Jameis Winston Declares For NFL Draft: Where Will He Go?

by Anthony FalcoJanuary 7, 2015, 10:47 amNews >

Well it appears that earlier reports about Jameis Winston waiting to announce his decision were wrong: as of Wednesday morning, Winston has officially declared for the 2015 NFL Draft.

According to Winston’s father, who has been making the announcements for his son, Jameis made a final firm decision Tuesday night and wanted to move forward with his life. Antonor Winston also claimed his decision was finalized after both the NFL draft advisory committee and other experts listed him as a high first round draft pick: specifically ranking him as a top two QB with Heisman winner Marcus Mariota.

Winston will finish his career at Florida State as a red-shirt Sophomore with a career record of 26-1: his first loss came during this year’s college playoffs against Oregon. And though he did struggle in 2014, he still finishes his career at Florida State with a 66 completion percentage, 7,964 yards, 72 total touchdowns, 28 interceptions and career passer rating of 163.3.

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Now, the big question is where will he go: various teams need a QB next year — experts have estimated that as many as nine teams could draft a quarterback in the 2015 draft. And in the top ten, four teams need one: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tennessee Titans, New York Jets and St. Louis Rams.

But after all of his off the field antics, will these teams feel comfortable in drafting him so high? With the new rookie contracts, draftees know exactly how much they will make by where they are picked: are any of these four teams willing to invest into Winston, who has been suspended, arrested and accused of a sexual assault? Teams do not want to deal with these headlines anymore: they do not want the fallout of the next Ray Rice situation.

At the same time, organizations want to win: and as long as they see Winston as the best option, uSports can see him going to a Tampa Bay or any of the other three teams in the top ten. Hypothetically, if he does drop, the other teams that desperately need a QB are the Cardinals, Texans, Bills and possibly even the Eagles or Browns. And to be honest, if by any chance Winston drops that far, these teams will likely happily take him: barring a poor combine and interview with the team.