Mariota or Winston?

Redskin fans would kill to have the Panthers lack of success.

 

The big difference is, with Clowney I think the early questions were more the result of a few stories about him possibly sitting out to protect his draft status. He answered those by playing and it quickly became a non-issue.
With Winston, there's a clear pattern of reckless behavior (some of it stupid college stuff, yes, but still bad decision-making) that ought to make any franchise think twice before drafting him. In today's NFL, when a sneeze in the wrong direction can land you a four-game suspension, it's a very real concern.

 

You're the one who had Clowney slipping out of the first round, right? Might be time to scale back on the overheated pre-draft reactions.

With Winston, it's a bullshit concern. The rape is a big deal, but I presume NFL teams and their fixers will instruct him on how not to get caught for that. ("Don't rape" will be on the list, but low on the list.)

The other stuff is crap that no NFL team cares about. Barring another violent incident between now and April, he's going #1.

 

I'm not sure about that last part. He has shown a pattern of not being able to control himself and not worrying about consequences. I think back to the Dominik/Freeman story I posted yesterday, and I can easily see Winston being the guy who is repeatedly late to meetings or something like that. But he does love the game and he has shown no evidence (that we know of) that his immaturity affects him when it comes to the game. I would love to sit in on his combine interviews and see what I think then. I just don't trust the guy. But certainly he has the talent, and if the Bucs are satisfied with his answers he'll be the top pick.

 

I think back to the Dominik/Freeman story you posted yesterday and I get a good laugh that A) someone cares what Mark Dominik thinks about the draft; and B) someone thinks the college careers and draft-time NFL prospects of Josh Freeman and Jameis Winston are in any way similar.

 

Now, that's a #hottake. If you read the story you would know that a) Dominik is a former GM of the Bucs, who happen to have the No. 1 pick and b) it is not comparing their draft prospects, but their potential work habits.

 

I already know Dominik is a former GM of the Bucs. He sucked ass. That's why they're where they are now. Why would anyone give a shit what he thinks about the draft?

Their work habits as black quarterbacks are extremely noteworthy to you, I guess.

 

His work habits and maturity are noteworthy to me because I follow the Bucs closely and am curious what they are going to do. I was a huge fan of Winston until his pattern of idiocy developed. He was one of the better college QBs I've seen in a while. But I'm nervous his history combined with even more fame could be disastrous for the Bucs if they aren't 100 percent certain he can keep out of trouble. And he hasn't convinced me that he can.

 

I don't recall hearing anything negative about Winston's work habits. In fact the one thing I've heard everyone agree on is that he loves football.

The other stuff is pretty much a guy putting up with the bullshit of being stuck in college when he clearly shouldn't have to be.

 

Fair enough. It's clear that he loves football and works hard at it. But he also has displayed repeatedly that he doesn't think rules apply to him, and I am concerned about whether he will grow up. I hope I'm wrong, and once he gets out of college he does focus on the game.

 

Just like Johnny Football has!

 

I would like to hear more of your draft expertise, please.