Why Jameis Winston won't (and shouldn't!) be the #1 pick in the draft

[Allstarjim]

I am as unabashedly a Florida State football fan as there is. I have made the 4 plus hour trek to go to home games, went to a bowl game (it was local), and try not to ever miss a game on TV, no matter how lowly the opponent's program. Jameis Winston's career has been thrilling, filled with exciting moments, a Heisman trophy, a perfect season, and a National Championship, to go with leading the team to the first ever College Football Playoff. His accomplishments on the football field will go down in Florida State lore. Legendary.

 

And I'm pretty certain he didn't rape that girl, either. It's a serious accusation, and there's no amount of football greatness that would cover up such a despicable act... but when the facts were laid to bare, it looked more like a young girl, embarrassed of her own promiscuity, got in over her head, and had to perpetuate a lie she never really imagined would become the national story it became. For her own self-preservation, the lie had to continue. I won't go into all of the facts of why I believe Winston is innocent, but three separate times different agencies and organizations came to the conclusion that her accusation did not have legitimacy.

 

But I'm also no Jameis apologist... his off-field behavior displayed a baffling lack of self-awareness and judgement at times. There was BB guns, crab legs, and some crude language offered very much in the public eye, in the name of humor, but still a cringe-worthy moment of a player of his stature on campus. Then there he was, appearing from the locker room, appearing on the sideline, in full pads and uniform, seemingly expecting to play in a game for which he was suspended. Again, strange behavior, and questionable judgement.

 

And you can write some stuff off that he's a young kid, making mistakes that young kids make. And that's fine, certainly a reasonable thing to say. But do you want to have to make excuses and explanations for poor judgement on a player that you are going to entrust the future success of your franchise to as the #1 overrall pick? I don't.

 

It's not just the BB guns, the crab legs, the student union incident... there's some measurables that should matter, too. He's a big strong player, a physically solid young man that evokes visions of Ben Roethlisberger in his ability to shed tackles and move around. But he also has appeared, at several junctions, rockin' that muffin top. If a player physically has not been preparing himself for the biggest job interview he will ever have... do you really take that guy #1?

 

So far I have a very talented young man with maturity issues and a possible work ethic issue. You still take a chance on him over Marcus Mariota? Leonard Williams? Heck, even Brett Hundley?

 

Pro-Winston people will point to the big arm, the pro-style offense he led, all the wins he racked up, and the tight windows he can, and has, fit a football through. All that you can acknowledge, and you can support it with facts and video evidence. Good stuff. But there were ALSO some accuracy issues at times, and quite a few turnovers. There were glaring bouts of bad decision-making. Ill-advised throws trying to force a ball where there is no window. And there's plenty of video of that, too. Isn't 18 interceptions too much for a number 1 overall pick to throw... in COLLEGE? Mariota had only 4 INTs... and 42 Touchdowns... compared to Jameis' 25 TD throws. Sure, different offenses, and Mariota benefited from the high-octane, high percentage, spread offense. And there is a slew of signal-callers from such offenses that have put up gaudy numbers in college only to stumble in the NFL. But that fact alone doesn't make Jameis the better pro-prospect.

 

As previously noted, I've watched a lot of Winston. He has some qualities that are desirable for an NFL team. He has great potential. But he's not the most NFL ready QB, and that potential isn't necessarily greater than Mariota, Hundley, or Bryce Petty.

 

To Mariota's credit, he hasn't embarrassed his university. He also was a terrific winner, and a Heisman Trophy winner. He also has prototypical NFL QB size, and is a better athlete than Winston. He has bigger hands. And he blew away the combine with fantastic speed and agility numbers... demonstrating an NFL-ready physical ability that puts his floor around, say, Colin Kaepernick. And Mariota has shown good decision-making, better accuracy, and excellent touch on his throws.

 

Mariota doesn't beat Winston in every measurable category. Winston has a bigger arm, and theoretically has a body that can absorb more NFL punishment. But Mariota surpasses Winston in the areas that matter most... maturity, leadership, decision-making, and probably accuracy, too. And if I'm the Buccaneers on draft day, and I'm the biggest Florida State fan in that war room, it's down to Mariota or Leonard Williams for me... and Jameis is not in the conversation of the top THREE quarterbacks on my draft board.

 

But thanks for the memories, Jameis. You'll always be a great Seminole.