Will he throw or not at the NFL Scouting Combine?
That's the question a number of quarterback-needy teams are asking about Oregon's Marcus Mariota, and it appears he still hasn't made up his mind just days before he's set to fly out to Indianapolis for the event.
Speaking to reporters on Monday ahead of the Davey O'Brien Trophy presentation, Mariota told the Dallas Morning News' Chuck Carlton and others that his shoulder is feeling better after he suffered a nasty hit in the national title game, but he said he's still not sure about throwing in front of scouts and executives just yet.
Mariota will arrive at the combine Wednesday to go through various medical, mental, and physical tests before taking the field for drills Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium. He has kept his pre-draft routine and training regiment fairly close to the vest, so it's unknown how much throwing he has done.
In January, Mariota indicated the sprained AC joint he injured was healing well after resting it for several weeks following the Jan. 12 title game, in which Oregon lost to Ohio State in the first ever College Football Playoff.
In a conference call Monday, NFL Media analyst Mike Mayock indicated there's nothing Mariota could do to help or hurt his draft stock at the combine, but that there are no doubt plenty of interested observers who would like to see him throw and answer questions about how his skills will translate to the NFL.
Mariota is considered by many to be one of the top quarterbacks available in the 2015 NFL Draft, but most rank him behind Florida State's Jameis Winston because of Winston's experience in a more pro-style offense. Like Mariota, Winston has not announced whether he will throw at the combine either; his coach indicated it would be a "game time decision".
Recent NFL.com mock drafts have Mariota going anywhere from No. 1 overall to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to as low as the 18th pick in the first round to the Kansas City Chiefs.
You can follow Bryan Fischer on Twitter at @BryanDFischer.
