2015 NFL Draft News: QBs Jameis Winston, Marcus Mariota Are The Top Picks

Top quarterback prospects Jameis Winston was selected as the top overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Marcus Mariota was picked after him as the second overall pick going to the Tennessee Titans.

The pair of picks were expected although there were talks that some teams were trying to trade-up in the draft and targeting the two but no official transactions were reported on Thursday night.

The Buccaneers were reportedly looking at Mariota as well but decided on Winston, who is considered the player who is more NFL-ready between the two because of the different offensive schemes they ran in college football. Both Winston and Mariota had successful college careers.

Winston was a 2013 Heisman Trophy winner in 2013, when he led Florida State to the national championship. Mariota, who played for Oregon, also won the Heisman Trophy in 2014 to become the first Hawaiian-born player to win that award.

There were issues with Winston’s attitude and history when he played in college. Winston faced allegations of sexual assault in his first year with Florida State but did not face any formal charges.

"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 to ESPN.com after making him the top pick in the NFL Draft. "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."

Winston shared his thoughts on Twitter about being picked first in the draft.

Like Winston, Mariota was also happy with how the draft went down.

"I felt that through all of our conversations and everything that we did we developed a pretty close relationship," Mariota said to ESPN.com. "I'm looking forward to playing for them. I'm excited for this opportunity. I'm going to work hard at this and make the most of it."

Despite aggressive push from other teams like Philadelphia Eagles and Chicago Bears in trying to acquire Mariota, the Titans decided to stick with their pick and have announced that Mariota will be their starting quarterback when the NFL season opens. Winston will also assume the same role with the Buccaneers in the upcoming season. In three years with Oregon, Mariota has recorded 105 touchdowns against 14 interceptions. In two years with Florida state, Winston had 65 touchdowns and 28 interceptions.

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