Jon Gruden: Jameis Winston can win early in NFL

Jon Gruden is in love with Florida State’s Jameis Winston as a quarterback prospect.

Former Oakland Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Jon Gruden likes Jameis Winston a lot. Tell me something new, right?

Gruden, in his sixth year running his made-for-ESPN “Gruden’s QB Camp”, seems to like every quarterback who steps under center. Gruden is effusive in his praise for nearly every player who can simply take a snap without dropping it.

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But Gruden’s praise for the Florida State quarterback should not be dismissed simply because it stands in line with his comments on so many other quarterbacks of this generation. Instead, Gruden knows what he’s talking about at the quarterback position.

Having the opportunity since leaving coaching to take a step back, Gruden recognizes just how difficult the position is to play in the NFL and clearly has a new found appreciation for guys who play the position well.

Winston is of course the likely No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft, which will commence on April 30 in Chicago–for the first time not held in New York City since it became one of the major events on the NFL calendar.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers hold the No. 1 pick this year, and look like the favorite to take Winston and put him on Gruden’s former team. That is reason for Gruden to celebrate.

For starters, Gruden loves Winton’s confidence. “Winston is as advertised, and I don’t remember seeing many 21-year-olds with his level of confidence.”

Opponents of Winston would argue that confidence borders, perhaps even crosses, on cockiness and arrogance, and leads to a bravado whereby he believes he can get away with anything on or off the football field.

Gruden would respond to such claims this way, “Winston is very charismatic and fun to be around. He loves it (football) and has lots of energy.”

Those are the same reports which have come out of Tallahassee for two seasons. Everyone believes Winston is a football junkie and in love with the game. No one denies that Winston is a charismatic teammate whom players will lay heart and soul on the line for in the heat of battle.

Everyone knows all those things. Everyone, too, knows that he is a uniquely talented football player–one of the best pure passing prospects to come around in the last decade. Only Andrew Luck was obviously better simply as a passer and a thinker on the field.

Gruden sees all those things in Winston. And he sees the intangibles.

Say what you want about Gruden, but he knows quarterbacks. He knows Winston should be a great pro.

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