The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are expected to take Jameis Winston number one overall in the 2015 NFL draft, but some in the organization may not be on board with Winston's off the field issues and that makes Marcus Mariota, Dante Fowler, Leonard Williams or a trade potential options for the Bucs this year and this comes with the draft less than a month away.
The Buccaneers have worked out both Winston and Mariota ahead of the draft and the team is also meeting with Dante Fowler. While most drat experts predict that Winston will be the number one pick for the Buccaneers, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports reports that not everyone in Tampa Bay is sold yet on taking Winston. Robinson writes that Darcie Glazer Kassewitz, a Glazer family "sibling who is also part of the ownership group" has "raised some questions" about Winston.
Robinson writes that Kassewitz has "raised some questions" about whether Winston is the right person to be the franchise quarterback. Winston has numerous off the field issues in his past, including being accused of sexual assault and also his crab legs theft incident. Winston has had problems throughout his career at Florida State, but his results on the field have kept those issues from derailing his career.
Now the Buccaneers have the chance to draft Winston and while it's probably still going to happen, the team could consider taking Mariota if they have concerns. GM Jason Licht and head coach Lovie Smith have given Winston the thumbs up already after meeting him and Joel Glazer, who is also part of the group running the Bucs, said that the team "would be comfortable" with Winston. The Bucs have a major decision to make, as Winston is considered to be the top player in the draft, but there are red flags.
Pro Football Talk reports that the team could consider trading down in the top five or top 10 and they also could look at Leonard Williams and Dante Fowler as targets. Williams is considered to be the best defensive player in the draft, while Fowler reportedly is unlikely to get past the Jaguars at three. The Buccaneers got rid of Josh McCown and while they have Mike Glennon, they clearly need a quarterback, so it would be a surprise if the pick were not either Winston or Mariota.
According to Pro Football Talk, the Buccaneers are visiting with Fowler and this comes after the team met with both Winston and Mariota this offseason. Fowler said to the Tampa Bay Times that he doesn't think the Bucs will take him and that the Jaguars may not let him get past number three. Williams is likely going to the Titans if they stay with their pick and do not take a QB.
The Titans will likely get plenty of calls for the number two pick no matter who the Buccaneers take. The Browns, Jets, Chargers and Bears all have reported interest in Mariota and that makes him a top trade target. The Browns have two first round picks and they could make a move up for Mariota.
