Who will be New York Jets' Quarterback in 2015?

New York Jets are on the lookout for a quarterback

The season is far from over, but the only thing Jets fans want to discuss is who the team will select in the 2015 draft to help raise the franchise out of the hole they’ve dug themselves into. And who can blame them?

The Jets are currently standing at record of 2-8 and have no hope in the terms of a stable quarterback. While his article may be from late 2013, Betfair contributor Neil Harvey was right on the money when he called starter Geno Smith “one of the top three most bullied quarterbacks in the league”. Geno was crumbling under the pressure, had been sacked over two dozen times, lost six fumbles, and thrown 13 interceptions.

The only positive thing about Smith and the rest of the team doing so poorly is that they’ve all contributed to the Jets securing themselves one of the first positions for draft selection. It’s an opportune position that they’ll likely use to obtain a new quarterback.

Jameis Winston or Marcus Mariota are poles apart off the field

ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay told the New York Post that he isn’t getting overly eager about this year’s prospects. While he’s hesitant to call any of this year’s options in for the position “franchise” quarterbacks, he said that there are two players available that he believes organizations could build around: Florida State’s Jameis Winston and University of Oregon’s Marcus Mariota.

It remains to be seen (and debated) who is the better player on the field, if only because the bigger difference between the two is their behavior off the field.

Mariota is, as one league executive put it, “a choir boy, quiet, a great teammate”. Winston, on the other hand, has had his fair share of legal issues already. He’s been accused of sexual assault, was caught shoplifting more than once, and was caught carrying a gun around, which he claimed was for shooting squirrels. Of course, there was the now-notorious incident earlier this year when Winston was suspended for standing up in front of a crowd on Florida State’s campus and yelling obscenities.

There doesn’t seem to be much competition besides Mariota and Winston. The consensus among analysts appears to be that almost no other quarterbacks are potential first-round picks.

Tough decisions will have to be made in the draft by the Jets

However, it’s also worth noting that the Jets aren’t guaranteed one of the first positions. Although, The Big Lead predicts that the likely competition for the spot, Oakland and Jacksonville, shouldn’t be a problem. Writer Jason McIntyre said that, so far, management seems happy with Derek Carr.

Also, with the chance at a first-round pick, it will likely go to Leonard Williams, a defensive tackle from the University of Southern California. He also guesses that Jacksonville will likely go with Cedric Ogbuehi, an offensive tackle from Texas A&M. He could fill the deficit for the much-needed protection of Jaguars’ quarterback Blake Bortles, who has been sacked 23 times in eight games.

Any and all decisions for the top couple spots remain questionable, though, given the management changes that will take place for several teams, including the Jets. Rumors have already surfaced about the firing of head coach Rex Ryan and general manager John Idzik, with SB Nation claiming Ryan will likely be the next to be let go.

There’s also no telling what the priorities of the new Jets head coach will be (assuming a change). We’ll just have to wait until April to see.