Will Jameis Winston still be on the board when the Jets are drafting at No. 6 in April? Will they roll the dice on him if he is?
Those are going to be fascinating questions that will be asked for the next three months after Winston declared for the draft Wednesday, leaving Florida State for the NFL and possibly giving the Jets a tough decision.
Winston and Oregon’s Marcus Mariota are considered the top two quarterbacks expected to be in this year’s draft. Mariota is expected to declare for the draft after Monday’s national championship game.
The Jets saw their chances at either quarterback decrease with wins in two of their final three games. They wound up at No. 6 in the draft order, which may be good enough to land one or they could trade up if they love Winston or Mariota.
With Winston, the Jets need to figure out whether his talent outweighs the off-field problems that have followed him at Florida State – from rape allegations to stealing crab legs to shouting an obscenity on campus. (The woman who accused Winston of sexual assault filed a lawsuit in federal court Wednesday, accusing Florida State of fostering a hostile environment and making an unreasonable response to her allegations.)
Every team at the top of the draft is going to have to figure that out, but the Jets have the added layer of playing in the New York area, near the temptations of Manhattan.
“From a Jets perspective, if Jameis Winston was going through what he’s gone through in the last year in New York City or in the New York media market, can you imagine?” ESPN Draft analyst Todd McShay told The Post in November. “You’ve got to be damn sure that it’s a maturity thing and he’s learned his lesson and all this stuff is behind him.”
The biggest question for the new Jets general manager and head coach is going to be what their plan is at quarterback. Geno Smith finished with a perfect rating in the final game against the Dolphins, but that can’t overshadow the struggles he had all year. With a thin free agent market at the position, the Jets are going to have to seriously weigh whether to move up to get one of the quarterbacks or hope one falls to them at No. 6. The Buccaneers are expected to draft a quarterback with the No. 1 overall pick. After them, there are a few teams (Titans? Redskins?) that might draft a quarterback but no locks.
There is no denying what Winston can do on the field. The Heisman Trophy winner in 2013, Winston went 26-1 as a starter, leading the Seminoles to the national championship a year ago. His lone loss came last week in the Rose Bowl to Oregon and Mariota.
Winston threw for 3,907 yards, 25 touchdowns and had 18 interceptions this season. He also rushed for three touchdowns.
“If Winston is there, it’s the decision that every team at the top of the draft who needs a quarterback will have to make, it’s a really hard decision,” McShay said on a conference call Tuesday. “If you are making the decision based on tape — the football aspect of it — Jameis Winston is the better prospect, the best quarterback prospect in this draft. He’s better inside the pocket than Mariota, which is where the foundation of an evaluation should be: Can he win from inside the pocket?
“Jameis Winston is the better prospect. Marcus Mariota is a good prospect, but needs developing,” McShay concluded. “I think both have a chance to be great, but both come with red flags and Winston’s are off the field. There’s a chance he gets to 6 even though he is the best quarterback. There’s a chance both are off the board.”
There had been speculation about Winston returning to Florida State after he said he was looking forward to baseball season. A pitcher for the Seminoles, Winston was drafted by the Rangers in the 15th round in 2012. Winston hired Greg Genske of The Legacy Agency as his agent. Genske is a baseball agent, signaling Winston possibly wants to keep playing baseball.
“After weighing this decision with my family and friends, I have decided to declare for the 2015 NFL Draft and forgo my remaining eligibility at Florida State,” Winston said in a statement. “I reached this very difficult decision after careful consideration and long thought, realizing how difficult it would be to say goodbye to my family at Florida State. I am eternally grateful for the opportunity to wear the garnet and gold and have greatly enjoyed my time as a Seminole, both as an athlete and a student in the classroom.”