Bell: For Jameis Winston, perception matters at NFL level
Jameis Winston isn't the first and won't be the last high-profile player to be hyper-scrutinized on the road to the NFL draft.
This comes with the territory when you're a face-of-the-franchise quarterback projected to be picked No. 1 overall, are poised to step on the stage of the nation's most popular sports league and, as in Winston's case, you are no stranger to controversy.
Ready or not? We'll see.
Yet there's little doubt that the assorted buzz and circumstances of the past few weeks have provided Winston an opportunity to grasp just how the scrutiny seems destined to get more intense.
Within the past week, Winston has generated major storylines to stir debate because the woman whose accusations of sexual assault did not result in criminal charges, Erica Kinsman, has filed a civil suit seeking damages; he told Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh while filming an ESPN documentary that his shoplifting citation stemmed from an arrangement he apparently had with a store employee; and an unnamed NFL personnel executive compared him to classic draft bust JaMarcus Russell.
That's what it means to be a magnet for attention. Every day, it's something else.
If the Tampa Bay Buccaneers do the expected on Thursday night and select him with the top pick, it will confirm that through their exhaustive research they've determined that Winston – who was 26-1 at Florida State – will leave his previous dust-ups in the rear-view mirror.
Whether Winston has learned from his assorted issues is the essential swing factor, as if the typical crapshoot involving highly drafted quarterbacks isn't enough.
That's why the draft process, with all of the questions and focus on his character, and the attention that can pop up at any time, should be a valuable lesson for Winston that underscores just how crucial it will be for him to project himself in the best light.
Winston's that guy whose slip-ups will be blown up bigger. His words will sound louder.
And if he plays it right, he can have more positive impact than he might have ever imagined.
It's not that Winston hasn't had that caution sign staring him in the face before. When Winston yelled the vulgar obscenity at the student union – despite the allegations of sexual assault and his status as the most recognizable student on campus – I wondered how a quarterback on the fast track to the NFL would be so careless in managing his image.
Maybe it was immaturity. Maybe he's learned the lesson that will last a lifetime.
Then again, by skipping the NFL draft in Chicago, Winston is missing out on a tailor-made opportunity for image repair that he could use. I can't blame him for the major influence on the decision that he has expressed publicly – that he wanted to celebrate in his hometown, Bessemer, Ala., to be with a grandmother who doesn't travel well while battling Type-2 diabetes.
Yet Winston, if he's picked No. 1, will be the first top pick since Dan Wilkinson in 1994 not to attend the draft. So, no bro-hug for Roger Goodell.
Nonetheless, Winston has done enough things right during this draft process – including the enlistment of quarterbacks coach George Whitfield to refine mechanics -- that somehow have been a bit overshadowed.
Take his visit to NFL headquarters, where he met with Goodell and other senior league officials. That was the type of proactive move, even if set up by handlers, that added perspective.
He's also impressed his share of coaches and executives with his football IQ during visits with teams that run counter to the personnel executive quoted by The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel who lumped Winston in the same class as Russell, whose career was derailed by a poor work ethic and other off-the-field issues.
Winston, on the other hand, is the one that Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher has called the smartest player he's ever been around, and one who draws raves for his work ethic.
Of course, it's all a matter of perception.
Winston should never lose sight of that, and of what he can do to influence the perception.
Follow Jarrett Bell on Twitter @JarrettBell.