Buccaneers’ GM calls Jameis Winston’s Pro Day workout ‘outstanding’

By Evan Massey | Mar 31, 2015

Feb 21, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Florida State Seminoles quarterback Jameis Winston throws a pass during the 2015 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /

Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht called Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston’s workout “outstanding” this afternoon.

The 2015 NFL Draft is drawing closer and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are beginning to look in-depth at the two top quarterback prospects. Marcus Mariota is one name that has come up, but it seems like the Buccaneers are more locked in on Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston. General manager Jason Licht saw Winston work out this afternoon, and he called his workout outstanding.

Jameis Winston's Pro Day has concluded at FSU. #Buccaneers GM Jason Licht told reporters Winston's pro day workout was "outstanding."
— SiriusXM NFL Radio (@SiriusXMNFL) March 31, 2015

There are plenty of pros and cons to the Buccaneers drafting Winston, but there is no denying the numbers that he put up in college. He only lost one game throughout his two college seasons, and won a National Championship in his freshman season.

More from NFL

During his two college seasons, Winston ended up throwing for 7,964 yards, 65 touchdowns and 28 interceptions.

At 6’4″ and 230 pounds, he is a very imposing physical presence. He reminds a lot of people of a Ben Roethlisberger type of player. Tampa Bay is looking for a player that they can build their franchise around, and from a physical standpoint he is certainly the type of quarterback that they can do just that.

Unfortunately, there are also some off-the-field issues that will need to be fixed before he reaches his full potential. He has been accused of rape and has done quite a few other questionable things off of the football field.

His second season at Florida State simply wasn’t quite what he was looking for, and it showed some flaws in his game. He failed to take care of the football as well as he did as a freshman, and seemed to fold on a big stage against the Oregon Ducks in the first ever college football playoff. Winston appeared to be overly frustrated with his teammates during that game, and didn’t want to accept much responsibility.

Jameis Winston

2013: 14-0, 66.9 Cmp Pct, 4057 Pass Yds, 40 TD, 10 INT
2014: 12-1, 65.3 Cmp Pct, 3907 Pass Yds, 25 TD, 18 INT
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) March 31, 2015

Despite all of the concerns, he has put together a very impressive offseason as the draft approaches. Seeing this type of comment from the Buccaneers’ general manager is a very good sign for Winston’s chances to end up being drafted by Tampa Bay.

It is going to be very interesting to watch both Mariota and Winston throughout their NFL careers, and to see which player ends up being better. They both have their concerns on and off-the-field, but the Buccaneers appear to be locked in on Winston. Keeping him in-state would certainly sell some tickets, and he does have a lot of potential assuming he continues working hard and stays out of trouble.

More from FanSided