In this final installment, FishDuck.com Feature Writer Caleb Couturie will be analyzing the last of the 25 teams in the NFL Draft that may look to select Marcus Mariota.
**DISCLAIMER: This is part of a project FOR FUN. All trades suggested are merely hypotheticals, and do not reflect my actual opinion of what will happen on draft day. Enjoy.**
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No. 1: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers
TB’s Draft Pick: First
TB’s 2015 Cap Space: $30,177,055
TB’s Top Needs: QB, CB, RB/S
Tampa Bay is a mess. In a year where a team with a two-game below .500 record could’ve made the playoffs, watching Tampa Bay dwindle (again) in the weak NFC South was especially hard. In a tale of two Joshes, Tampa Bay watched both Freeman and McCown drive their team into the ground. The secondary needs help, the RB position is non-existent, but far and away the most glaring need down in Florida is a QB. As the team with the No. 1 pick, Tampa Bay will almost certainly take one of the two top QB prospects.
HOW IT CAN HAPPEN:
Tampa Bay takes Marcus Mariota with the No. 1 pick. It’s either him or Jameis Winston. After watching both perform admirably at the combine, Tampa Bay is in for a tough decision.
HOW MARIOTA WOULD DO IN TB:
Out of all the teams thought to land the No. 1 pick , TB was definitely the most promising. Mike Evans, a healthy Doug Martin, Vincent Jackson and an on-the-mend offensive line look like, as an offense, they’re one or two pieces away from figuring it all out. Evans especially looks like a future star, and VJ could provide Mariota with a solid veteran receiver that he could rely on. The weather down in Florida would be a lot like home for Mariota, too, which I’m sure would be quite the seller compared to some of the other snow dens.
WOULD HE START?:
Not Week 1. Give McCown/Mike Glennon one or two bad starts each though, and I predict Mariota could be thrust into action as early as Week 4.
QUICK HITS:
TB’s Projected Record with Mariota: 7-9
TB’s Projected Record W/O Mariota: 3-13
Mariota’s first year stats: 3,200 yards/22 pass TDs/9 INTs/5 Rushing TDs
Top Photo from en.wikipedia.org
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Caleb is a sophomore at the University of Oregon intending to double major in Journalism and Sports Management. He is the Managing Editor for FishDuck.com, along with being a lifetime Saints and San Francisco Giants fan, as Caleb fell in love with sports at a young age and developed that love into a passion for sports analysis. He is looking forward to cheering on the Ducks throughout his career at Oregon, and is always willing to talk sports with any fellow fan.