Jameis Winston’s NFL Draft Stock Plummets Following Rose Bowl Rout

Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Two years ago, Jameis Winston was the kind of talent NFL fans deemed “tank worthy” — meaning do bad enough just to get the opportunity to draft him at number one.

But after a shaky Rose Bowl performance coming on the heels of a year of off-the-field allegations, the question now isn’t where in the first round will Winston be drafted, but will he be a first rounder at all?

Bleacher Report certainly thinks his stock has fallen, citing Jameis’ infamous fumble as just one reason the Florida State star’s draft position has plummeted.

“The play itself was not Winston’s fault — tight end Nick O’Leary fell on his route, and Oregon’s eight-man coverage shell did its job — but the way in which it happened was. It was a meme-able, GIF-able, Internet-able moment on par with Mark Sanchez’s butt fumble.”

The play then led to a downward spiral for Winston, which raised yet another red flag for the troubled QB. Cameras caught a heated sideline exchange with Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher, meaning not just fans, but NFL personnel executives as well got to witness Jameis cracking under the pressure as the Seminoles were being routed 59-20 by Oregon in the Rose Bowl.

“I don’t think it’s good. But sometimes in the heat of battle, you do things you normally wouldn’t do,” former Dallas Cowboys personnel guru and current NFL.com senior analyst Gil Brandt told USA Today on Friday. “(Winston) is a very talented kid. But off the field, he has a long list of issues, and he’s going to have a lot of questions to be answered.”

Those aforementioned off-the-field issues were also very present during the Rose Bowl, and could haunt Winston throughout the NFL Draft process. As reported by Inquisitr, Oregon players engaged in a less-than-tasteful chant of “No Means No” aimed at Winston following their victory.

Video taken from the field as Oregon celebrated its 59-20 win in the College Football Playoff semifinal showed several players chanting “No Means Mo” to the tune of Florida State’s “Warchant.” Jameis was accused of rape while at Florida State, but was cleared of the charges after the investigation deemed their wasn’t enough evidence. The Oregon players will reportedly face discipline from their head coach for their actions.

All-in-all, Winston’s draft status come May can certainly be summed up in one word: questionable. For someone that was once labeled a “can’t miss,” Jameis is currently labeled a “can’t take” by NFL GMs unwilling to risk their jobs on this once-promising talent.

[Jameis Winston image via Pro Football Talk]