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Florida State Seminoles quarterback Jameis Winston throws during FSU Football Pro Day. (Phil Sears | USA TODAY Sports)

In case you were a NFL fan living under a rock on Tuesday, you probably heard about Jameis Winston's impressive performance at Florida State's Pro Day.

Winston is widely projected to be the No. 1 overall pick when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are on the clock on April 30, and did nothing to hurt his stock at the workout. Winston threw over 100 passes in front of NFL coaches, scouts, and front office personnel, and left a positive impression on one ex-Giants coach who knows a thing or two about developing quarterback prospects: Kevin Gilbride.



Gilbride, now an analyst for NBC Sports, dissected the good and the bad of Winston's Pro Day, but said there was nothing about the workout that should dissuade the Bucs from making him their new franchise quarterback.

"The things that I kind of expected to see, the strength, the size, even the leadership the way he handled his teammate were all positive, all good things," Gilbride said. "I don't think the accuracy necessarily was the greatest accuracy I've ever seen. The things that would have caused me to pause a little bit, those 5 to 10 yard throws, those swing passes to the back, those throws that have to be so perfect so that the player that catches it can do something with it after he catches it, were not nearly as accurate as he needs to be on a consistent basis."

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Gilbride also said that Winston could improve his footwork in the pocket, and that he has "a little bit of a pitcher's motion," and will need to quicken his release at the professional level.

"What bothered me a little bit was when he moved, broke the pocket, he looked very awkward, very uncomfortable, which I was very surprised," Gilbride said.

Having served as the Giants' quarterbacks coach since the day that Eli Manning was drafted in 2004, and later becoming the team's offensive coordinator until 2013, Gilbride said he saw some physical similarities between the two passers. Gilbride said Winston has attributes similar to both Manning and Drew Bledsoe, another quarterback he coached for two seasons with the Buffalo Bills.

"[Winston]'s kind of in between [Manning and Bledsoe]," Gilbride said. "His arm strength would compare probably to Eli's, his accuracy was not at Eli's level. His arm strength was not at Drew Bledsoe's level. If you're talking about those two, you're talking about pretty good company."

It's safe to say the Bucs would be more than happy with a Manning/Bledsoe outcome for Winston's career. The former is a two-time Super Bowl champion and the latter a four-time Pro Bowl passer who had a very good 14-year career.

For more from Gilbride on Winston, check out the video below.

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Nick Powell may be reached at npowell@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @nickpowellbkny. Find NJ.com Giants on Facebook.