Which way the wind blows for Buccaneers at No. 1

Which way the wind blows for Buccaneers at No. 1Pat Yasinskas, ESPN Tampa Bay Buccaneers reporterOur weekly look at clues that might reveal whether the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are leaning toward selecting Jameis Winston or Marcus Mariota -- or neither -- with the No. 1 pick in the draft:The rumors that were flying two weeks ago have dwindled to almost nothing.There were no new rumors or new predictions last week. The overwhelming consensus is back to being an overwhelming consensus. People around the league and in the media expect the Bucs to use the No. 1 pick on Winston.The only way that won’t happen is if there’s some new off-the-field revelation about Winston. That seems unlikely because the Bucs, the rest of the league and the media already have picked apart everything in Winston’s life.He’s had a series of off-field incidents, including an allegation of sexual assault (he wasn’t charged with a crime). The Bucs have spent hundreds, maybe thousands, of hours doing their research on Winston.From what the Bucs have said publicly, it seems obvious they think Winston might be a little immature, but not a bad guy. Privately, the indications are no different. Winston has passed the test in the eyes of the Bucs’ hierarchy.That includes the Glazer family, which owns the team. The Glazers stay out of football matters for the most part. But they get involved in decisions of this magnitude. Co-chairman Joel Glazer has said he’s comfortable with Winston being the face of the franchise, so everyone who needs to sign off on this apparently has.Since the scouting combine, the Bucs have said they have a favorite. General manager Jason Licht said last week that nothing has changed in that department. The Bucs never have publicly said if Winston or Mariota is the favorite.But it isn’t hard to figure out where they stand if you judge their actions. Winston has been the favorite all along. The Bucs also put a lot of work into Mariota because he is a viable alternative.But you don’t need alternatives when you have the first overall pick. Come Thursday night, the Bucs will go with the guy they have favored all along. Come Thursday night, the Bucs will draft Winston.