A potential top pick in the 2015 NFL draft has been the center of controversy. According to former NFL quarterback Brady Quinn, that controversy is a whole lot of nothing.
Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota has been working with ex-New England Patriots quarterback Kevin O’Connell for several weeks to prepare for the NFL Scouting Combine, which begins Tuesday in Indianapolis. So what’s the issue? O’Connell reportedly is a lock to take over as the Cleveland Browns’ quarterback coach, which in some eyes gives the team an unfair advantage in wooing the Heisman Trophy winner.
Quinn, however, draws from personal experience to show why Mariota’s partnership with O’Connell isn’t a big deal. While preparing for the 2007 NFL combine, Quinn worked with QB coach Terry Shea, who later was hired by the Miami Dolphins before the draft. Miami had the opportunity to take Quinn with the No. 9 pick but passed, going on to pick BYU quarterback John Beck in the second round. Quinn went 22nd overall to the Browns.
“The point is, the relationship between O’Connell and Mariota working doesn’t equate to the former Duck becoming a Cleveland Brown — far from it,” Quinn writes on FootballByFootball.com. “Nor is it unprecedented for someone like O’Connell to coach a player like Mariota and then take a position with a professional team like the Browns.”
The Browns hold the No. 12 pick in this year’s draft, so they’d likely need to trade up anyways to even have a shot at Mariota.
Check out the link below to get more insight from Quinn on the significance of Mariota and O’Connell’s partnership.
Read more from Quinn on Mariota, O’Connell >>
Thumbnail photo via Tim Heitman/USA TODAY Sports Images
