We are now less than one week away from the NFL draft and there is no indication on what the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will do with the No. 1 pick. At this point, I would be shocked if Tampa passes on Florida State QB Jameis Winston. In my opinion, he is definitely the best quarterback in the draft.
But according to one unnamed NFL executive, Winston compares to one of the biggest busts in draft history.
"With Jameis Winston I see JaMarcus Russell," the exec told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. "Lack of focus by JaMarcus is what I see in Winston. They're physically talented, but during the course of a game they kind of lose their focus and just put the ball up for grabs. I see the body. I see the lack of focus. I see the same coach and system. Only Winston's not as good an athlete and his arm isn't as strong as JaMarcus'."
Really the only connection I see between the two is the fact that both guys were coached by Jimbo Fisher. Fisher was the offensive coordinator for LSU when Russell was taken No. 1 overall in 2007 by the Oakland Raiders.
"Is this guy really going to be the first pick of the draft? You'd be drafting a quarterback that can't run, has off-field problems, has no power in his legs and makes bad decisions on the field. Somebody's going to make a horrible mistake," another personnel man told the Journal.
It would be shocking if Winston isn't a success on the field. He is so much better than Russell, and it's not even close. The only way I see Winston failing is if he continues to do dumb things off of the field.
