The drafting of Marcus Mariota is already paying off, at least in some way for the Tennessee Titans, as the rookie quarterback out of Oregon has the best selling jersey in the NFL since getting drafted.
Going back to the time period between April and October 2014, there was only one rookie in the top 10 of jersey sales, and that was Johnny Manziel (Cleveland Browns), third on the list behind Peyton Manning and Russell Wilson, between Tom Brady and Colin Kaepernick. The list should be a lot different in a few months considering all that’s happened since last year.
How is Mariota doing so much better than Jameis Winston, the number one overall pick in the draft? Well, it probably has to do with Mariota having a better season in 2014 for Oregon, including beating the Seminoles in the college football playoff semifinal. Mariota won the Heisman trophy, played for a very exposed football team in the Ducks, and unlike Winston doesn’t have any problems when it comes to public perception and behavior issues in his past.
The Tennessee Titans have been out of the loop and the public’s eye for quite some time. Since Vince Young’s short lived reign at quarterback for them had they not had a player with some national appeal. Mariota might be causing some doubts regarding his ability to become a franchise quarterback, but for now, at least in generating some hype and enthusiasm for a fanbase that hasn’t seen a lot of wins recently (just two last year), he’s performing above expectations.