For many NFL pundits and media members, the question of who the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and head coach Lovie Smith will select first-overall in the 2015 NFL Draft in April has not yet been answered.
For others, there's simply no two ways about it.
"The Buccaneers will select Jameis Winston, quarterback, Florida State," writes Mike Tanier, NFL National Lead Writer for Bleacher Report.
While Tanier can't see into the future and thus can't be one-hundred percent, unequivocally certain about Smith's plans, he says there is already league-wide acceptance of where the soon-to-be second-year Bucs head coach's affection lies and it's not with Oregona's signal-caller, Marcus Mariota.
"Creating suspense around the Buccaneers' top pick is like trying to push a school bus up a freeway on-ramp. Lovie Smith's desire to select Winston is an open secret," Tanier reveals.
"The Buccaneers need a quarterback desperately and just released Josh McCown to pave the way for a newcomer. And Winston is just a demonstrably better size-speed-arm prospect than Oregon's Marcus Mariota, who has more of an Alex Smith skill set."
NFL Media analyst Mike Mayock added his own voice to the Winston-to-the-Bucs chorus during a telephone conference ahead of the NFL Scouting Combine.
"My gut tells me they're going to go with a quarterback, and at this point I would guess it's Jameis Winston, just because he fits what they do more," Mayock said.
Winston, of course, has all the physical assets necessary to thrive in an NFL offense, but he comes with question marks in terms of decision-making both on and off the field.
On the field, he throws more interceptions than teams are obviously comfortable with. Off of it, he's dealt with legal issues ranging from a sexual assault investigation to playing with BB guns on campus and a lot of places in between.
Mariota's red-flags have developed on the opposite end of the quarterbacking spectrum - he's a clean kid and an intelligent decision-maker, but he may be a product of the spread offensive system he ran in college.
"They've got a ton of homework ahead of them, and I think both quarterbacks have question marks," Mayock said.
Still, it seems that Winston to the Bucs - at least according to some - is a near-lock at this point.
