The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are expected to take Jameis Winston number one overall in the NFL draft this year, but ESPN analyst Ron Jaworski says that it's not a done deal and that courses have told him that Marcus Mariota could be selection in April when the Bucs go first overall.
Winston to the Buccaneers has basically become a fact in the eyes of most draft experts, but there could be some room for Mariota to slip in with a couple weeks left to the draft. Winston was just sued by his sexual assault accuser and while the Bucs have said their draft plans will not change, it's possible they reconsider. According to Yahoo Sports, Jaworski spoke about Mariota and Winston on CSN in Philadelphia and said that Mariota is "going to go number one".
While part of that talk could be speculation on the source or Jaworski's part, it is a possibility that the Bucs could take Winston number one. Winston is looked at by most scouts as the best quarterback in the draft, but with all of his off the field issues, there is a chance the Buccaneers may not want to deal with that type of PR. Both Todd McShay and Mel Kiper at ESPN believe that Winston will be going number one to the Buccaneers.
The Buccaneers could consider trading the pick, but this offseason that has not been mentioned much as an option that Tampa Bay is considering. Winston has off the field issues and that could cause some teams to change their plans, but the Buccaneers have been open about feeling comfortable with Winston. Last season the team used Josh McCown and Mike Glennon, but McCown was released and is now with the Browns.
Tampa Bay could consider trading Mike Glennon if they take Winston and there is a good chance Winston will start right away if he is taken by the Buccaneers. Mariota has been generating interest and Adam Schefter at ESPN.com reports that the Chargers and Cleveland Browns are options for the quarterback. The Titans could trade out of the number two pick and other teams with reported interest include the Chicago Bears and NY Jets.
Check here for more on Jaworski and Mariota.
ESPN analyst Ron Jaworski said on the network: "The latest I'm hearing now from my sources around the league, who are pretty wired in, is that he's going to go number one now to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers," Jaworski told CSN's 'Philly Sports Talk,' via PhillyMag.com.
