Florida State Seminole quarterback Jameis Winston has been through practically it all during his brief tenure with the program. From Heisman Trophy winner to Crab leg thief, Winston has been praised on the field while being ridiculed off of it. Now, he will face a completely new evaluation process as he has declared himself eligible for the 2015 NFL Draft, according to his father. Just one year removed from winning the Heisman Trophy and completing an undefeated season, Winston struggled with inconsistency, throwing for a disappointing 25 touchdowns and 18 interceptions.
While some quarterbacks may have been benched, Winston continued to lead the ‘Noles to win after win until those turnovers finally caught up to him in the College Football Playoff loss to the Oregon Ducks. Winston’s intangibles are immeasurable and many draft experts have Winston slotted to be picked second overall by the Tennessee Titans. In a conference call Tuesday, McShay even dared to say that Winston is a better NFL prospect than his classmate, Marcus Mariota.
“[Florida State quarterback] Jameis Winston, to me, is the better prospect,” McShay said. “Marcus Mariota is still a very good prospect but needs developing. They both have a chance to be great. But they both come with red flags. Winston’s red flags are off the field.”
During the 2013 season, Winston burst onto the scene, throwing for 4,057 yards, 40 touchdowns and only 10 interceptions and led his team to arguably their best year in program history. When teams evaluate Winston, they will continue to refer to this season and the drastic upside that he possesses. All the while, NFL franchises must ponder the internal debate on whether or not the red flags Winston has raised are worth the risk? One lucky team will say yes and have themselves an exceptional NFL quarterback.
Nonetheless, a formal announcement is expected to be made later this afternoon.
*Section Photo credit to Joel Auerbach, Getty Images; Featured Photo (above) credit to Jayne Kamin-Oncea, USA Today Sports.
