The post NFL draft offseason, can't you just feel the optimism in the air? Division leaders bolstered their rosters while cellar-dwellers are ready to go from worst to first. Every team believes good things are on the horizon.
But which rookies are in the best position to actually help their teams achieve these goals? Jameis Winston, the No. 1 overall pick, seems to be in a position to succeed early for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He comes from a pro-style offense in which he demonstrated above-average pocket awareness and field vision. Plus, he's got a pair of 1,000 yard receivers in Vincent Jackson and Mike Evans. But the factors that will contribute to a hot start for Winston go beyond just that.
"For starters, head coach Lovie Smith is universally respected in the coaching profession for his credibility as a leader, his competency in the X's and O's element of the game, and for his positive impact on the coaches and players around him," ESPN Insider Louis Riddick wrote. "New offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter ran a multiple offense with the Falcons in terms of personnel groupings, formations and route designs, and those things aren't foreign to Winston after what he was asked to do at Florida."
Riddick was referring to Florida State University, where Winston won a National Championship and a Heisman Trophy.
Koetter will be able to leverage the team's pass-catching talent (don't forget about tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins) into easy, high percentage throws to help Winston acclimate quickly to the NFL level. Additionally, general manager Jason Licht invested two draft picks into offensive linemen (Donovan Smith and Ali Marpet) to better protect the new franchise quarterback. Lovie Smith will hopefully be able to improve a defense that finished 25th in both yards (368.9 per game) and points (25.6) last year.
Overall, the pieces already in place in Tampa Bay may enable Winston to hit the ground running. After four straight losing seasons, there is likely nothing Bucs fans want more.
