The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are not hiding their interest in Jameis Winston. The former Florida State quarterback is projected as the No. 1 overall draft pick this April according to almost every mock draft. The question then becomes will the Tampa Bay Buccaneers be the one selecting him or will they accept a trade from another team and move down the board. With draft prospects officially allowed to visit teams for workouts, Winston was the first one in to Tampa facilities.
The Buccaneers confirmed they hosted Winston for an all-day meeting. The quarterback arrived in Tampa on Monday and will stay until Wednesday. The timing of the trip is interesting considering most prospects do not begin working out for teams until April when individual Pro Days are complete. However, the NFL was aware of the trip and cleared gave it clearance. If the Buccaneers were trying to bluff about their draft intentions, they are not doing a very good job.
After releasing Josh McCown, the Buccaneers have not been quiet regarding their interest in Winston. Head coach Lovie Smith spoke at the NFL scouting combine and said he was not concerned about Winston's off-the-field issues and liked what he saw in the prospect.
"Right now, with the information that we have now, I understand the allegations against him," Smith said, via the Tampa Bay Times. "I understand he's been through the justice system to be exonerated. I understand some of the college things that people do that you wish you hadn't (done) later on. You just take all the information you can get at this point. It's early. But right now, we haven't taken him off of our list."
With Winston looking more and more likely to be the No. 1 overall draft pick, the race is on to acquire Marcus Mariota. According to ESPN's Todd McShay, Mariota will be headed to the New York Jets at No. 6 as they need to find help for Geno Smith. However, trades are circling the former Oregon star and reigning Heisman winner as several teams would love to jump up and get him.
According to NFL sources, the Cleveland Browns, Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins are all in the running to jump up to board for Mariota. The Tennessee Titans could also be an option, but the team continues to place their faith in the potential of Zach Mettenberger. The chances Mariota drops to No. 6 seem slim, but New York would certainly not mind if the quarterback fell into their laps.