INDIANAPOLIS -- When Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Lovie Smith gave a cautious endorsement of quarterback Jameis Winston's character Wednesday at the NFL Scouting Combine, it was more about the vetting of the 2015 NFL Draft's most polarizing prospect than it was about what the club might do with the No. 1 overall pick of the draft.
But to hear Winston talk on Friday, the pick is already in -- or at least, should be.
"I think it would be a privilege to play in Tampa, period, with the Florida State fan base and everything I have been involved with in the state of Florida. Coach Smith speaking highly of me, that already lets me know I'm a part of their program," Winston said. "I already have a trust factor in with him, and now all I have to do is accept his trust and gain his trust to help him out."
Winston's name isn't on the Bucs' card just yet, but he is projected as the No. 1 pick by NFL Media analysts Bucky Brooks, Daniel Jeremiah and Lance Zierlein.
NFL clubs will be quizzing Winston this weekend about his off-field behavior at Florida State, which includes a sexual assault allegation for which he was neither legally charged, nor found to have violated the school's code of conduct. Various other acts of immaturity, however -- the theft of some seafood at a grocery store and his one-game suspension for shouting an obscenity while inside the FSU student union -- have added to skepticism about whether Winston can handle the spotlight of being an NFL starting quarterback.
Smith, for his part, suggested Wednesday that the initial stages of the club's evaluation of Winston's character have gone well. But that evaluation isn't complete yet, either. Winston left little doubt, however, that he is determined to sell himself to the Buccaneers.
"(Being the first pick) is important to me because I know how hard I've worked. It would be a privilege to be accepted by the Glazer family in Tampa," Winston said.
A privilege, and a windfall of cash.
Last year's No. 1 overall pick, South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, signed for $22.3 million in guaranteed money.
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