What if Chip Kelly never left Oregon for the Philadelphia Eagles?
By Logan Shaw
Nov 1, 2014; Eugene, OR, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) throws the ball before the game against the Stanford Cardinal at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Olmos-USA TODAY Sports
Would Mariota be a lock as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft?
This brings up a fair amount of questioning. Would he surpass Winston if Kelly was still coaching in Eugene? Perhaps.
NFL teams love winners. It’s a great quality to have. However, what NFL scouts love more than winners are prototypical NFL quarterbacks. In college, Winston played in more of a pro-style offense than Mariota and doesn’t have as many questions about his ability to make NFL throws.
Mariota played in a non-pro-style offense at Oregon. History tells us that this doesn’t bode well in the NFL, but could Kelly’s star pupil be the trend of a new breed of quarterback?
What if Mariota was an aforementioned two-time Heisman trophy winner? Would he be an absolute lock, considering he’d likely be considered one of the best to ever play in college? I wouldn’t call him a lock, but he would have a much better chance of being in the top two than he does this year.
Okay, so, what role does Kelly play into this?
Kelly is a good coach, so is Helfrich, but then again, so is Kelly. Referring back to the previous slide, I don’t think Kelly would have been the difference maker in whether or not Mariota could have been a two-time Heisman trophy winner.
However, NFL scouts also value a player more if he’s been coached up by a respected staff. Helfrich’s current staff at Oregon is respected. but not to the level of Kelly and it still doesn’t change the concerns about if he’s a system quarterback, so he would still fall behind Winston in the NFL draft.
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