Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston is the presumed No. 1 overall pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2015 NFL Draft, and as a result, his every move has been scrutinized in every little way.
Case in point? The big brouhaha surrounding the perceived weight of Winston back in February in which he looked a little larger than normal during training. That led to comments that he might be another version of former No. 1 overall pick JaMarcus Russell, one of the biggest busts in NFL history.
It turns out Winston has somebody in his corner who, in addition to being a former NFL quarterback, also knows a thing or two about putting on a few pounds.
"He's not JaMarcus Russell. He's not fat by any means. He's just a big dude," former Giants QB Jared Lorenzen told TMZ.com. "He's got a great body to play quarterback."
Lorenzen, affectionately nicknamed the Hefty Lefty, won a Super Bowl ring in New York while backing up Eli Manning. If there's anybody who knows how to play with a little extra weight, it's Lorenzen, who has a pretty good theory that quarterbacks need a little protection to succeed in the league.
"The little skinny guys don't make it. They can't take a hit," Lorenzen said. "Look at RG3 ... small guy. Now he can't even run."
There are plenty of reasons why Winston won't be another JaMarcus Russell when, if things go as expected, he winds up taking snaps for Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And his weight, whatever it actually is, certainly won't be one of them, according to one former NFL quarterback.
You can follow Bryan Fischer on Twitter at @BryanDFischer.