It was first reported that Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston would not make a decision on his playing future until after the College Football Playoff National Championship game. But now, Winston's father has told members of the media that his son has officially decided to enter the 2015 NFL draft.
This is big news as Winston has the ability to affect several different NFL franchises.
Winston was awarded the Hesiman Trophy last season before leading FSU to victory over Auburn in the National Championship game. Winston and Oregon's Marcus Mariota are almost unanimously considered the top two quarterback prospects in college football. But ESPN draft insider Mel Kiper Jr. has Winston ranked slightly below Mariota on his latest Big Board. Kiper's colleague Todd McShay, however, believes that Winston could ultimately be the better pro.
"[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."
Despite McShay's vote of confidence, he acknowledges that Winston's repeated off-field incidents will negatively impact his draft stock. As such, McShay has the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selecting Mariota with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft, and the Tennessee Titans taking Winston with the No. 2 pick. Rob Rang of CBS Sports projects the same outcome.
But is it possible that the Titans are not as enamored with Winston as everyone seems to think? ESPN's Paul Kuharsky believes the Titans could look at an alternative.
"The Titans will be hoping for several [quarterback] needy teams to emerge in order to maximize their opportunities to trade out of the No. 2 spot, collect more picks and address other needs," Kuharsky wrote.
If the Titans want to move out of the No. 2 spot, the New York Jets would likely be an eager trading partner. The Jacksonville Jaguars (No. 3) and Oakland Raiders (No. 4) spent high picks on quarterbacks last year and the Washington Redskins (No. 5) seem to be willing to give Robert Griffin III one more year.
The Jets knows that Geno Smith is not the answer at quarterback and they've been rumored to be impressed with Winston for some time now. After six years of Smith and Mark Sanchez under center, New York is ready to make a splash at the quarterback position and with the sixth overall pick, they have the ammunition to move up.
Winston's numbers rank among the best in college football over the past two years. The 21-year-old is fourth in passing yards (7,964), fourth in touchdown passes (65) and second in passes of 20-plus yards (124) since the beginning of the 2013 season. Winston has also rushed for seven touchdowns in that time frame.
We don't know where Winston will ultimately wind up. But I'd be very surprised if it's not with one of these three teams.
