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Evaluating Jameis Winston’s 2015 NFL Draft Stock After Week 12

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By @DaveCuff

Jameis Winston Florida State

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Jameis Winston is one of the most talented players in college football. He is also one of the most controversial. Going into this season, Winston was seen as a virtual lock to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft. His off-field issues, however, have hurt his draft stock. The question now for teams is do they draft him because of his talent or stay away due to his immaturity?

Winston has an elite NFL-ready arm and is a proven winner. He is currently 23-0 as the starting quarterback at Florida State, and led them to a National Title last season. He has led multiple comebacks and is fearless on the field. His ability to put up huge numbers and win games helped him win the Heisman Trophy as a redshirt Freshman last season. Winston can throw the deep ball, has solid accuracy and can scramble when needed.

Physically, he has everything you look for in a quarterback prospect.

Off the field is where the questions come into play. Winston has been involved in everything from a sexual assault case to stealing crab legs. This season, he was suspended for a game after standing on a table at the FSU student union and shouting a phrase someone who has been involved in a sexual assault case probably shouldn’t shout.

Winston is only 20 years old, so some of his antics can be correlated to his young age, but does an NFL franchise really want to pay millions of dollars to someone who may or may not end up maturing? Many would say no, and it’s hard to disagree.

There aren’t many first-round caliber quarterbacks in this year’s draft class, so that helps Winston’s stock. Oregon‘s Marcus Mariota is the only other QB who can match Winston in terms of talent level, and will likely be the first QB drafted. That leaves Winston as the second QB off the board and a likely top-10 pick. We have seen teams reach for QBs in the past and this year will be no different. Especially considering Winston is only a reach when you consider his off-field incidents.

Winston’s draft stock has certainly taken a hit this season, but he remains an elite prospect. If there weren’t the concerns about his maturity level, he would be competing with Mariota to be the top prospect in the draft. Even with his issues he remains a likely top-10 pick and a definite first-rounder. Teams like the New York Jets, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and St. Louis Rams will all be in the mix for Winston.

He has the on field ability to have a career like Donovan McNabb and the immaturity to become a bust like Ryan Leaf. He is a high-risk, high-reward prospect, and you better believe teams will be very careful before selecting Winston as their franchise QB.

David Cuff is a University of Michigan Football writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @DaveCuff, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.

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