Todd McShay: Jameis Winston 2nd Best QB Prospect In Last 10 Years Behind Luck
According to ESPN Draft Expert Todd McShay, Florida State’s Jameis Winston is the 2nd best rated quarterback prospect he’s seen come out of the college ranks in the last 10 years, besides the Indianapolis Colts Andrew Luck:
Todd McShay said Jameis Winston will be his 2nd-highest rated QB prospect over last 10 years, behind only Andrew Luck pic.twitter.com/Qv9mLKq8mr
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) February 24, 2015
ESPN Draft guru Todd McShay said FSU's Jameis Winston will be his 2nd-highest rated QB prospect over last 10 years, behind only Andrew Luck.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 23, 2015
High praise indeed.
Andrew Luck is already one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL and was about as sure of a thing of a quarterback as we’ve ever seen enter the NFL, coming out of Stanford. Of course, Luck went on to be the #1 overall pick of the Colts in the 2012 NFL Draft and came off just his 3rd season in the NFL, in which he threw for a league-leading 40 touchdown passes. He was widely regarded as the best quarterback to come out since his Colts predecessor Peyton Manning in 1998.
There’s no question that Winston has the definite talent to succeed at the NFL level. If not for off-the-field concerns, he’d be the undisputed #1 overall pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in this year’s draft. Instead, there are some lingering questions, even though he’s likely to ultimately become the top selection regardless.
For comparison’s sake though, let’s look at Luck and Winston’s last year playing collegiate football respectively:
- Andrew Luck, Stanford (Jr.): 288 for 404 for 3,517 passing yards, 37 TD’s, 10 interceptions, and a passer rating of 169.7.
- Jameis Winston, Florida State (So.): 305 for 467 for 3,907 passing yards, 25 TD’s, 18 interceptions, and a passer rating of 145.5.
It’s easy to see that Luck has the clear edge in passing numbers, although Winston’s numbers are pretty impressive especially given he was a 2013 Heisman Trophy Winner and 2014 BCS National Champion as a Seminole.
Still, McShay’s comments are sure to bring in their fair share of criticism, and rightfully so, given Luck’s combination of talent, smarts, and already established NFL bloodlines entering the 2012 NFL Draft. While McShay has acknowledged Winston’s still behind Luck as a prospect, even uttering both of their names in the same sentence as a comparison is a pretty bold statement.