Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston is the frontrunner next Thursday to go No. 1 overall in the NFL Draft, despite myriad off-the-field concerns both serious and silly. With just days before the Draft, some executives are publicly questioning his on-field ability as well.
Winston was the 2013 Heisman Trophy winner, won the 2013 National Championship, and led the Seminoles to the 2014 College Football Playoff, where he suffered the only loss of his collegiate career to the Oregon Ducks and 2014 Heisman winner Marcus Mariota.
That success didn't stop one executive from making a comparison that could send the Tampa Bay Buccaneers running for the hills-former No. 1 pick JaMarcus Russell.
"With Jameis Winston I see JaMarcus Russell," the scout said. "Lack of focus by JaMarcus is what I see in Winston. They're physically talented, but during the course of a game they kind of lose their focus and just put the ball up for grabs.
"I see the body. I see the lack of focus. I see the same coach and system. Only Winston's not as good an athlete and his arm isn't as strong as JaMarcus'."
Another personnel man said he thinks Winston was a product of the talent surrounding him in Tallahassee. During his Heisman campaign he was surrounded by NFL talent, including Carolina Panthers wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin and Atlanta Falcons running back Devonta Freeman. After they left, Winston kept winning but his stats dropped dramatically.
In 2013 Winston threw for 4,057 yards and 40 touchdowns (10 interceptions) while rushing for an additional four scores. His production dropped precipitously the following year to 3,907 yards, 25 touchdowns and 18 picks.
"We're looking at another guy (Winston) that's a product of the system and has tremendous athletes around him. Oh my goodness," the second scout said.
"Is this guy really going to be the first pick of the draft? You'd be drafting a quarterback that can't run, has off-field problems, has no power in his legs and makes bad decisions on the field. Somebody's going to make a horrible mistake."
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