For a few months now, people have just assumed that Jameis Winston would end up as the top overall draft pick in the 2015 NFL draft later this month, and that assumption is likely correct. Everyone has also assumed that it will be the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that pick Winston in that slot, and while that still looks likely, it no longer seems like a foregone conclusion.
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According to ESPN, Winston is scheduled to meet with the New York Jets sometime this week. The Jets have made it known that they are interested in drafting a quarterback, so it makes sense that they are doing their homework on the best available prospects. However, Winston will almost certainly be off the board by the sixth pick (when the Jets draft), and general manager Mike Maccagnan has not ruled out the possibility of the team trading up in the draft.
The cost to move up, even from the sixth pick, into the top two would be quite high. When they drafted Robert Griffin III, Washington surrendered a bounty of picks, including multiple future first rounders. The Jets may be willing to pay the price if they are sure that Winston could be their man, although they are probably much more likely to trade up if they are also comfortable drafting Oregon prospect Marcus Mariota (thus ensuring that they could land one of the quarterbacks they desire with the second pick).
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The Jets have also either already had or scheduled meetings with other prospects, including UCLA's Brett Hundley and Baylor's Bryce Petty, so there is no guarantee that the team will look to move up on draft day to snag Winston.
But teams have been known to fall in love with a player and sacrifice a huge amount in order to land the guy that they think will be the future of the franchise.
While they will undoubtedly do their best to disguise their intentions until a deal is in place, there is a real sense from other teams in the top ten that the Jets could be the biggest threat to trade up.
Perhaps Winston could be part of Gang Green after all.
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