The 2015 NFL Draft wasn’t a jaw dropping draft, but it had some promise by the first 2 picks alone.
Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota.
While those 2 were the headliners or main card as you could say, the rest of the 2015 QB class was rather sparse. So sparse in fact that in a league where aerial passing attacks were the hot name brand go to, only 7 QBs were drafted in the entire 2015 NFL Draft.
Now while the entire class of quarterbacks in 2015 were massively underwhelming, so underwhelming that Blake Sims was a guy some were thinking would get drafted. Sims was the man under center for an Alabama team that pretty much breezed through competition, including a dominating road win over then #1 ranked Mississippi State.
Little nugget for you, the quarterback for that Mississippi State team was none other than Dak Prescott.
Time sure does fly by doesn’t it?
Even then though, Sims wasn’t considered even a starter in the NFL, being a backup was the absolute best case scenario for his maybe lengthy NFL career, IF he was lucky.
So you turn back to the top 2 guys selected in the 2015 NFL Draft, as the guys who’d carry the QB class for years to come.
And questions still surround those 2. Not even just those 2 however.
What in the world happened to the 2015 QB class?
Well I’m here to help you guys out with that.
Starting out with Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota.
Jameis Winston
Drafted By: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Current Team: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Winston was considered the best quarterback in the 2015 NFL Draft. He had a rocket of an arm and his on field personality screamed extremely marketable franchise QB.
But while yes, his personality has turned him into a leader, his play on the field has many wondering if he can even get a second contract from the Bucs.
The name of the game with Winston is turnovers, he can’t seem to stop creating so many of them. Mainly interceptions on throws that any coach, even all the way down to pee wee, would grill you for making.
These throws above have many around the league asking what’s going on with the 5th year pro from Florida State. After showcasing the *near* flawlessness driving Florida State’s offense up and down the field for 3 years, he just hasn’t found that magic in the pros.
Of course there’s an immediate and difficult learning curve from college to the pros. But it’s year 5, Winston can’t be making these types of throws if he wants to stay a starter in Tampa Bay for the long haul.
The Bucs did hire Bruce Arians in the offseason. Arians, a 66-year-old who got his head coaching start in Indianapolis by circumstances he surely wouldn’t want to receive, has been credited with directing numerous successful offenses. Most recently, aiding Carson Palmer in his other worldly career resurgence.
That so-called career resurgence took a turnover prone Palmer, sprinkled in a little Larry Fitzgerald, then finally mixing some drilling in to Palmer’s brain to cut down mistakes on the field.
The final product?
Amazing in many eyes.
Carson Palmer led the Cardinals to a top total offense ranking in the league averaging 408.3 YPG, while adding a top 2 passing offense that year averaging 288.5 passing YPG in 2015.
Now Palmer and Winston’s situations were plenty different, but if any man can turn around Winston’s turnover prone play, Bruce Arians can in a put up or pack your bags type season for Winston.
Marcus Mariota
File Photo by Hugo Philpott/UPI
Drafted By: Tennessee Titans
Current Team: Tennessee Titans
Marcus Mariota was billed as a mobile, short throwing machine coming out of Oregon.
Playing under head coaches Chip Kelly and Mark Helfrich, Marcus was at the helm of some of the more dominant offenses in the history of college football.
Of course that led to Marcus being drafted #2 overall by the Tennessee Titans, but it hasn’t been all sunshine ans flowers for him as well.
While fighting through numerous injuries and constant change inside the organization, Mariota’s situation seems exactly the same as Winston’s.
Put up the numbers or pack your bags.
Or in Marcus’ case, try to stay on the field.
While much can be said in the debate on the numbers by Marcus, his availability in games has yet to be maximized. He’s never played a full 16 game season, and even when he has played, he’s been hampered by some sort of injury a good bit of the time.
If Marcus wants a decent chance of staying in two-tone blue, the first step in simply staying healthy.
He could also improve his play on the field. Getting through his reads quicker and not holding on to the ball for a long amount of time.
The consistency also needs to be there. You can’t continue to be a starting quarterback in the National Football League playing inconsistent football.
Instead of having so many stretches of play dominating defenses like this.
Then laying an egg with performances that make you lose a good bit of hope, like this one against the Steelers.
Start putting together good stretches of play more consistently, and you’ll find yourself in a great spot.
Marcus has the best group of wide receivers he’s had in his career and continuity at offensive coordinator.
It’s either put up or pack your bags.
Flip the page to see how the other 2015 QB draftees ended up.
