An in-depth look at the 2013 Heisman Trophy winner. Greg Gabriel National Football PostAugust 19, 2014, 12:32 PM EST..
Winston led the Seminoles to a perfect record and national championship last season. It remains to be seen if Florida State redshirt sophomore quarterback Jameis Winston will enter the NFL draft next spring, but all indications are that the Heisman Trophy winner is headed for the next level. A $10 million insurance policy has been purchased to protect Winston in the event of a catastrophic injury and loss of draft status. Usually when that happens, the player is off to the NFL the following season. The cost of the policy was reported to be in the $60,000 range and the Winston family was given help paying the bill by the Florida State Student Assistant Fund. This is totally legal and does not adversely affect eligibility according to the NCAA. When viewing tape of Winston, one thing is clear: He is a very talented player. The first thing that jumps out at me was what Winston was allowed to do in the FSU offense. During the 2012 season when E.J. Manuel was the FSU quarterback, the offense was a strict half field offense. Manuel was efficient running that system and ended up being the first quarterback selected during the 2013 NFL draft. Manuel was a fifth-year senior and two-year starter. I watched eight games on Manuel and I never once saw him look to the opposite side of the field. He usually had two or three reads all to the play side of the field. This was not the case in 2013 with Winston at quarterback. Last season, Florida State ran a full field offense for the entire season with Winston making reads to both sides of the field. Having a redshirt freshman run a more complex offense than a veteran did the year before tells you something about Winston’s instincts and his ability to learn and run an offense. Winston has great size, being listed at 6-4 – 230. He has a thick frame to go along with excellent strength and athleticism. He has very good feet, change of direction and speed for a big guy. I would estimate his speed at being in the low 4.6 range. In the Seminoles offense, Winston plays from both under center and in a spread. When under center, he can set up quickly and stay in balance. From both under center and in the spread, Winston demonstrates a good ability to read the defense and make sound decisions. His stats offer further proof of this high level of decision making. For the season, Winston completed 257 of 384 passes for 4,057 yards, 40 touchdowns and ten interceptions. He also ran for 219 yards. Winston has excellent arm strength and throws a tight, catchable ball. There simply is not a throw he cannot make. While he has a little hitch in his delivery, the Heisman Trophy winner still gets the ball out of his hand quickly and with accuracy. Winston consistently shows good ball placement and his deep accuracy is excellent. Winston is patient in the pocket and has a good feel for pass rushers. He has the size and strength to ward off tacklers and when he decides to run, he functions like another running back. Winston can throw equally well when on the run, rolling to his left or right. He also shows he can zip it into his receiver or throw with touch. To put it simply, when you notice that Winston has three more years of college eligibility, it’s scary to think how good he can become. Granted, he is surrounded by as good a supporting cast as there is in college football, but he still executes each play very well. The NFL player I would compare Winston to is Carolina signal-caller Cam Newton. While Winston’s throwing motion is a little tighter, they have similar arm strength. Winston plays in a more complex offense than Newton played in at Auburn and is allowed to do more. The main concern with Winston is not football-related, it’s his character. Going into his third year of college, he has already been involved in two off-field incidents that have reflected on his character. When he decides to turn pro, each NFL club will perform in-depth character research before deciding whether or not to draft him. From a pure talent viewpoint, Winston is the best quarterback available next year if he decides to come out. He very well could be the first pick in the draft. If Winston does enter the draft, we will update this report based on how he plays during the 2014 season. Follow Greg on Twitter: @greggabeTop college football quarterbacks to watch in 2014 Bucky Brooks NFL Media analyst NFL.comAug. 19, 2014 at 01:29 p.m. Scouts are already looking to the future to identify potential franchise quarterbacks in the collegiate ranks. Although it's way too early for speculation about what quarterbacks will become blue-chip players at the next level, evaluators are studying tape and making notes on the guys that will garner significant interest over the next few seasons. This is a preseason version of my Quarterback Tracker, which will let you know what quarterbacks to watch this fall. Remember, this isn't a 2015 draft preview list, but a compilation of college quarterbacks already generating interest in scouting rooms across the league.
10. Anthony Jennings, LSUJennings' inclusion on this list is a little premature based on his limited playing time, but I'm willing to take a chance on an exceptional talent who has shown flashes of brilliance in brief action. Measuring 6-2, 205 pounds with a big arm, Jennings is also a dynamic athletic with the speed and quickness to create chaos on the edges. Although he is a pass-first playmaker, his ability to extend plays with his feet will add a different dimension to LSU's offense. However, Cam Cameron's experience coaching Antwaan Randle El at Indiana could help him transform Jennings into one of the most feared playmakers in the SEC.
