Most NFL fans are still hoping their teams make a run to the playoffs. But if you’re a fan of a 1-10 or 2-9 team, it’s hard not to start thinking about the 2015 NFL draft.
In fact, the New York Post has already skipped right past the rest of the Jets’ season and is running a column suggesting that the Jets’ starting quarterback in 2015 should be Florida State’s Jameis Winston.
It’s hard to predict which team will take which player the day before the draft. Five months before the draft, predicting that the Jets will take Winston -- or that any particular team will pick any particular player -- is a fool’s errand. But with Winston and Oregon’s Marcus Mariota as potential franchise quarterbacks, it’s reasonable to take a look at where those quarterbacks could land.
What’s interesting is that the teams at the top of the draft order don’t necessarily need a quarterback. Here’s a look at how the Top 10 of the draft might shake out, and whether the Top 10 teams would draft Mariota or Winston:
1. Oakland: This year’s second-round quarterback, Derek Carr, has played reasonably well. It’s hard to believe the Raiders would take a quarterback high in the first round this year.
2. Jacksonville: The Jaguars are even less likely to draft a first-round quarterback than the Raiders. Jacksonville just took Blake Bortles with the third overall pick this year, and it’s inconceivable that they’d spend a Top 3 pick on a quarterback again. That means that if the Jaguars are picking first or second, they may try to do what the Rams did when they shipped the second overall pick to Washington and got a bounty of draft picks in exchange for the pick that became Robert Griffin III.
3. New York Jets: The Jets desperately need a quarterback. Geno Smith may remain on the roster next year, but there’s no way the Jets will pass on a potential franchise quarterback if one is available when they pick in the first round.
4. Tampa Bay: The Bucs’ brass doesn’t seem to think highly of Mike Glennon, and Josh McCown is only a short-term answer. Tampa Bay is highly likely to draft a quarterback next year.
5. Tennessee Jake Locker will be gone next year, but has Zach Mettenberger done enough as a rookie to convince the Titans that he’s their quarterback of the future? If not, the Titans could be a landing spot for Winston or Mariota.
6. Washington: This is the most interesting question on the board: Would Washington cut ties with RG3 and draft his successor in 2015?
7. New York Giants Despite the major disappointment that the Giants’ offense has been this season, Eli Manning likely isn’t going anywhere any time soon.
8. Carolina: Not happening. Cam Newton is entrenched as the franchise starter. (It’s also still entirely possible that the Panthers will win the NFC South and go from a Top 10 pick to a pick somewhere in the 20s.)
9. Minnesota: Teddy Bridgewater was a first-round pick this year, which means there will be no first-round quarterback in Minnesota next year.
10. St. Louis: With the Rams likely moving on from Sam Bradford, a first-round quarterback is a strong possibility.
What the 2015 draft may bring is a pair of franchise quarterbacks who are highly coveted by several teams picking in the Top 10 -- but not by the teams with the top two picks.
