Editor's note: This article was originally published prior to Oregon's championship game loss. All of the material is still up to date and applicable, and an additional section on Marcus Mariota's performance against Ohio State has been added.
The Oregon Ducks left little doubt in their Rose Bowl national semifinal victory over the defending national champion Florida State Seminoles, turning a 25-20 third-quarter lead into a 59-20 rout. The Ducks' Marcus Mariota won not only the game but also the stat line in his matchup with fellow top QB prospect Jameis Winston of the Noles, completing 26-of-36 passes for 338 yards, two TDs and one INT (80.9 QBR) compared to Winston's 29-of-45 for 348 yards, one TD and one INT (44.1).
But in terms of evaluating the performances of the two quarterbacks based on their pro potential, as I did both live from field level and in watching the coach-copy tape three days later, I believe Winston played the better game. And many of the reasons why are the same reasons I'm likely going to end the draft process by ranking Winston ahead of Mariota, who has been my top QB prospect for the 2015 draft to this point.
Let's take a look at what Mariota does well, where he needs to improve and why by April 30 I think he could be viewed as a bigger risk than Winston at the top of the draft.