Player Comparison: Marcus Mariota

Today I will be doing a player comparison for the face of our franchise, Marcus Mariota. Last time I did this I compared Derrick Henry’s game to Jerome Bettis, go check that out if you haven’t seen it. While watching Marcus do his work on the feild I realized it’s impossible to compare him to just one player, so don’t freak out on me when you see the first one. So let’s look and see if it’s possible our Quarterback can revolutionize the play at the position, I personally think he can.

Vince Young

Don’t freak out on this one, I know Marcus is light years ahead of Vince when it comes to the passing game. But when I watch Marcus run, he doesn’t remind me of Michael Vick, Steve McNair, Rober Griffin III, or Colin Kapernick, but rather Vince Young because of how their both long and lacking and take large strides while streaking up the field.

Related Story: A More Vocal Marcus Mariota

Vince Young was drafted 3rd overall by the Tennessee Titans in to 2006 draft. He went to two pro-bowls in his rookie and sophomore years, by his legs alone. Eventually it became clear Vince wouldn’t develop into a good passer, and he didn’t get along with Jeff Fisher. He also had many personal issues which all led to an end to his time in Tennessee look at these numbers.

Vince Young- 6’5

Marcus Mariota- 6’4

Vince Young- 232 pounds

Marcus Mariota-225 pounds

Vince Young- 40 yard dash 4.58

Marcus Mariota- 40 yard dash 4.52

Now we see who Marcus runs like let’s see who he could turn into throwing the ball.

Tom Brady

Tom Brady Quarterback of the New England Patriots and a 6th round pick has been to 11 pro-bowls, won 4 Super Bowls, 3 time Super Bowl MVP. He has a 458-150 TD-INT ratio and holds the NFL record for most pass attempts without a interception (358). He has a 96.4 passer rating which is 6th best all time, there are so many other things Brady has achieved, but what I see Mariota has in common with him is the pin point accuracy. Take a look at these similarities.

Tom Brady- 6’4

Marcus Mariota- 6’4

Tom Brady- 225 pounds

Marcus Mariota- 225 pounds

Tom Brady- 96.4 QBR

Marcus Mariota- 91.5 QBR (as a ROOKIE!)

So to conclude could you imagine a quarterback who could beat you with his legs but be on the same level of play as a Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, or Aaron Rogers? Speaking of Aaron a real quick comparison with him. Aaron can run, but Mariota runs better, Aaron is just a hair more accurate than Mariota, Aaron has the cannon of an arm Mariota will probably never have, and Aaron is a lot better at reading defenses than Marcus is. But Marcus is a smart kid, and I hope to see him reading a defense like Peyton Manning did in time. If Marcus can reach his full potential he will be a quarterback back like the league has never seen before. One last comparison if our offensive line don’t improve over last year, it’s possible Mariota’s career looks a lot like Jake Locker’s.