Before every game, Marcus Mariota and Hroniss Grasu would take pregame snaps together. What people may not have known was that some of them were under center.
During his three years as Oregon’s starting quarterback, Mariota always took snaps from the shotgun.
At Thursday’s Pro Day, which was held in the Moshofsky Center, the two longtime teammates reunited and Mariota took snaps under center as representatives from all 32 NFL teams and media members dissected his pass attempts. Some were even there to gather any last minute quotes or analyses that may sway NFL teams to take Mariota over Jameis Winston, who, according to the most recent mock drafts, is projected to go No. 1 overall.
“This process is something that’s controlled by other people so all you really can do is put yourself out there, show what you can do and then see where you end up,” Mariota said.
What did Mariota think of Eagles head coach Chip Kelly calling him the best quarterback in the draft?
“That was really nice of him,” Mariota said. “When I see him, I’ll thank him for it.”
Luckily, Mariota and Grasu, along with Jake Fisher, had recently roomed together in San Diego during the NFL Combine, prepping and going over plays on a whiteboard.
The extra work appeared to have paid off, judging by Mariota’s showing Thursday.
Mariota, who had a lot of say in how his specified workout operated – he also prepped with his respective receivers the night before – attempted over 50 passes and only six of them went incomplete. He may not have been perfect, but he looked sharp as usual.
“I thought it went ok,” Mariota said. “I missed some throws, but for the most part, it was fun to get out there again with these guys and just be able to throw and do stuff we haven’t been able to do in the last month and a half.”
Mariota and Grasu weren’t the only Oregon players present at the Pro Day. Erick Dargan, Tony Washington, Keanon Lowe, Derrick Malone, Kenny Bassett, Dior Mathis, Jake Fisher – to name a few – and even former tight end Lavasier Tuinei all participated in the festivities. Drills included, but were not limited to, the 40-yard dash and long jump.
As Mariota and his former teammates said their final goodbyes at the conclusion of the event, one last snapshot of the upperclassmen that had helped anchor the Ducks to last year’s inaugural College Football Playoff title game was taken. This was undoubtedly their last hoorah together.
According to Lowe, the feeling was more sweet than bitter.
“This is the end, this is the final workout with everyone in our class and we had a great run here,” Lowe said. “It was good to end it this way.”
The NFL Draft is set for April 30.
Until then, Mariota, Grasu and others will be doing what they can to prepare for one of the biggest moments in their lives.
Follow Hayden Kim on Twitter @HayDayKim