9. Jared Goff, CaliforniaIt's hard to heap a ton of praise on a quarterback with only one win under his belt as a starter, but anyone who watched Goff progress over the 2013 season could see his extraordinary talent and potential. The super sophomore is a polished pocket passer with A-plus arm talent and a terrific feel for the position. He is capable of making every throw in the book with zip and velocity, while also displaying the timing, touch and anticipation to make finesse throws down the field. Given more chances to toss the ball around the yard to a talented set of pass-catchers, Goff could lead the nation in passing yards as a second-year starter.
8. Christian Hackenberg, Penn StateThe 6-4, 220-pound flamethrower was spectacular as a freshman, completing nearly 59 percent of his passes for 2,955 yards with a 20:10 touchdown-to-interception ratio. More importantly, Hackenberg helped the Nittany Lions knock off a couple of Big Ten heavyweights (Michigan and Wisconsin), while displaying the kind of grit and determination scouts covet in franchise quarterbacks. With Hackenberg also showing impressive arm strength, anticipation and awareness at this stage of his career, NFL scouts are already salivating about his potential at the next level.
7. Kevin Hogan, StanfordHead coach David Shaw has routinely touted Hogan as a new-school quarterback with the versatility to effectively run read-option or function as a traditional pocket passer in the game plan. Those skills make him an intriguing prospect for teams looking for an athletic playmaker to direct an offense at the next level. Of course, Hogan must show scouts that he is more than a game manager after posting eight games with fewer than 200 passing yards in 2013. He also needs to display better big-game moxie after failing to play well in each of the Cardinal's three losses (Utah, USC and Michigan State) a season ago. If Hogan can make significant steps in each of those aforementioned areas, he is an ideal candidate to make a rise up the charts when scouts dig into his game this fall.
6. Connor Cook, Michigan StateEvaluators are keeping a close eye on Cook after the Michigan State standout put together a pair of impressive performances in the Big Ten Championship Game and Rose Bowl. He displayed the poise, moxie and resiliency to make big plays in a high-pressure environment with the game on the line in those contests. Additionally, Cook showcased the pocket-passing skills and arm strength to thrive in an offense that places the burden on the quarterback to create plays in the passing game. With Michigan State expected to open it up in 2014, Cook could make a major move up the charts this season.
5. Sean Mannion, Oregon StateCoaches and scouts love quarterbacks with experience directing a pro-style offense because their games typically transition well to the NFL. Mannion is an evaluator's dream because he plays in a Mike Riley system that accentuates his strengths as an efficient passer from the pocket, as evidenced by his sensational numbers in 2013 (Mannion completed 66.3 percent of his passes for 4,662 yards with a 37:15 touchdown-to-interception ratio). Additionally, he possesses the prototypical size (6-5, 220) and arm talent to make all of the throws required in a pro offense. Mannion must reduce his turnovers and questionable throws into tight coverage, but he exhibits all of the traits to be a standout player at the collegiate and professional level.
4. Bryce Petty, BaylorArt Briles' system is as quarterback-friendly as they come, but observers shouldn't overlook Petty's talent as a pinpoint passer. The 6-3, 220-pound senior completed 62 percent of his passes for 4,200 yards with a 32:3 touchdown-to-interception ratio. It was most impressive that he took superb care of the football while firing bullets to every area of the field. Sure, the frenetic nature of Baylor's offense creates plenty of easy opportunities for Petty, but the consistent production and performance over the course of the season makes it hard to dismiss his chances of developing into a quality starter at the next level.
3. Brett Hundley, UCLAThe UCLA star contemplated making a jump to the NFL last season, but wisely decided to stay in Westwood to polish his game under the watchful eyes of head coach Jim Mora and offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone. Hundley is a spectacular playmaker with outstanding passing skills, but he's a bit inconsistent with his deep-ball accuracy, which prevents him from vaulting to the top of this list. If Hundley can improve his ball placement, anticipation and touch on intermediate and deep throws, he could emerge as the top quarterback in college football by season's end.
2. Marcus Mariota, OregonThere's a faction of NFL scouts that believed Mariota would have been the top quarterback in the 2014 class if he decided to jump to the pros following a spectacular sophomore campaign. However, the 6-foot-4, 212-pound playmaker elected to return to Eugene to continue to refine his footwork and fundamentals in the pocket. More importantly, Mariota is on a mission to lead the Ducks to the College Football Playoff, which would showcase his exceptional leadership skills and poise as a potential franchise quarterback. With a rare combination of skills as an athletic pocket passer, Mariota is a new-school quarterback capable of taking the NFL by storm in a few years.
1. Jameis Winston, Florida StateThe reigning Heisman Trophy winner has been in the headlines for all of the wrong reasons during the offseason, but scouts are still smitten with his prototypical physical dimensions and A-plus arm talent. Winston exhibits the core characteristics teams look for in franchise quarterbacks, including charisma and poise. He's been a clutch performer under pressure, too. While he must make amends for the off-field behavior that's led to concerns about his maturity and focus, there is so much to like about his game that scouts are willing to take a "wait and see" attitude with Winston
