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2015 NFL Draft Combine Player Profile: Florida State QB Jameis Winston

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Jameis Winston Florida State Seminoles

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Heading into the 2015 NFL Draft Combine, there are two quarterbacks who stand head and shoulders above the rest, but if you’re going off of pure talent alone, Jameis Winston is the clear No. 1 choice. Tales of Winston’s football prowess have almost become legendary, as he is this 6-foot-4, 230 pound beast who is nimble in the pocket and can make any throw on the field that is required of an NFL quarterback.

One of the many things that separates him from the pack is his football IQ; at 12 years old he was already breaking down Man to Man, Cover 2, and Cover 3 defenses and the routes that would be the most effective against them. In the ninth grade he ran a subpar 4.8 40 time in front of Nick Saban and his assistants, went off to go train with a specialist on his footwork, and came back two weeks later to get his time down to a 4.6. Winston knows the importance of always improving his game and getting a step ahead of his competition.

At Florida State, he ran a pro-style offense with spread elements, so his adjustment to the NFL shouldn’t be that dramatic. The main question with him is his maturity and the off the field issues. I personally believe the crab incident was a bit overblown because if you look at the video, it’s basically his friend who works at the grocery store hooking him up with free crab legs, but the other concerns are pretty legitimate.

If you look at Jamarcus Russell, he too could throw the ball 75-80 yards and had all of the tools necessary to succeed in the NFL, however, he never made it in the league because he never had the drive to constantly get better in every area of the game like Winston does; so, that past example shouldn’t scare scouts away. All of the issues Johnny Manziel has had trying to adjust to the freedom you get as an adult in the real world might scare some teams away, but Cam Newton also had his fair share of issues in college, and he was able to figure it out and is now one of the elite quarterbacks in the NFL.

Despite all of the distractions that were swirling around Winston, his teammates still believed in and followed him because he is a leader. He may not be the typical Peyton Manning or Tom Brady leader, but he does find a way to connect with his teammates and gets them to play above their heads.

He threw quite a few interceptions this season, but the fact that he was throwing to a ton of freshmen and sophomores should not be overlooked. He’s a smart quarterback who knows to rely on his security blankets in his tight end and No. 1 receiver whenever a big play is needed.

In two years, he threw for nearly 8,000 yards and 65 touchdowns, all while completing 66 percent of his passes in a pro-style offense. And his numbers improved in the second half of nearly every game he played in, so he doesn’t crumble under the pressure.

The Combine should solidify his spot as the overall No. 1 pick this April.

Kelly Anderson is a blogger for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @bgipp01 or add him to your network on Google.

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