Put former NFL coach Steve Mariucci among those in Jameis Winston's corner.
During NFL Network's coverage of the NFL Scouting Combine on Saturday, host Rich Eisen talked about an interview Mariucci held with Winston for a segment that was featured on NFL Total Access on Saturday. In the segment, Mariucci asked Winston to diagram and analyze a play at the board.
Eisen said Mariucci called Winston "the most astute X's and O's guy that he's ever put on the board" for his draft breakdowns.
"He was not only answering the questions that Steve was throwing at him but anticipating what that question might lead to next and answering that question before Steve even posed it," Eisen said.
NFL Media analyst Mike Mayock said Mariucci's comments were in line with what he had heard about Winston's football IQ and work ethic, which he has been told are "off the charts."
But Mayock also brought up Winston's myriad off-field issues, saying the hardest part about Winston's evaluation was his "predictive behavior off the field."
Winston took the field along with the rest of the quarterbacks at the Scouting Combine on Saturday, putting on an impressive display in throwing drills.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
