2015 NFL Draft: Jameis Winston Will Be A Bust
The football world has apparently fallen in love with Jameis Winston. While he is supposed to be the Tampa Bay Buccaneers savior as the first pick overall, I am not sold on the Florida State quarterback.
Winston has red flags on and off the field; he is without a doubt the riskiest selection of the 2015 NFL Draft. While Winston has the talent to potentially prove me wrong, let me be the one analyst who will call Winston on his problems.
I could go into his immaturity and his knack for finding trouble and ask if he really should be the face of a franchise; but let’s put his past buffoonery to the side. My argument will be solely based on what he is on the football field.
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Winston looks the part, and he is selling himself like a pro. He is saying all the right things. The problem is that I have seen too much not to like on the football field, to believe it.
Winston played at Florida State, surrounded by talent. Every week was the same tiring act. The overly talented Seminoles would get into trouble against a less talented team.
Often times it was Winston’s fault that they were struggling in the first place. Then Winston would make clutch plays in the end of the game, saving the team from the mess that he created.
Winston is the master of the negative play at the quarterback position. While he put up some gaudy numbers he also put up numbers that should give you reservations about Winston.
Mar 31, 2015; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Jameis Winston throws during FSU Football Pro Day at the Albert J. Dunlap Athletic Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Phil Sears-USA TODAY Sports
In 2013 Winston only threw 10 interceptions but was sacked an insane 27 times. In 2014, Winston threw 18 interceptions and was sacked 17 times. While some of those interceptions were not Winston’s fault, the majority were inexcusable mistakes by Winston.
Winston is not a good decision maker. Much like Johnny Manziel did, he leans on his legs to get himself out of trouble.
Sometimes he looks like Ben Roethlisberger, a big mobile QB playing backyard football. Other times he looks like Manziel, up a creek without a paddle. Winston’s often late delivery results in an interception.
Winston’s mechanics leave a lot to be desired as well. He has an elongated and slow throwing motion, very comparable to Byron Leftwich. Winston may play in a pro-style offense, but he is not as pro ready as it may seem.
The number one responsibility of a quarterback is to avoid negative plays. Winston’s flaws create many negative plays. People want to compare Winston to Roethlisberger but he isn’t even close.
I used to call Tony Romo, Brett Favre without the magic. Romo was always a gunslinger who tried to do it himself. Favre got away with his coach frustrating tendencies because he was pure magic.
Winston is like Big Ben without the magic. He has the same extend the play and make something happen mindset, and he is a big athlete who is hard to bring down. But Winston simply cannot get away with it at the next level.
Winston is selling it well, but he is an awfully flawed prospect. He has incredible talent and he could surely prove me wrong, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable drafting him if I were an NFL GM. Winston may or may not be a bust, but he is certainly not the magician under center he is supposed to be.