In three days, the Buccaneers officially will be on the clock with the first overall pick in the draft. All signs continue to point to Jameis Winston’s name that will be written on the card.
Beyond the team making known the work that has been done to investigate Winston’s background and to obtain explanations for multiple off-field entanglements and to conclude that he’s not an off-field entanglement waiting to happen at the next level, Winston has made multiple visits to Tampa, presumably to get fans accustomed to him and comfortable with the apparently inevitability that he’ll be the pick.
On Sunday night, Winston returned to Tampa for a charity event held by Hall of Fame linebacker Derrick Brooks. Via JoeBucsFan.com, Winston was photographed with Brooks and Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders, both of whom (like Winston) played college football at Florida State.
As noted by Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, Buccaneers coach Lovie Smith also attended the event -- and Winston will be playing in the associated golf tournament on Monday, with current and former Buccaneers.
Brooks has made clear his hope that the Buccaneers will draft Winston, and men like Brooks and Sanders are expected to directly mentor him at the next level.
While none of this means the Buccaneers definitely will pick Winston, it’s just another piece of evidence that in a tapestry that strongly suggests Winston soon will be in Tampa on a more regular basis.
