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With the first pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers gambled on Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston. Unfortunately for Lovie Smith and Co., that gamble will not pay off in the long run.
On the surface, Winston seems like a great quarterback with the potential to be a star in the NFL. He’s got the size, athleticism and arm talent to succeed as the Buccaneers’ starter, but it’s not that simple. There’s much that goes into being a successful NFL quarterback.
One of the key components is mental toughness, something that Winston may seem to have – however, that’s not the case.
Just look back at this last season. Even looking past all of the off-field issues, which all also serious concerns, Winston routinely got the Seminoles into sticky situations they narrowly managed to get out of.
Look at the Louisville game, during which Winston threw three interceptions and completed just over half of his passes. If it wasn’t for a fourth-quarter meltdown by the Cardinals defense, Winston would have shouldered the blame for that loss. Or the Florida game, during which Winston threw four interceptions and looked utterly awful. Luckily for him, a big game from Dalvin Cook and a pitiful Gators offense kept his record unblemished.
Or maybe you can look at the Oregon game, during which he simply didn’t step up on the game’s biggest stage. Between an unforced fumble and a general look of defeat in the second half, Winston didn’t shine like a NFL-caliber quarterback should – he looked like a child ready to cry after not getting his way.
As talented as Winston may be from a physical standpoint, it’s his lack of mental toughness that’s going to cost him in the long run. He couldn’t keep his cool in pressure situations, and was often bailed out of difficult situations by his talented supporting cast. In the NFL, his teammates won’t be able to dig him out of holes the way they did at Florida State.
The whole can’t stay out of trouble thing is only further evidence of his lack of mental toughness.
Whichever team drafts Marcus Mariota will be happier in five years. I guarantee it.
