With Jameis Winston officially deciding to declare for the 2015 NFL Draft, the speculation on where he will land can officially begin. Winston has long been considered one of the Top 2 quarterbacks in the upcoming draft so it made a lot of sense for him to take his talents to the NFL during a year in which the quarterback class isn’t particularly strong at the top.
Winston brings a lot of different tools to the table and his game tape has had the scouts and analysts drooling since he got under center for the Seminoles. With the draft process beginning shortly and the debate surely to rage on until Draft Day, lets take a look at the good, the bad and the ugly of Jameis Winston.
The Good:
- Winston possesses great measurables. At 6’4, 230 pounds, he has the ideal size you look for when scouting quarterbacks.
- Competent passer from the pocket and displays great pocket awareness. When you look at mobile quarterbacks, their ability as a pocket passer always comes up. This is not an issue for Winston.
- Strong arm and able to make all the necessary throws. Re-watching the Rose Bowl confirmed to me that Winston can make the throws that will translate to the next level.
- Has the ability to extend plays with his feet while keeping his eyes down the field. Think Ben Roethlisberger or Tony Romo, that’s what Winston is mobility wise.
- Comes from a pro-style offense at Florida State is has a great grip of the concepts. This trait will make the jump to the NFL a little smoother for Winston.
- He is a competitor and he doesn’t flinch when all the chips are on the table. The man lost one game in his entire college career as a starter and brought Florida State back countless times. That’s the kind of guy you want in your huddle.
- Has a Heisman trophy and a national title on his resume and did it as a redshirt freshman. Very few can claim both in the same season.
The Bad:
- While he was pretty good at taking care of the ball during his redshirt freshmen year, his interceptions numbers skyrocketed this year and that is a bit concerning.
- Decision making eroded a bit this year; I wasn’t sure what Winston was seeing exactly on quite a few of interceptions he made this year.
- While Winston dazzled us with his comeback efforts this year, I am still trying to figure out why he got off to so many slow starts. As we saw against Oregon, you won’t be able to dig yourself out of every hole.
- Has almost a baseball like delivery, will have to tighten that up going forward.
- Maturity issues off the field will be a concern to any teams that do their homework on him.
The Ugly:
- The off the field issues since he arrived he Tallahassee are troubling. From rape allegations, to stealing crab legs to alleged point shaving, the list just continues on. Winston was making headlines for off the field stuff just as much as was for his on the field heroics.
- Was suspended for the Clemson game this year for an on campus incident. Incidents like the one that got Winston suspended could have easily be avoided and he will have to show teams he is moving past those things.
- What else will teams find out about him when they start digging into his history? Winston will have to be completely forthcoming with teams or it will raise even more red flags about his already checkered history.
The Verdict:
No prospect will ever be perfect and each will have their flaws, but at the end of the day Jameis Winston is arguably the best quarterback prospect in this draft. He obviously has issues that will more than likely keep him off a lot of teams’ board come Draft Day, but some quarterback needy team will end up taking him in the Top 10. Winston has a lot of tools to love and I think they will translate to Sundays. The key will be to get him in a locker room with a lot of veterans that will hold his feet to the fire and make sure his off the field shenanigans don’t continue going forward.
Pro Comparison:
Ben Roethlisberger
Two big mobile quarterbacks that are incredibly frustrating to chase and bring down. They both look to extend to play and hurt you with their arm rather than tucking it and running. Winston has the ability to tuck and run, but don’t expect to see a ton of designed runs for him.