PRE-DRAFT PRESS CONFERENCE - GM Ruston Webster and Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt

"If you think a player is a franchise QB then that supercedes everything else." -Webster

Earlier in the conference he had already said Winston and Mariota were good enough to be franchise QBs.

 

Here are some good quotes from the press conference. Some good insight into what may be happening Thursday night. Take all with a grain of salt, but Webster has never been one to go out of his way to lie/mis-directed anyone.

Officially picked up 5th year option on Kendal Wright

Naming the draft room after C.O. Broncato (Cool move by the team, was with them for over 40 years)

He is getting calls about the #2 pick, but nothing serious right now

Believes talks will get more serious the closer Thursday night gets

If they trade, they want something that will help them now and in the future (I guess that means they want something in 2016 as well.)

Does see it as a pretty deep draft, 16-17 guys with a first round grade

Hasn't seen or watched much of Zach lately, been focusing on Mariota and Winston (He has seen plenty of Zach and watched film, does not need to anymore- My guess)

Thinks both Mariota and Winston are very good players and can be franchise QB's

If they take Mariota, they would adopt some short of spread offense into their offense

They still like Zach a lot. Did some things well and some things he needs to learn

Wants to leave draft with a RT that can start

He has not talked to the Chargers

Disappointed in Shane Ray arrest.

Mettenberger is definitely in the plans moving forward no matter what

He is excited about the 33rd pick. Chance they could move out of there as well

WR class is deep until after the second round. (I expect them to take one in the first two rounds)

"If you think a prospect is a franchise QB, then that supersedes everything else" (If they think that, then why even talk about a trade? I think they don't think he is)

No one in ownership has offered an opinion on who to pick

What Tampa does at 1 doesn't matter to them, they like them both.

Draft picks can enter the facility on May 11


-I personally think they gave pretty stock answers to most of the questions. I do believe that they are fine taking Mariota if no good trade offer comes, but feel they want to trade more. Whiz has never been into changing his offensive philosophy. Didn't in Arizona and didn't last year with Locker, why now? If they also think he is a franchise QB, why even think about a trade? I see them wanting to trade, but also saying they will take him to hopefully get a team to feel pressured into trading up.

 

When asked which QB they like better Webster said they like bother of them and nothing else.

 

Chargers haven't called.

Ruston and Whiz really like Mariota.

Ruston says around 16 guys with 1st round grades. Mentioned this a few times, so can't see a trade back beyond that unless the offer blows him away.

He says he really likes the WR position towards the end of the 2nd round.

Whiz didn't really say much, or important. Did say Mariota's offense in college wasn't much of an issue.

 

FWIW Mariota would be able to come in immediately, wouldn't have to wait to finish school like Sankey did

 

maybe Winston is the pick then, cause Tampa has a female owner which has led some to think they'll skip Winston

 

To expand, rookies cannot join mini camp until their class graduates. Several west coast schools graduate later than the rest of the country. This has caused issues in the past with guys like Akeem Ayers and Craig Steevens not being able to join mini camps until June. What Whiz was saying is that Oregon is not one of the schools that graduates later.

 

I'm convinced more than ever that we stay at #2 and pick a QB. I could read their body language and inflections in their voices when they were talking about it. They spoke in great detail about the QBs and I think they like them both. Whenever a trade came up, they didn't really want to discuss it and didn't really have concrete answers, but they did when asked about the QBs.

Remember, with Ruston, what you see is what you get. He usually is pretty straight forward.

Oh, he also said he had not talked to the Chargers.

 

I dont trust Whiz one bit with a word he ever spits out, but youre right about Webster, he's a very straight forward guy, easy to read...