Marcus Mariota makes his case at Oregon pro day

EUGENE, Ore. – Marcus Mariota admitted he was a little nervous Thursday at the Oregon Pro Day.

"I think at the (NFL) Combine, I threw better, I think," Mariota said. "Today, I think a lot of emotion being back in Eugene and stuff like that just caused maybe some nervousness a little bit. But at the same time, I thought it went well."

Mariota made a wide range of throws at the Moshofsky Center in front of NFL scouts. He missed on about a half-dozen throws, mostly on deep balls. But mostly, he was on target.

Mariota won the Heisman Trophy in December, becoming the first Ducks player to do so, and he became the most dynamic player in college football playing out of the no-huddle shotgun in Oregon's spread offense.

One of the questions about Mariota's game heading into the NFL Draft, which is set for April 30 to May 2, is whether he can work under center and be a pocket passer.

Mariota led huddles on Thursday and made his throws after taking the snap from under his former teammate, center Hroniss Grasu.

"It was a little different, but again, it was fun," Mariota said. "For us, it's unique. To get to be able to enjoy that and start to get used to those things. It was fun. We just tried to showcase as much as we could.

"I thought it went OK. I missed some throws," Mariota added. "But for the most part, it was fun to get out there again with the guys, and just be able to throw and do some stuff that we haven't been able to do the past last couple months. It was enjoyable."

During his Heisman-winning season, Mariota led the Ducks to the Pac-12 championship and a victory against Florida State in the Rose Bowl. Oregon ended the season with a loss to Ohio State in the national championship game.

Since then, there have been numerous rumors about where Mariota will go in the draft. Lately, the consensus among draft experts is that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will select former Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston, also a Heisman winner, with the No. 1 overall pick.

Mariota said it has been easy for him to block out all of the commentary about him and just focus on getting ready for a professional career.

"Just not pay attention to it," Mariota said. "You can't control it. This process is something that is controlled by other people, so all you really can do is put yourself out there and show what you can do, and then see where you end up."

The Tennessee Titans have the No. 2 pick in the draft, and Mariota had a scheduled private workout with the team on Thursday, after he made his throws during the Pro Day event.

"I'm actually going to meet with them in like five minutes," Mariota said. "I leave tonight to go to New Jersey, and I do kind of an East Coast trip."

There have been rumors this week that Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly was interested in moving up in the draft to take Mariota, which would reunite the quarterback with the coach who brought him to Oregon.

Kelly denied those rumors, but in doing so, said that Mariota is the best quarterback in the draft.

"That was really nice of him," Mariota said. "When I see him, I'll thank him for that."

Former Oregon wide receiver Keanon Lowe, who also worked out at pro day, said Mariota will find success no matter where he lands in the NFL.

"I think everything he's done speaks for itself," Lowe said. "I don't think anything I could say would change that. He's a great person. He's a great quarterback. A great football player. There's no way he's not going to be successful just because of the person he is and how hard he works."

Mariota said no longer being a student-athlete has been an adjustment.

"The biggest difference is that you don't have to go to class," Mariota said. "You have an opportunity to hone your craft and focus on things that you can continue to work on each and every single day. It is a little different and something that you still have to get used to."

Mariota has spent the past couple months training in San Diego with some other former Ducks players, including Grasu.

"We were blessed to be able to train down in San Diego together, so we're very familiar with snapping under center," Grasu said. "Me, Marcus and (former Oregon offensive lineman) Jake Fisher were all rooming together, living together down in San Diego, and it was just an unbelievable experience. Going through it all, going to the combine together.

"It's just unbelievable learning from a guy like Marcus," Grasu added. "Anybody can learn from him, it doesn't matter what profession you're in."

Martini also writes for the Salem (Ore.) Statesman Journal, a Gannett property.