Jameis Winston Shows Exactly Who He Is at FSU Pro Day, Worthy of No. 1 Pick

A year ago, in the movie Draft Day, faux Cleveland Browns general manager Sonny Weaver Jr.—played by the stone-faced Kevin Costner—spent nearly half the movie trying to figure out what exactly was wrong with the draft's top quarterback prospect, Bo Callahan. 

In the movie, Weaver discovers just before going on the clock that the highly touted signal-caller wasn't beloved or even liked by his teammates, as evidenced by none of them showing up to the quarterback's birthday party. It proved to be enough for the imaginary general manager to pass on a quarterback with franchise potential. 

While the overall plot point was sensationalized in order to start an unbelievable chain of events that dictated the third act, the situation is easily juxtaposed to real-life scenarios. 

Florida State's Jameis Winston has been under the microscope since he dominated college football during his redshirt freshman campaign, which eventually ended with his winning a Heisman Trophy and a BCS national title. 

The quarterback's life has been overanalyzed and micromanaged ever since. His pro-day performance wasn't going to be any different. 

Winston only had one goal in mind when he took the field Tuesday, via ESPN's NFL Twitter account: 

Even before the pro day began, the Florida State signal-caller was considered the favorite to become the No. 1 overall pick in April's NFL draft. 

Winston didn't need to prove anything at the school's pro day. He simply didn't need to get hurt or fall flat on his face. A pro day is only a small piece of a player's evaluation. 

Everyone acknowledges that pro days are generally overblown, but it doesn't stop the critiquing of prospects, particularly the quarterbacks. 

During a 102-throw workout, Winston displayed dynamic arm talent but also showed poor ball placement on a few throws and looked winded toward the end of the workout. 

These things shouldn't be held against Winston. Yet these types of workouts usually serve as confirmation of what an analyst or scout already thinks of a prospect. 

ESPN's Todd McShay obviously held the Florida State quarterback in very high regard: 

"

"By Jameis Winston's standards, i'm a little underwhelmed right now." - @McShay13 pic.twitter.com/biYEKLKjOK

— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) March 31, 2015"

On the other hand, an anonymous NFL scout believed Winston's performance Tuesday was a typical representation of his collegiate career: 

As part of the extended workout, Winston and his camp decided to prove the quarterback was more than a pocket passer. Quarterback guru George Whitfield helped script a workout to highlight Winston's movement skills. 

ESPN provided an example of one of Winton's best throws: 

There were other instances when the Alabama native was on the move and didn't throw the ball quite as well. 

Too many quarterbacks enter their pro days attempting to prove they're something they're not instead of trying to show exactly who they are. Who they are is generally good enough for teams, which is why they're drafted. 

This factor extends beyond the field for Winston.

Every time the former Heisman Trophy winner takes the field, scouts are eager to see how he interacts with his teammates. They're curious about his body language and how he leads his team. This applies to all quarterback prospects, but it's only magnified in Winston's case due to his off-field history. 

Local sports talk radio shows around the country still snicker about Winston's failed attempt to steal crab legs from a local grocery store. 

Accusations of sexual assault continue to plague Florida State University as part of a civil case. 

And Winston's decision to stand on a table in the school's cafeteria to shout an obscenity cost him a game this season. It was at this point that something finally changed. 

Winston was asked on NFL Network whether he's grown as a person. The quarterback pointed to the Clemson game as his personal fulcrum point: 

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I changed drastically after the Clemson game. That was the first time I was told, 'No. You can't play.' When you see your teammates on that battlefield, and you're told, 'No, dawg, you can't play.' That hurt me. 

I'm a fun-loving guy. In other words, I was immature. All that stuff is behind me. ... When I saw my brothers fight for me, because I was still playing in that game. To motivate them and believe in them, I saw that I had to be there for them all of the time. 

I don't need to be the center of attention.  

"

NFL Network analyst and former quarterback Kurt Warner then asked Winston how he proves to teams that he can and should be the face of a franchise after his previous indiscretions. Winston denied nothing, but he explained how he is now different: 

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I haven't changed. I've grown. I've grown into the role of being a quarterback and not just being one of the guys. As the quarterback, you have to carry yourself a certain way. You can be one of the guys when the cameras aren't on, but one thing my dad taught me is, 'Character is what you're doing when no one is looking.' When no one is looking, I'm a good guy and I can chill. 

I don't have to change as a person. I just have to grow.

"

For an organization like the Tampa Buccaneers, Winston doesn't need to change. Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht said Winston "lit up the room" during his visit with the team, via Tom Krasniqi of 95.3 FM in Tampa Bay. 

The quarterback simply needs to make better decisions. Those decisions are made on and off the field.

Winston believes his on-field decisions have led him to become the No. 1 overall pick, per the Tampa Bay Times' Rick Stroud: 

Winston's workout merely solidified the already growing consensus that the Florida State quarterback will be the first player off the board once the draft starts on Thursday, April 30. 

"Overall, the workout showcased Winston's talents as an elite passer and eliminated any doubts about his ability to make every throw in the book," NFL.com's Bucky Brooks, a former NFL scout, wrote. "While it was certainly not perfect, the workout should pave the way for him to be the No. 1 pick in the draft."

For comparison, Oregon's Marcus Mariota also didn't blow the scouting community away during his pro-day workout. It didn't matter too much either. 

Winston's evaluation is twofold. 

The Buccaneers will eventually decide—if they haven't already—whether the entire organization is comfortable with his skills as a player and his quirks as a person. Licht isn't the real-life version of Weaver, still searching for a reason not to select a franchise quarterback. 

Don't worry. Winston's teammates, per the quarterback's Twitter account, clearly like him enough to share in his birthday: 

The Buccaneers aren't going to change their minds at the last minute and go in another direction. Either they're all-in regarding Winston, or they're not. 

Florida State's pro day was merely another example of people trying to nitpick the quarterback's game. His performance did absolutely nothing to hamper his chances of becoming the first player drafted.

When it's all said and done, Winston shouldn't expect a Callahan-like draft-day slide. He's worthy of being the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 draft. 

Brent Sobleski covers the NFL draft for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @brentsobleski.