2015 NFL Draft: Who Will Take The Jameis Winston Plunge?
By Erik Lambert
Oct 18, 2014; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles quarterback Jameis Winston (5) before the start of the second half of the game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Doak Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports
Rumors have persisted that barring a serious change, Jameis Winston will enter the 2015 NFL draft. So the question becomes: who will take that gamble?
Winston a more talented but more dangerous Johnny Manziel
The case of Winston figures to be an even more fascinating situation than that of Johnny Manziel, if that’s even possible. When comparing the two players, an honest scout would say Winston is more talented. Not only does he have the arm and mobility but he also boasts prototypical quarterback size. He runs a pro style attack at Florida State and already has a Heisman and national championship to his credit.
However, he also trumps Manziel in the other direction. While Johnny Football was ridiculed for his immaturity in regards to partying and a care-free lifestyle, Winston has taken it a step further. He already has a dark cloud of sexual assault hanging over him, not to mention a grocery store theft and team suspension for rude conduct. The red flags are much taller with him, which why so many experts feel GMs won’t be willing to take that risk.
Tennessee Titans among teams with the need and the situation
The thing is nothing changes the fact that Jameis Winston is a 1st round talent, just like Johnny Manziel was. Manziel was selected 22nd overall by Cleveland. That says that there will be at least one team that is willing to take the gamble that Winston’s issues are more about maturity than they are his being just a bad human being. One franchise that may enter that equation is the Tennessee Titans. They are on the lookout for a quarterback following the bust experience of Jake Locker, and their head coach Ken Whisenhunt is a veteran who knows how to mentor quarterbacks.
There are also the New York Jets who seem anxious to move on from Geno Smith or the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with Lovie Smith who may or may not have plans that don’t include Mike Glennon. There are also dark horses out there of course as well such as Cincinnati or Houston.
The point is 31 teams have a pick in the 1st round of the 2015 NFL draft. It will only take one of them for the Jameis Winston experiment to begin.