Reading recent mock drafts, and some interesting tweets, some feel that former FSU star running back Dalvin Cook could fall somewhat in the draft, with Tampa Bay being a potential landing spot.

A large segment of Bucs fans would be very pleased if that scenario did in fact play out. 

But Bucs quarterback Jameis Winston thinks Cook, his former running back in Tallahhasee, will be gone before Tampa Bay is on the clock.

RB Dalvin Cook – Photo by: Getty Images

“I’m just excited for Dalvin and following him in his draft process,” Winston said. “Nineteen is our pick – I honestly think he’s more of a top 15 guy so I’m just excited for him. But, like I said, I’m excited for this team. I’m happy to be back in the building. Walking around, seeing everybody, it’s amazing.”

Winston wasn’t banging the podium for Cook, but clearly wouldn’t mind seeing Cook trade in his garnet and gold for red and pewter.

“I mean, we like winning around here so we draft winners,” Winston said with a big grin from the media center on Monday. “I don’t think you can beat that. But every year you’re going to have an addition to your team that’s going to make a difference, hopefully. That’s what they want upstairs. But like I said, my job is just to play. I’ve got to do my job. I can’t really focus on the outside things, but it would be great to have another Seminole.”

Winston mentioned he was pretty much leaving those decisions in the hands of general manager Jason Licht. Licht, who spoke prior to Winston on Monday, was asked if Winston was lobbying for Cook.

“I do talk to Jameis about players at Florida State,” Licht said. “He was recently there, so he’s got a little feel for them. I’ve talked to [defensive tackle] Gerald McCoy about what he knows about Oklahoma Players and [defensive end] Robert Ayers [Jr.] and [linebacker] Lavonte David and the list goes on and on. So, any kind of tidbit we can get from players that have a little bit of a better bead on the program than most, we’ll take it. But, Jameis can tell me as much as he wants that we should draft a certain player, but we’re still going to make, Dirk and I and our staff are going to make the best decisions for the Bucs.”

Licht was then asked how often he deals with players trying to sway his draft choices. 

“Not as much as you’d probably think,” Licht said. “It’s more so after we sign a player or draft a player, you get, ‘Hey, I’m glad you did this. He’s going to be a heck of a player.’ Our players, the family thing gets thrown out there a lot, but it truly is. They know that if I have a question about a player and they have a relationship with that player, they know that I will ask them. They don’t throw that out there, if they do, then it’s usually, they feel very strongly about it, but they’re not coming in unsolicited all the time.”

While it appears Winston would like to be reunited with Cook, part of his press conference on Monday revolved around him being a better quarterback in 2017.

“I’m just going to do my job – that’s what I have to do,” Winston said. “I have to do what it takes to help us win games, and nothing more. We have great players on this team who help me out, so I’ve just got to do my job, focus on what I have to do, lead here and there and win some football games.”