Jameis Winston Pro Day: What did we learn?

The NFL world was focused on former Seminoles’ quarterback Jameis Winston as all 32 teams were represented at Florida State’s pro day. Winston left no stone unturned by completing 91 of his 102 scripted passes. By comparison, fellow 2015 NFL draft prospects Bryce Petty and Marcus Mariota attempted 77 and 65 passes at their pro days respectively according to a Jenna Laine report on SportsTalkFlorida.com.

Winston wanted to prove early on that he can be accurate while throwing on the run. With the help of personal coach George Whitfield, Winston executed roll out passes while being chased with large broom sticks. However, not everyone was keen to this extraordinary attempt at showcasing Winston’s passing skills on the move.

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According to NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger, Winston’s pro day workout may have been a bit over the top. “I think [Winston] was trying to make more out of it than he really needed to and some of his weaknesses kept showing up,” Baldinger said. “I don’t think this [workout] put him in the best spotlight.”

With regards to Winston’s scripted passes, former NFL MVP quarterback Kurt Warner expressed sentiments similar to Baldinger’s. “You just wonder if they’ve done too much with the movement that now there’s kind of a murmur that this hasn’t been a great pro day,” said Warner. After some uneven play, Winston eventually settled in and displayed the gifts that make him such a coveted NFL prospect.

Fellow NFL Network analyst Charles Davis was particularly impressed with the red zone portion of Winston’s workout. “I thought his red zone was really, really good. I saw the bounce back in Jameis Winston’s stride at that time,” Davis said.

At day’s end, I don’t think the purpose of a pro day is to discover new things about a prospect. After scouring through hours upon hours of game film, teams already have a sense for what type of player each prospect is. Instead, I feel a pro day is designed to reaffirm the things that we already knew about a player going into a workout.

Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /

We knew that Winston has a live arm and can make deep throws from the pocket, and he showed that he can do that at his pro day. We also knew that Winston has the charisma to interact with people when the cameras are rolling, and he certainly did that at his pro day as well. Coming into the workout, there were questions as to whether or not Winston could accurately throw on the run. After his pro day performance, it is clear that Winston’s ability to throw on the move is still a work in progress.

As the NFL draft rapidly approaches, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have not yet decided what to do with their all important number one draft pick. I think this pro day event was an important step in Tampa Bay’s decision making process for the simple fact of being in the company of Jameis Winston. Bucs’ head coach Lovie Smith was one of five NFL head coaches that attended Florida State’s pro day. In addition to Smith, the Buccaneers were also represented by general manager Jason Licht, offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter, and quarterbacks coach Mike Bajakian according to a Joe Kania report on Buccaneers.com.

Jan 6, 2014; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Lovie Smith is introduced as head coach during a press conference at One Buccaneer Place. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

With so many important personnel people from the Bucs’ organization on hand for Winston’s pro day, the Buccaneers are doing their due diligence in keeping a close eye on their potential franchise changing quarterback. The biggest remaining question mark about Jameis Winston as a pro prospect is his maturity level off the field. Unfortunately for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, there are no pro day drills that can reveal Winston’s acumen in this area.

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Jameis Winston’s pro day: What did we learn?

By Robert Brewer | Apr 1, 2015

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