Jameis Winston had one of his best games of the 2014 season against Notre Dame, so perhaps it shouldn't be a surprise that Irish coach Brian Kelly thinks Winston is worthy of the No. 1 pick in the draft.
Appearing on "The Rich Eisen Show" Tuesday, Kelly said Winston is an "easy No. 1 pick."
Winston, who is the presumptive top overall pick, was 23-of-31 for 273 yards and two touchdowns in rallying the Seminoles to a 31-27 victory over Notre Dame on Oct. 18. FSU trailed 17-10 at halftime, 24-17 midway through the third quarter and 27-24 early in the fourth quarter before pulling out one of its seven wins by six or fewer points in 2014. Winston's completion percentage of 74.2 against the Irish was his third-highest of the season.
"I just love Winston's on-field leadership, the way he adjusts in-game," Kelly said. "I like his NFL pocket presence. I just think he fits so many styles and systems in the NFL."
Winston (6-foot-3 3/4, 231 pounds) is considered the most pro-ready quarterback available in this draft. He met with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who own the top pick, earlier this month, and will be on view next at FSU's pro day on March 31.
All six NFL Media analysts who have done mock drafts have Winston going first overall. If he does go first overall, Winston would be the 12th quarterback this century -- but first in three years -- to be selected No. 1.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
