Comparing Oregon's Marcus Mariota to any other quarterback can be tricky, given the mile-a-minute offense he directed for the Ducks and his unique athleticism for escaping the pocket and running when necessary. But former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy doesn't even have to go outside the Pac-12 Conference to identify his Mariota comparison: former Cal quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
"He does remind me a lot of Aaron Rodgers coming out of college. You know, Aaron Rodgers didn't play for three (or) four years in Green Bay, and now he's arguably the best quarterback in football," Dungy told joebucsfan.com. "But I think Marcus has a lot of the same skill set. He has the same drive and determination. I just really think the world of him as a person. I just think he's special."
With a Super Bowl MVP on his resume, Mariota would do very well to have a pro career even close to Rodgers' neighborhood. Although unlike Rodgers, it's difficult to imagine Mariota getting a three-year apprenticeship behind an established starter before taking over an NFL offense. Nor is it likely that Mariota will slip to a team with the luxury of drafting a backup quarterback in the first round, as Green Bay did with Rodgers in 2005 (No. 24 overall).
Mariota is regarded as one of the 2015 draft's top two quarterbacks along with FSU's Jameis Winston, and was projected to the quarterback-starved New York Jets with the No. 6 pick in NFL Media analyst Daniel Jeremiah's initial mock draft.
Dungy touched on Winston, as well.
"It doesn't mean I don't like Jameis at all," Dungy said. "I haven't seen Jameis play as much as I've seen Marcus. I've seen Marcus play. I've seen him practice. I've been around him as a person. I believe in him."
For now, Mariota need only worry about throwing like himself, given a shoulder sprain that he suffered against Ohio State in the national championship game Jan. 12. He passed on an invitation to the Reese's Senior Bowl, and has said he is still deciding whether it is in his best interest to throw passes at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis next month.
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