The ever-entertaining Jameis Winston certainly has his share of doubters among NFL fans and analysts. For every hater, though, there is a hopeful Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan ready to crown Winston king. And while this early in Winston’s career it is just as likely that he will be a bust as it is that he will be productive, there is definitely reason to believe he could one day be a star. Winston’s ability to throw the ball is obvious, but what could make him truly special is his intellect and work ethic.

Looking back at Winston’s final season in college, it is easy to point out his high interception total and the fact that he got his team into quite a few early deficits. However, looking at his two collegiate seasons as a whole, it is hard to deny that Winston was a great player. Two ACC Championships, a National Championship, a Heisman trophy and only one loss total is hard to argue against. Even with off-field issues, Winston was still considered the best player in the 2015 NFL Draft.

While many quarterbacks coming out of college now seem to rely on their ability to run the football and operate out of the spread offense, Winston is quite the opposite. Having two years of practice taking snaps under center and going through progressions in the passing game, Winston is clearly the most pro-ready quarterback since Andrew Luck. He’s really not all that athletic, but he is a bright kid and loves to learn. Remember, Winston could have gone to Stanford had he chosen to.

Most importantly for Winston and unlike Johnny Manziel, he will surely dedicate enough time studying film and his playbook to succeed. All indications so far are that Winston’s work ethic has been even better than expected. It isn’t easy becoming a competent NFL quarterback, and Winston knows that. It takes complete dedication to be great, and that’s what Winston wants. Remember at the combine when he said he wasn’t just competing against Marcus Mariota, but now Tom Brady and Peyton Manning? Winston has a drive and motivation that some players don’t and it will definitely play a part in him becoming the Buccaneers’ franchise QB, if he does. If Winston doesn’t make it, it won’t be because he didn’t work hard enough.

Even if Winston is someday destined for greatness, he could still have a fairly rough 2015. Rookie QBs often throw a ridiculous number of interceptions (see: Luck, 2012) and high draft choices like Winston are usually not surrounded by stellar teams. However, in an NFC South that was won by a team with a losing record in 2014, Winston could be leading the Bucs to somewhere most people don’t expect.

David Rumsey is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Beat Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter (@David_Bucs) for more Bucs’ news and analysis.