Everything You Need to Know About NFL Draft Prospect Jameis Winston
He's a can't-miss, blue-chip prospect entering a league that's never been hungrier for signal-calling talent. He's about to become the face and foundation of an NFL franchise.
On March 31, Jameis Winston and his Florida State teammates will be put through their paces for NFL scouts, coaches and executives in desperate need of a quarterback with his skill set. He'll be measured and tested, go through drills and workouts.
Many athletes look at their pro day as a chance to show teams what they can do—but Winston knows the teams know what he can do. They know he'll be excellent. They'll watch him go through the motions, tick off the boxes, look calm and confident in the process.
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More than anything, they're looking for reasons not to love him. They're looking for holes in his game, cracks in his facade, any indication whatsoever he might not play up to his sky-high draft status and attendant contract. Anything less than effortless perfection could theoretically cause his stock to tumble, as Teddy Bridgewater's did last year.
Per a Twitter post by quarterback guru George Whitfeld Jr., Winston's not taking any chances in his preparation:
In reality, if teams aren't already sold on Winston, no amount of shorts-and-compression-shirt excellence will win them over. If they haven't already written him off, no amount of practice-bubble disappointment will scare them away.
On the field, Winston's as close to a sure thing as there is in this draft.
Far and Away
His production was incredible: He threw for a whopping 7,964 yards and 65 touchdowns in just two years as a starter. He led Florida State to a 26-1 record over that span, including a national championship. He completed 66 percent of his passes, had a 2.3:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio and a 163.5 passer efficiency rating—ninth best in the country over that span, per Sports-Reference.com.
If there's any reason to doubt Winston's numbers, it's that he not only failed to improve from his first season to his second, but he regressed:
| 2013 | FR | 27.4 | 66.9 | 11.5 | 10.4% | 2.6% | 184.8 |
| 2014 | SO | 35.9 | 65.3 | 7.7 | 5.4% | 3.9% | 145.5 |
In his redshirt freshman year, he finished first in both average yards per attempt and passer rating, threw touchdowns at an incredible 10.4 percent clip and tossed just one pick for every four scores. He won the Heisman Trophy, was a consensus All-American and took home essentially every college football award for which he was eligible.
As a sophomore, Winston was asked to do more by himself. He threw an average of 8.5 more times per game (a 31 percent increase!), and his efficiency numbers plummeted. Unlike 2014's top-rated passer, Marcus Mariota, Winston ran a pro-style system that required him to progress through multiple reads and pick apart defenses.
As Bleacher Report NFL draft guru Matt Miller said, the regression shows Winston's field reading isn't quite as outstanding as last year's best rookie quarterback, Teddy Bridgewater:
Unlike Bridgewater, or fellow 2014 first-rounder Johnny Manziel, there are no questions about whether Winston's got the body to survive and succeed at the highest level.
Top Gun
At 6'4", 230 pounds, he's got a classic NFL passer's frame. His "anticipation, arm strength and vision" led Miller to declare Winston the No. 1 draft prospect of 2015.
Despite prodigious athletic talent that allowed him to star in two sports for Florida State, Winston didn't test well at the combine. He's far from a pocket statue, but he's not a serious running threat, either; his 4.97-second 40-yard-dash time and lackluster explosion numbers bear that out, per NFL.com.
That combine disappointment didn't last long. His sparkling performance in passing drills caused Miller to gush Winston showed the world "how a franchise QB looks in workouts," per WGN Radio.
Off the field, Winston is bright, charming and well-liked by his teammates. He's also destructive, reckless, a petty thief and accused rapist.
Collateral Damage
According to an article by Fox Sports' Kevin Vaughan (titled "Jameis Winston Incidents Timeline," which should tell you something), Winston had a string of run-ins with the law at Florida State.
There were two separate incidents of misusing pellet or BB guns, for which there were $4,000 in damages to his apartment building but no charges filed. Police were called to a Burger King where Winston had been filling a gratis water cup with unpaid-for soda. In 2014, he was cited for stealing crab legs from a Publix grocery store.
Even under increasing public scrutiny, and some scouts already calling him "radioactive," per Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio, Winston couldn't lay low. In fact, he jumped on a table in a student common area and shouted an obscenity-laden phrase.
In 2012, Winston was accused of rape. It took two years, and heavy public criticism of the university's investigation, for Winston to face charges of any kind. As Vice Sports' Jessica Luther detailed, according to the official transcript she obtained, the two-day Student Conduct Code hearing he eventually received was full of mixed-up and improper procedure. As Luther wrote, given the evidence and testimony, it's "unclear" how the judge came to the decision to clear Winston.
Assuming justice was served in each of these incidents, none are enough to preclude Winston from starring in the NFL.
As a pattern of behavior, though, it's extremely troubling, especially for a would-be franchise quarterback. As we've seen recently, even superstars at other positions can be traded or released for egregious actions.
Quarterbacks are different.
Risky Business
For whatever team drafts Winston, he'll be the only player who handles the ball on every play, the only player whose face we frequently see on camera, the player most likely to be tabbed for interviews and commercials. A No. 1-overall-pick quarterback, as he's likely to be, will be synonymous with his franchise for years—for better or worse.
Winston is skipping the NFL draft extravaganza, ostensibly preferring to be with friends and family. We can only surmise Winston and his handlers consider avoiding the public scrutiny (and maybe boos) that will come with his selection a bonus.
But the Jameis Winston Era of the franchise that drafts him won't start with a flashy suit, a firm embrace of Roger Goodell and a hoisted team jersey with his name on the back. If he's willing to be pressured out of the moment most players dream of living, how will he handle the day-to-day pressure of the NFL?
"[I] use football as my sanctuary," Winston told reporters in his first media availability since being cleared of sexual misconduct charges, per Natalie Pierre of AL.com. "As long as I have football in my life and as long as I have a great family, what people say is never going to bother me."
We've already seen that football can shelter Winston from his off-field troubles. The scouts calling Winston "radioactive" last summer fell silent as he carried the Seminoles deep into the playoffs. Maybe some will be there at Winston's pro day, oohing and aahing along with the rest.
Tropical Thunder
If he does in his pro day what he did at the combine, he'll again quash any doubts about who the best quarterback in this class is. Winston's size and arm will be a sight for sore eyes. Like Blake Bortles, last year's No. 3 overall pick, Winston is blessed with the classic physical success-markers evaluators go crazy for.
His high floor and high ceiling will tempt nearly every team; even if he somehow slips past No. 1 overall, teams will be frantically outbidding each other to trade up to No. 2.
It won't take long for Winston to make an impact. He'll certainly step on the field and start from Day 1. As seen in this locker-room video, he's a natural leader who knows how to get his teammates to play hard and stay loose.
It's easy to see Winston quickly being named a captain and ingratiating himself not just with his teammates and coaches, but the community where he plays. If, as expected, he goes to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he'll be playing where all of his most ardent supporters already live.
The Buccaneers had Winston in for a visit, per the team's official site, and general manager Jason Licht was effusive in his praise.
"He's lively, he's engaging, he's incredibly smart. He confirmed all the things we thought about him going into this process," Licht said. "With an important pick we are nonstop still digging into everything about these players," he continued. "We're still going to utilize the time that we have and make sure that we're making the right decision."
The Buccaneers may yet decide the risk associated with drafting Winston outweighs the likelihood he'll be successful—but even if they do, another team will happily take that gamble.
As long as he stays on the path laid out ahead of him, Winston has the ability to leave all his problems behind.
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