Is Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota worth the Browns No. 12 and No. 19 picks -- and more -- if that's what it takes?
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CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Browns are open to trading up for Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota Thursday night in the first round of the draft, but is the Heisman Trophy winner worth surrendering the No. 12 and No. 19 overall picks -- and more -- if that's what it takes?
The Browns' interest in Mariota is very real, several NFL sources have told Northeast Ohio Media Group, but only at the right price. Mariota could go as high as No. 2 overall to the Titans or to a team trading into that pick providing the Bucs draft top-rated quarterback Jameis Winston as expected.
The fact the Browns have drafted quarterbacks in the first round -- No. 22 overall -- in two of the past three seasons in Brandon Weeden and Johnny Manziel won't preclude them drafting Mariota if they think he can take them to the next level.
Of course, much will depend on where Mariota falls and what it would take to get him. If they have to move all the way up to No. 2, it might be cost-prohibitive. Just ask the Redskins, who surrendered three first-round picks and a second-rounder to the Rams for Robert Griffin III, who struggled last year and may or not be their starting quarterback in 2015.
But if the premier dual-threat quarterback slides a little -- which seems unlikely at this point -- he could be worth the asking price.
Whatever the case, plenty of quarterback experts who have worked closely with Mariota or have studied him extensively feel he's got what it takes to succeed in the NFL.
"If any of these teams are picking, I would be surprised if they did not take Marcus Mariota,'' ESPN's Jon Gruden, who featured Mariota on his QB Camp series, said on a conference call last week. "I think he's a rare prospect. I think he has some can't-miss qualities, if you can bring him along and have just a little bit of patience to give him the correct direction. I think this kid, Mariota, could be one of the really great quarterbacks of the future of the NFL.''
He said he's known a lot about Mariota, who contemplated coming out last year, for awhile.
"He's quiet. He's very quiet,'' said Gruden. "That was an exclamation point that I came away from. He is very much not interested in himself. He could care less about his individual achievement, could care less about where he goes in this draft. He's eager to learn, compete, and prove to people he can play. He is very sharp, passionate about the game.
"Has a photographic memory. He can remember everything you put on a chalkboard over several hours and he can go out and execute it quickly. I'm impressed with his mental quickness, his arm quickness, and his physical body quickness. This kid can really move. He's got a great future. I enjoyed being with him for every second.''
Gruden scoffs at the notion that Mariota, who went 36-5 at Oregon, is merely a product of the uptempo spread he ran for the Ducks.
"Look, I could be Marcus's agent,'' said Gruden. "I think this stereotype of Marcus Mariota as a spread quarterback that runs read options every play is ridiculous. He's very poised. I've seen him go through progressions. They run some common NFL route combinations. He's put a lot of points on the board. He's been asked to do a lot with pass protections.
"He learned the Oregon offense inside and out. And he'll learn your offense. It's just a matter of you teaching him and surrounding him with a support system, good players, good contingency game planning, and an opportunity to be great.''
Gruden is confident that Mariota can master any type of offense he's asked to run.
"If you do choose Marcus Mariota, he's going to bring a unique skill set to you, running, quarterback-driven, running-type option plays can be part of it,'' said Gruden. "His scramble ability is another thing. His second-reaction plays are really unscripted. It's exciting. It's up to the staff of the entire organization, if they go with a young quarterback, to make sure they give him the proper training and put him out there when they see fit.
"But I'm confident Mariota will be a fit in any offense. I think he can be an outstanding drop-back passer if that's all you want him to do.''
Of course, the Browns have unique insight into Mariota from quarterbacks Kevin O'Connell, who worked with him for months leading up to the NFL combine and ran his pro day at Oregon. O'Connell, a former running quarterback himself, hasn't been available to the media since he's been hired, but his former business partner, George Whitfield Jr., the quarterback guru from Massillon, Ohio, believes the Browns' interest is genuine.
"It's a very real situation, and it's always going to be a business and bottom-line situation,'' Whitfield told Northeast Ohio Media Group at the NFL combine. "And here they are with two first-round picks, and there are some talented young guys in this draft again that can play quarterback, and if they make that decision to bring him in, that's big for him to get a chance to go in and compete with Johnny.''
In fact, Whitfield thinks it would be great for Manziel to be pressed by his fellow Heisman winner.
"That's going to be a definite wakeup call for Johnny to get up and go back and work hard to be who you believe you are, so that's a real scenario,'' said Whitfield, who's worked with Manziel for the past three years. "It's going to be interesting to see how that plays out.''
The Browns know so much about Mariota from O'Connell that they didn't feel the need to conduct a private workout with him or bring him in for a visit. In fact, O'Connell shared with Pettine the same thing Gruden observed: that Mariota is off the charts in football acumen and would assimilate a pro scheme quickly.
"(He's told me) the mental part, that he's very advanced,'' Pettine said at the NFL annual meeting last month. "This was a guy that understood coming in that he was playing in (a system) that's not similar to potentially a lot of systems that he would be playing in, in the league.
"So he understood that and addressed it and that's one of the reasons that he worked with Kevin, because Kevin understands more of the offensive structure that he's going to have to play in. He attacked a weakness. Everybody that's had him on the board said he's just blown them away because of how he's essentially turned that weakness into a strength."
Mariota is a projection like all spread quarterbacks, but the Browns feel confident he can make the transition. What's more, their new offensive coordinator John DeFilippo has already coached a running quarterback in Terrelle Pryor when they were with the Raiders, and Pryor was productive under his guidance.
"Sometimes people look at that as a gamble, especially in the first round, to project a guy to be something that he hasn't been,'' said Pettine, who will be more involved with the offense this year. "(But) we probably have a little bit better information about him than some others do.''
Of course, the Browns could have plenty of competition if they decide to move up for Mariota. The Jets at No. 6 could be interested in landing him and even the Bears at No. 7 have been noncommittal on Jay Cutler.
Eagles coach Chip Kelly, who has the No. 20 overall pick, has identified Mariota as the best quarterback in the draft, but has said he won't mortgage his future to draft him. However, rumors and reports persist that the Browns might try again on draft day to trade for Sam Bradford, which could open the door for Kelly to deal for Mariota, whom he coached at Oregon.
At the NFL annual meeting, Kelly dismissed the notion that Mariota is a projection.
"I think everybody gets over-analyzed,'' he said. "There's just so much time (before the draft). He's an outstanding leader. Look at his won-loss record. You judge quarterbacks on what their won-loss record is. You judge quarterbacks on touchdown-to-interception ratio (105-14 in three seasons). You judge him on all those things and he's off the charts. And he's off the charts off the field.''
Cardinals coach and quarterback Bruce Arians, who wasn't big on Johnny Manziel before the draft last year largely because of his size, is keen on both Winston and Mariota this year.
"Very different players,'' he said at the NFL annual meeting. "One's a more classic drop-back player in an offense that's produced some guys. The other is an unbelievable kid and an unbelievable athlete who has a great arm. If they're put in the right systems they'll both be extremely successful as rookies.''
Arians stressed that the key is make let the young quarterback do things they're used to doing well.
"When it's a drastic change, they're not comfortable for a couple years,'' said Arians. "Getting him comfortable, he'll be super successful right away. Same thing with Jameis.''
Super successful? One of the really great quarterbacks of the future?
Sounds like a risk worth taking for the Browns, even if it takes a first round pick or two.