Jameis Winston: I can be trusted





INDIANAPOLIS – The bulk of Jameis Winston's resume has been an open book, pieced together by his performances on college football fields across the country.

At Florida State, Winston won a Heisman Trophy and guided the Seminoles to a national title. He went 26-1 in two seasons. While he has some on-field flaws, most agree he's big enough, strong enough and tough enough to be a starting quarterback in the NFL.

It's the fear of the unknown that hovers over Winston. Here at the NFL Combine, his off-field issues give teams looking for a face-of-a-franchise player reason to pause, and Winston knows it.

"I know I've made mistakes. I know I have a past,'' Winston said Friday. "But right now it is about me moving forward and earning the trust of these 32 teams out there."

Winston promised he can be trusted to stay out of trouble and win games. He wants to be a role model for kids.

"My job as a quarterback is to be the face of a franchise. My job is to win games and hopefully win Super Bowls. I know that is a big responsibility. Whatever is behind me is behind me,'' he said.

"I believe everything that happens here (at the Combine) is very important. This is our first job interview. Of course I want to make a good first impression because first impressions last a long time. I am a young man, but now I am going to the next level to take a grown man's position. And that is important to me. Football is my passion."

Tampa Bay, with the first overall pick in the NFL Draft, already has done plenty of research on Winston, and it looks as though the Buccaneers already have bought in. Coach Lovie Smith even said this week "from what I know right now, we're OK with where he is."

If the Buccaneers pass on Winston, however, the Titans would have a choice with the second overall pick. But is taking Winston too risky? That's something the Titans will have to consider.

"I think for us, when it comes to any player, Jameis included, you have to do your due diligence on them. You have to do your research,'' Titans general manager Ruston Webster said. "You have to know what the reality of the situation is and don't just go along with perception. Give the player, I don't want to say benefit of the doubt, but do your research so you know what the real questions are, the real answers are, and give him a fair shake.

"For us, we have done a lot of work on Jameis and we'll continue to do a lot of work on Jameis just like these other guys at No. 2, or in the draft in general. I just don't want to go off perception. I want to know what reality is with him, and we'll give him a fair shake."

Shake Winston's tree and this is what falls out:

• A quarterback who threw for 4,057 yards with 40 touchdown passes and 10 interceptions en route to winning a national title during the 2013 season. His numbers weren't as pretty in 2014, when he lost a lot of talent around him, but he still guided the Seminoles into the College Football Playoffs while throwing for 3,907 yards with 25 touchdowns and 18 interceptions.

• He's also a young man with well-documented off-field issues. Winston faced a lengthy sexual assault investigation but was not charged and was cleared by the university. He was suspended for three baseball games for the theft of crab legs from a grocery store in Tallahassee, and he also was suspended after making an "offensive and vulgar" reference in a public display on campus.

Everything must be taken into consideration.

"My concern number one is on the field,'' NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock said. "I think he throws too many interceptions. However, I can see everything I want on the field, on tape, beyond that. He throws with anticipation and timing. He's tough. He gets smacked in the face. He delivers the football.

"I think the bigger concern is whether or not he can be the face of your franchise. Let's face it; he was the face of the Florida State franchise and that didn't stop him from making a bunch of bad decisions off the field."

The Titans have plenty to ponder at the position.

In this year's draft, they're also evaluating Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota. The biggest questions for Mariota center on his ability to adjust to a pro-style offense after playing in an unconventional, spread offense in college.

Then there's Zach Mettenberger. The Titans felt comfortable picking Mettenberger in the sixth round of last year's draft despite some baggage. Mettenberger started six games for the Titans in 2014, and the Titans like him.

Do they like him enough to pass on the quarterbacks in this year's draft class?

"We have to do what we feel like is the best for us at the quarterback position," Titans coach Ken Whisenhunt said.

Winston is doing his best here to convince teams he can be counted on, starting with the interview process. He also plans to throw at the NFL Combine, putting talk about a sore throwing shoulder to rest.

In time, Winston hopes to be the top quarterback taken in this year's draft.

At that point, the comparisons between himself and Mariota should stop, he said.

"I am not into no competition type of thing. I am here to win games, and to be the face of someone's franchise,'' Winston said. "This is no competition between me and Mariota. Because one thing about me is I plan on winning the Super Bowl the next year, so it is going to be Jameis against Peyton Mannings and Jameis vs. Tom Bradys. I want to be viewed like that.

"After all this Combine stuff, you are not going to hear any more about Jameis Winston vs. Marcus Mariota. But I want my name to stay relevant for the next 15 to 20 years of my career."

Reach Jim Wyatt at 615-259-8015 and on Twitter @jwyattsports.