Jameis Winston: Breaking Down FSU QB's Pro-Day Workout

Jameis Winston still has a lot of work to do convincing NFL teams he can lead a franchise off the field. On it? The Florida State star never heard many questions about his ability. 

That may change after Tuesday's pro-day workout.      

Throwing before a packed house filled with scouts, executives and coaches, Winston was inconsistent amid an elaborate scripted program. He completed 91 of his 102 attempts—a number well above the norm—and flashed a combination of athleticism and on-field intelligence that could satisfy even his harshest critics.

"Man, I'm a competitor. I want to give them everything," Winston told his private quarterback coach, George Whitfield, per Jenna Laine of Fox Sports 1. 

Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports commented on the uniqueness of Winston running the throwing program himself:

That said, the reviews ran much closer to tepid than the overwhelming praise he received at the scouting combine. Confident in the pocket but struggling while on the move, Winston showed excellent zip amid struggles with ball placement. The workout especially got going after some initial jitters, which former Pro Bowl quarterback Kurt Warner commented on, via the NFL's college football Twitter account:

The workout itself, curated by Whitfield, focused on getting Winston on the move. He was chased by brooms on a number of snaps and was forced to throw across his body, cavorting himself in a number of awkward positions. Meant to flash his improved conditioning and ability to fire the ball in on the run, Winston's routine arguably wound up doing more harm than good.

Former NFL executive Joe Banner outright called the workout "bad":

Bleacher Report's Mike Freeman provided comments from a scout who was on site, who had a different opinion:

Conditioning-wise, Winston showed signs of exhaustion. He was sweating profusely at points—perhaps a product of his high attempts total and the nature of the workout—which former NFL quarterback Shaun King chalked up as irrelevant.

However, King was critical of Whitfield, citing the quarterback coach's shaky resume at making players better:

In two seasons at Florida State, Winston threw for 7,964 yards and 65 touchdowns against 28 interceptions. A no-doubt-about-it No. 1 pick had he been able to declare following his freshman season, Winston's bouts with inconsistency Tuesday continue a trend prevalent throughout his sophomore year. After posting a 40-touchdown, 10-interception campaign in 2013, Winston came back with 25 touchdowns against 18 picks this past season.

As Winston flashes inconsistency on the field, questions will only continue to crop up about his off-field behavior. His transgressions at Florida State range from deeply troubling to silly college antics, but they will nonetheless continue to dog him as he attempts to clinch the No. 1 draft spot.

Winston said he changed his ways, per College Football 24/7:

Florida State head football coach Jimbo Fisher, one of Winston's staunchest backers, called the constant discussion a "character assassination" in an interview with WDAE Radio in Tampa Bay (via IHeartRadio.com, per Chase Goodbread of NFL.com):

"

Why is there a question? Because of the character assassination that he's lived through in the media, and the (misinformation) and half-truths that have been printed. What amazes me about this whole process is the unprofessionalism of a lot of major newspapers, and a lot of major outlets that did not report the whole truth of the situation and only slanted it for their own opinion.

"

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who hold the No. 1 overall pick, will in all likelihood be deciding between Winston and Oregon's Marcus Mariota come April 30. Nearly every major outlet had Winston as a favorite coming into Tuesday's workout, a position bolstered by the organization's public praising of the polarizing prospect.

Buccaneers co-chairman Joel Glazer told JoeBucsFan.com:

"

You know, we spent a lot of time with Jameis. We spent a lot of time with Marcus Mariota. There are other potential players that could be up there with the first pick. But yes, we as an organization are comfortable. We’re comfortable with Jameis.

"

If the Bucs are truly sold, it's unlikely anything minus an outright disaster could have changed their minds. Pro days only have as much meaning as you put into them. Their scripted nature makes it hard to provide a true assessment, and ultimately, film means far more than anything Winston did Tuesday. By the sounds of it, though, Tampa's brass was more than pleased with the workout, per ESPNU (via CBS Sports' Will Brinson):

Criticisms from outsiders aside, the only opinion of Winston that matters is Tampa Bay's. Thirty-one teams may feel he was a little underwhelming, but if the Buccaneers are ready to hitch their wagon to him, then none of those teams will even get an opportunity.

Assuming they're not putting up a smokescreen, there's little reason to think Winston will be available when the Tennessee Titans are on the clock at No. 2.

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter.