Mariota Drafted No. 2 By Tennessee, Armstead to 49ers at No. 17
By Rob Moseley
Editor, GoDucks.com
Players from Oregon were selected early and often in Thursday's first round of the NFL draft.
Quarterback Marcus Mariota was selected second overall by the Tennessee Titans, the second-highest selection ever from the Oregon football program. Defensive lineman Arik Armstead went to the San Franciso 49ers with pick No. 17, the highest the Ducks have ever had a second player drafted.
Tennessee was 2-14 under first-year coach Ken Whisenhunt in 2014, the franchise’s worst season in 20 years. The Titans’ roster includes three quarterbacks, headlined by 2014 sixth-round draft pick Zach Mettenberger, who was 0-6 as a rookie starter before being injured late last season.
Mariota is expected to contend for the starting job immediately in the Titans' pro-style offense, after having playing in the spread-option at Oregon.
"For me, I'm going to do my best to transiton to everything," Mariota said in a conference call with Titans reporters.
"I'll continue to be the player I've always been, and do whatever's asked of me. Coach Whisenhunt's going to have his offense and the complexities of his system, and I'm going to do my best to execute it."
Mariota, the 2014 Heisman Trophy winner, went a pick behind quarterback Jameis Winston of Florida State – the team the Ducks beat in last season’s Rose Bowl. That was the third bowl victory for Oregon in three years with Mariota as quarterback.
The only player from Oregon ever selected higher was quarterback George Shaw, the top overall pick in 1955.
The 49ers were widely projected to have targetted Armstead with the 15th pick. They traded down two spots and still got their man, a native of nearby Sacramento.
"I’m excited to be close to home with my family," Armstead said, according to 49ers.com. "Being able to play for the 49ers in Northern California is huge for me. I want to represent this part of the state in the right way.
Oregon was the first program to have two players selected in this year's draft. This was the third time in school history two Ducks were picked in the first round, along with 1972 (Ahmad Rashad and Tom Drougas) and 2013 (Dion Jordan and Kyle Long).
