As I frantically type these words, hoping my desk editor doesn’t destroy me for submitting yet another column late, there are just 30 minutes separating us from the 2015 version of the greatest TV spectacle known to mankind: the NFL draft. This wondrous occasion features Roger Goodell getting booed vigorously, some extraordinarily athletic young men combining fancy suits and shoes with baseball caps and jerseys, and a beautiful setting in Radio City Music…whoops, I’m being told the draft is in Chicago this year.

This year, like many other years, there is a lack of consensus as to who should be the number one overall pick. Most talent evaluators agree that USC defensive lineman Leonard Williams is the best player in the draft, which would usually be sufficient to be the first pick. However, the NFL is a quarterback-driven league, and if your team stunk its way to a low record and a correspondingly high draft choice, then you probably need a franchise quarterback.

At the top of the draft this year, sporting identical 2-14 records, are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tennessee Titans, who trotted out Josh McCown and Zach Mettenberger, respectively, at quarterback last season. Suffice it to say that both teams lack talent at many positions, quarterback included. And it just so happens that this draft is being touted as a two-horse race at quarterback, a battle between the last two Heisman Trophy winners in Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston.

The contrasts between Winston and Mariota are significant. Winston is a prototypical cannon-armed pocket passer, while Mariota is a dynamic athlete with fleet feet and a lightning fast release. Winston ran a pro-style offense at Florida State, while Mariota helmed the Chip Kelly (and Mark Helfrich) blur offense at Oregon. Winston is gregarious, supremely confident and commanding, while Mariota is softer spoken and spotlight-shy. Winston comes with tons of off-the-field baggage, having shoplifted crab legs, gotten himself suspended for shouting insensitive epithets and been implicated in a rape accusation. Meanwhile, Mariota comes with on-the-field baggage, with many distinguished football minds wondering whether he can parlay his incredible successes at the collegiate level into successes at the professional level.

And so the game is afoot — who was the better pick?

Winston is rightfully lauded for being able to make all the throws — the Seminoles’ offense featured professional concepts at every level, and Winston eviscerated opponents while dropping back from under center and making pro-level reads. His pocket presence was also excellent, and his ability to subtly dodge the rush and complete throws into tight windows was superlative.

However, he also managed to throw a boggling 18 interceptions versus just 25 touchdowns last season, and few can forget his “whoopsie” slip against Mariota’s Ducks in the College Football Playoff. Most pundits are convinced that his game will translate exceptionally well to the pros, and that he can be a day one starter in the NFL, with established sources like Mel Kiper and Todd McShay calling him one of the best quarterback prospects they’ve evaluated over the last 10 years.

Mariota, on the other hand, is a little bit more of an unknown quantity. According to the pundits, he possesses a hitchy release and slightly wonky mechanics, and he’s been slapped with the dreaded “system quarterback” label. His numbers are off the charts, but many of the throws he makes are to wide-open receivers, as per the design of the quacking-fast Oregon Ducks offense.

However, Mariota’s athleticism is off the charts, with wide receiver-quality speed and an agility that has made many a Pac-12 defender look foolish. He also has a much better bad decision rate — 42 touchdowns to just 4 interceptions. It also doesn’t hurt that Mariota is widely regarded as a model teammate and person, with no off-the-field drama or hijinks clouding his name. There is a developmental curve, yes, but Mariota has shown remarkable improvement over his college years and wouldn’t be out of place as a first selection.

Jameis Winston’s brushes with the law (and with public opinion) have been widely documented, and are not worth rehashing here. It is worth noting that the quarterback of a team is a sort of figurehead — he gets the lion’s share of the credit but also an unfair proportion of the blame when things go south. At what point does the drama outweigh the potential gains on the field?

The cautionary tale from last year’s draft was the Cleveland Browns moving up to take Johnny Manziel; mirroring Winston, Manziel was a supernaturally talented gunslinger with a litany of off-the-field incidents, and he is currently finishing up a stint in rehab for undisclosed issues. The value of nailing a No. 1 overall pick cannot be overstated, and it makes me uneasy going with someone who has a propensity to do silly things. Tampa Bay took Winston – but if it was my choice, I would have gone with Mariota.

Vignesh Venkataraman is just bitter because he’s not a fan of crab legs. Suggest some better seafood options at viggy ‘at’ stanford.edu.