Redskins Will Draft Marcus Mariota 5th Says John Clayton, Which is Hilarious on Multiple Levels

Now that the Philadelphia Eagles are out of the Marcus Mariota sweepstakes – and they are, sorry guys – all signs point to the Jets taking him 6th in the 1st round in April. Finally! A franchise QB! Yessssss!

But wait!

The Redskins won’t let Marcus Mariota get past them with the 5th pick says John Clayton of ESPN.

How about that timing!

Up until late last night/this morning there’s been zero about the Redskins having interest in the Oregon QB because … well, who could believe it? Washington has three QBs on the roster who played last year, and at times, each looked decent for new coach Jay Gruden. The kicker was that Gruden stood at the podium at the NFL Combine and shocked everyone by saying Robert Griffin III was the starter. (Who names a starter in February?) The same RGIII who he took repeated dumps on during the regular season. The same RGIII whom the Redskins will have to make an extension decision on by May 3rd.

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I can see it now … Redskins pass on the extension, RGIII returns to his rookie form, plays great and then Redskins lose him in free agency. The guy they (technically, the last front office) moved heaven and earth to acquire, gone, off to kill it in … Philadelphia?

Back to the timing of it all. Let’s see: Hours after it became clear the Eagles took themselves out of the running for Marcus Mariota in the draft, we hear a rumor that the Redskins are suddenly interested.

And we hear it from a writer/TV guy who lives in … wait for it … the Northwest. Guess who else spent eight years in the Northwest with the Seahawks, first as a scout, then as a front office executive?

Scot McCloughan, the new GM of the Redskins.

Oh.

This is nothing more than the Redskins putting up a flag: Hey, the Jets are going to take him at 6, anyone want Mariota before that? Come to us. Make us an offer. It’s a smart move, but I suspect many will see through it.

Jay Gruden thrived in Cincinnati as an offensive coordinator with Andy Dalton at QB. Three step drops, quick decisions. That’s not really Marcus Mariota. It’s also why RGIII and Gruden had so much friction last year. It’s also why Gruden liked Colt McCoy and Kirk Cousins (at times) more than RGIII.

You’re telling me that three years after the Redskins moved up to get a QB who frequently runs, only to see him get injured and struggle for two seasons, they’re going to do that again?

Ok, sure.