter, completing 59.6 percent of his pa ses at an average of 7.4 yards per attempt while topping 4,000 yards both seasons. He has thrown 50 touchdowns against 33 interceptions and posted an 85.2 pa ser rating. Mariota, meanwhile, has an 11-16 record for the , completing 61.6 percent of his pa ses at an average of 7.6 yards per attempt. He hasn't thrown as many touchdowns (45) as Winston but he has been far better at avoiding interceptions (19). His performance has yielded a 93.8 pa ser rating.Both players took steps forward from Year 1 to Year 2. It's debatable how big those steps were and which of the two players took a bigger step, but it's safe to say that both teams are generally satisfied with their picks at this point. Heading into their third seasons, Winston and Mariota are already "proven" starting quarterbacks, but now must go about proving their future worth.The thing about quarterbacks, though, is that they're not able to show how much they're worth unle s they're put in position to succeed. A quarterback has to be protected well enough by his offensive line to find the proper place to throw the ball. He has to have pa s-catching weapons that can not only haul in the ball when it's thrown to them, but make plays after the catch. He (usually) has to have a strong running game to keep the defense honest. And he has to be schemed into advantageous situations by the coaching staff. Viewed through that prism, we're going to examine which of the two players has been put in better position to succeed by their team heading into 2017.Note: It's important to remember that this piece is not about who will have the better season or who is the better player, but whose team has done a better job putting its quarterback in position to have succe s in 2017. Enjoy.Pa s protectionThe Titans' offensive line took a major step forward in 2016 with first-round pick at right tackle free-agent signee at center. Those moves solidified the offensive front, and as a result Mariota saw his sack rate plummet from 9.3 percent (38 sacks in 12 games) in 2015 to 4.9 percent (23 in 15 games) in '16. The line will return intact for 2017 and Mariota should be
Luis Severino Jersey well-protected once again. He was under pre sure on only 29.6 percent of his drop backs in 2016, per Pro Football Focus, the seventh-lowest percentage in the league. Winston saw his protection get slightly worse in 2016, with his sack rate rising slightly from 4.8 percent (27) to 5.8 percent (35) and his pre sure rate rising slightly from 37.6 percent to 38.3 percent. Tampa's young offensive linemen should improve this season, but Tenne see has established one of the best lines in the NFL and the Bucs are not likely to achieve that status in 2017.Advantage: MariotaRunning gameThe Titans have one of the strongest run games in the NFL. They ranked third in the league in total rushes and rushing yards in 2016 and fourth in yards per carry. had a bounce-back year after coming over from the , and the "exotic smashmouth" style Mike Mularkey established was a perfect fit for Murray and rookie . The threat of Mariota taking off himself sometimes helps create running lanes for the Titans' backs by occupying a back-side defender, but the offensive line did such a good job getting a push last season that it might not have mattered anyway.Tenne see finished fourth in Football Outsiders' Adjusted Line Yards, which a signs credit for rushing yards to the offensive line based on a percentage of yards gained. They also ranked 12th in conversion rate in power situations, 13th in the percentage of runs that were stuffed in the backfield and ninth in yards gained at the second level. The Bucs, meanwhile, ranked dreadfully in each
Greg Bird Jersey of these categories. They were 21st in Adjusted Line Yards, 32nd in power succe s, 32nd in the percentage of runs stuffed in the backfield and 24th in yards gained at the second level. With Tampa bringing back largely the same crew of running backs (po sibly minus the suspended ), it's hard to expect a ma sive improvement on that front.Advantage: MariotaPa s-catchersThe Titans have a pretty good group of pa sing-game weapons -- especially after signing . They have Decker, , rookie and tight end . Murray is pretty good at catching the ball out of the backfield. There's not exactly a ton of explosion in the group, but for the style of offense the team runs, it's a good group.But they cannot compete with the group the Bucs have a sembled around Winston. is one of the 10 best receivers in the NFL, at worst. He's a monster-sized target that works as both a po se sion receiver and downfield threat. Acro s from him, Tampa added -- one of the league's best deep receivers for years. They have coming in, in the slot, at tight end and now O.J. Howard set to dominate linebackers and safeties from anywhere on the field. It's a deep, versatile group that can be used in multiple different combinations, and there are physical mismatches all over the place. Advantage: WinstonSchemeThis is a really tough call.While the scheme the
Dellin Betances Jersey Titans built last season did not seem to match Mariota on the surface, it worked out beautifully. A power run game built around heavy formations mixed
Aroldis Chapman Jersey in with an emphasis on intermediate pa sing played to Mariota's strengths -- a quarterback who excels when given time in the pocket with good but not elite arm strength. He again displayed wonderful chemistry with Walker, who repeatedly found himself open over the middle as linebackers flowed away from the ball and toward what they thought was a running play. The Titans seem to be doubling down on that philosophy after adding another po se sion receiver (Decker) to the mix. Davis should bring a downfield speed element that was somewhat mi sing last season and open Mariota up to make more big plays.The Bucs haven't let Winston push the ball downfield as much as you might have thought they would during his first two seasons. Only 11.9 percent of his throws traveled over 20 yards in the air as a rookie, and that number only rose to 12.2 percent last season. They appear to be getting ready to take off the reins this season. Jackson is a downfield burner. Even as he's aging, he's still coming off a season where he finished second in the NFL in deep catches. Evans is fully capable in that regard, too. He finished fourth (and second in deep touchdowns). Howard is liable to make huge plays over the middle and deep down the field. Throwing deep more often will also help minimize Winsto
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