Florida State football: 5 great players who didn’t live up to the NFL hype

Without question, Jameis Winston has produced more in the NFL than any of the other Florida State football greats mentioned on this list. However, if you’re talking about busts and former Seminoles who never lived up to expectations at the next level, it’s hard not to talk about Winston after all of the buzz he generated coming out of college.

Though there were only two years where Winston was the starter for FSU, there’s no denying his greatness. As a redshirt freshman, the quarterback did absolutely everything you could ask from him. He threw for 4,057 yards, 40 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, which led to him winning the Heisman Trophy. More importantly, he led the Seminoles to the mountaintop as they won the BCS National Championship.

It’s worth noting that Winston definitively was not as good in his redshirt sophomore campaign with Florida State. He threw for 3,907 yards and 25 touchdowns but threw 18 interceptions along the way as his decision-making and gunslinging was a problem at times. Still, he led the Noles to the College Football Playoff, but they lost to Oregon in the Rose Bowl. Winston declared for the 2015 NFL Draft thereafter.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Winston with the No. 1 overall pick, pegging him as the franchise guy. And again, he’s produced in the NFL. He led the NFL in passing yards in 2019 and has thrown for 121 touchdowns over five seasons along with 19,737 yards. However, he’s also thrown 88 interceptions and is only 28-42 as a starter. That’s why the Bucs didn’t bring him back after his rookie contract and why he’s now a backup in New Orleans. He’s never been the No. 1 pick franchise-changer he was largely expected to be.

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