Winston Goes First to Bucs, Mariota Second to Titans - East Idaho News
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Winston Goes First to Bucs, Mariota Second to Titans

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Getty S 42912 NFL%20Draft?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1430449492948Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post via Getty Images(CHICAGO) — There were no curve balls to start the 2015 NFL Draft. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers used the first overall pick on former Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston, while the Tennessee Titans stayed put and selected former Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota with the second pick.

It’s long been thought that Winston would be the first pick of the draft, but off-field character concerns left some doubt that the former Heisman Trophy winner would end up in Florida.

“When we were doing the exhaustive process that we went through, not only were we comfortable with him and his character, we were confident with his character,” Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht said. “We think that his character that he brings to the locker room and the building is a strength. That’s one of the things that makes him a great player.”

Meanwhile, there was much speculation that the Titans would trade out of the No. 2 spot with many teams interested in using that pick on Mariota, but in the end this year’s Heisman Trophy winner was too difficult to pass up.

“It was going to be difficult to convince us to back out,” Titans general manager Ruston Webster said.

Mariota becomes the first Oregon quarterback to be selected in the first round since Joey Harrington in 2002.


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