Report: FSU Star Jameis Winston Expected to Turn Pro

Oct 18, 2014; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles quarterback Jameis Winston (5) warms up before the game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Doak Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports

With all the off-field distractions surrounding Florida State’s Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston, it makes sense that he would be on the way out the doors as a member of the Seminoles football program and not priming for a junior season in 2015.

Jason La Canfora has reported that all the off-field uncertainty and relationships with some of the higher ups at Florida State make it essentially a done deal — Winston is going pro in 2015.

"“Winston intends to fight vigilantly to maintain his innocence in both instances, however, given the current state of his relationship with the upper reaches of FSU, it has become a certainty he will declare for the NFL Draft.”"

Winston’s draft status is somewhat up in the air if it’s up to me. I think right now, a lot of NFL teams are going to be really cautious with this guy because of the pattern of behavior we’ve seen off the field. From allegations of rape to stealing crab legs, Winston hasn’t exactly been a model citizen off the field for Florida State.

NFL teams aren’t really going to care about his apologies, either. Winston has to prove through his actions that he’s worthy of being a top 10 pick, of which we’ve seen physical evidence of on the football field. He’s big, mobile, a smart football player, and he’s crazy talented. There’s no doubt the physical tools are there for Winston, but how will he handle the NFL spotlight when clearly he can’t handle being the big man on campus?

That will be the question he has to answer from NFL teams as he makes this seemingly inevitable transition in 2015.