Rich Cimini, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Mel Kiper to Jets: Don't duck QB Marcus Mariota

So here we are, exactly five weeks to the draft, and the Marcus Mariota speculation continues to build.

Would the New York Jets select the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback if he's available with the sixth pick? Our man Mel Kiper Jr. believes it's a no-brainer.

"I would think that, at that point, I don't know how you'd pass him up," the ESPN draft analyst said Thursday on a conference call with reporters. "You're going against Tom Brady. Tom Brady has probably got another five years in him. And Mariota needs a little bit of time. So [Ryan] Fitzpatrick and Geno Smith would give you time to develop Mariota, who, in another two or three years, could be really good."

I agree with Kiper. If you're the Jets, starved for a franchise quarterback, you take Mariota and bring him along slowly, which is easier said than done. You know how it is in the New York market; the pressure to play him immediately would be intense.

General manager Mike Maccagnan continues to say he will draft the best available player. The top four players, according to a consensus of the top draft experts (including ESPN's Kiper and Todd McShay), are quarterback Jameis Winston, defensive tackle Leonard Williams, wide receiver Amari Cooper and Mariota. If one happens to slip to six, they'd be hard-pressed to pass.

Some wonder if the reserved Mariota has the fire to succeed in the NFL. As Kiper noted, Eli Manning and Joe Flacco -- both Super Bowl champions -- aren't exactly animated leaders.

"I'm not concerned at all about the fact that you're not this rah-rah guy out there," Kiper said of the former Oregon Duck. "He's got a ton of skills, a ton of ability, and if you give him time, I think the Jets would be a perfect team to afford him that opportunity."

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