Several red flags have been raised about Jameis Winston's off-the-field issues having an impact on his draft stock. On Wednesday, his play on the field was red-flagged for the same thing.
Profootballtalk.nbcsports.com, citing an interview on ESPN radio's Mike and Mike, ESPN football analyst Ron Jaworski became the first pundit to question Winston's skills as a passing quarterback.
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"I've studied a lot of him, I think Jameis Winston has a big upside in the NFL, but there are some real flaws to his game," Jaworski said. "Quite honestly, I would not take him at that No. 1 pick."
Winston led the Seminoles to a 27-1 record during his two years as the starting quarterback, and he won the Heisman Trophy as a freshman in 2013. He completed 66.9 percent of his passes for 4,057 yards with 40 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
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But his 2014 numbers were far pedestrian. Winston completed 65.3 percent of his passes for 3,907 yards but he had just 25 touchdown passes and 18 interceptions.
Neither his sophomore year numbers nor his widely reported off the field incidents - a rape accusation, a shoplifting ticket and screaming obscenities on campus to earn a suspension - seem to have an impact on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who reportedly are intent on taking the Seminoles quarterback No. 1.
But Jaworski's comments now bring another issue on the table that had not been mentioned before.
"I'm not talking about the off-the-field stuff. I have no comment on that because I'm not privy to that kind of information. But there are certainly mechanical flaws in his game that are troubling to me," Jaworski said.
Certainly, the studying Winston's game videos deserve another look if the Buccaneers are going to spend the No. 1 pick on him. Whether they agree or disagree with Jaworski remains to be seen, but they should exhaust all possibilities to make sure he's the player they want.
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