The stock of Oregon Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota, the winner of the 2014 Heisman Trophy award, couldn't be higher. After a stellar regular season Mariota shredded the Florida State Seminoles in the Rose Bowl, which doubled as the first ever game of the College Football Playoff, and likely saw his fantasy stock skyrocket.
Last night Mariota took it to a Seminoles team that hadn't lost in two full seasons; he completed 26 of 36 passes for 338 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 62 yards and another score.
For the entire season Mariota's numbers are startling. He completed 68.6 percent of his passes this year, amassed 4,121 yards through the air and found the end zone 0 times. He has thrown only three interceptions all season.
The question now is whether or not Mariota can break the trend of Oregon quarterbacks who have put up massive numbers in college only to be NFL flops. The school's highest-profile NFL passers include Joey Harrington, Dennis Dixon and Kellen Clemens-hardly a murderer's row.
Mariota has shown a better combination of passing and rushing skills than any of the names that came before him though, and he has a well-earned Heisman on his resume. While it's true some Heisman winners have flamed out in the NFL, there's no doubting the necessary skill level required to be named college football's best player.
By thrashing Florida State the way he did, Mariota also did something his predecessors tended to do-win the big game. There's still a National Championship game yet to be played that will continue to affect Mariota's stock, but if he goes No. 1 overall as expected he will land in a cushy situation to rack up fantasy numbers.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are expected to draft a new passer with the top pick, and whomever they go with at No. 1 will enter training camp with big-time options in the passing game. Mike Evans, a second-year wide receiver who was taken seventh overall last year, had 1,051 yards and 12 touchdowns last season. Veteran Vincent Jackson only scored twice in 2014, but he also topped 1,000 yards receiving. They also have a promising young tight end to throw to in Austin Seferian-Jenkins.
Veteran names like Eli Manning and Tony Romo finished near the back end of the Top 10 and slightly lower. Last season's top rookie QBs Teddy Bridgewater and Derek Carr showed promise but aren't in fantastic situations.
Mariota at this point in time is a much more exciting option than any of those names, and should be considered as a Top 10 caliber option if he's drafted by the Bucs.
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