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Buccaneers Front Office May Be Putting Jobs On The Line With Jameis Winston Pick

With the Buccaneers selecting QB Jameis Winston first overall in the NFL Draft, GM Jason Licht and coach Lovie Smith have "gone out on a limb" and picked a player who will either "make them look like geniuses or get them fired," according to Pat Yasinskas of ESPN.com. The careers of Smith and Licht "are now on the line." Licht said of Winston, "When we were doing the exhaustive process that we went through, not only were we comfortable with him and his character, we were confident with his character." But Yasinskas wrote no matter how the Buccaneers "spin it, drafting Winston is a gamble bigger than any the franchise ever has made." If ever there was "a boom-or-bust prospect, it's Winston." The team "might be smart to hire a full-time babysitter for Winston." If the Bucs "handle Winston properly and he has grown up, things could work out splendidly." But, if there is "even one more off-the field incident, drafting Winston will look like the biggest mistake in the history of a franchise that has had many" (ESPN.com, 4/30). Smith said that he is "aware there are fans who won't agree with the choice." Smith: "I would just ask our fans to give him a chance." Licht said that the team "received a lot of interest from teams wanting to trade for the No. 1 pick," including from the Eagles, who "offered two first-round choices and a package of players." But Licht said, "We were never tempted" (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 5/1). In Tampa, Tom Jones writes Licht and Smith "better be right." Jones: "If you're right, you'll be here for as long as you want. ... If you're wrong, you're out." Still, it is "hard to say the Bucs are making a mistake," as Winston is "the best quarterback in the draft, the best player in the draft and the Bucs desperately need a quarterback" (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 5/1).

BAD BOYS, WHATCHA GONNA DO? In Minneapolis, Mark Craig writes the first round of the NFL Draft "proved that if you’re going to have character issues in today’s NFL, you better be the best quarterback on the board." Otherwise, you are "going to tumble through or out of the first round." It was obvious as the draft unfolded that teams "were less willing to deal with character issues" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 5/1). In K.C., Tod Palmer noted DE Shane Ray had both a "lingering toe injury and a brush with the law Monday, but that didn't stop" the Broncos "from trading up to select him No. 23 overall." Ray said of being issued a citation Monday for possession of marijuana, "I let somebody really close to me influence me and it ended up costing me. But at the end of the day, I still should have made a smart decision" (K.C. STAR, 5/1). Meanwhile, NFL.com reported the league "rejected agent Deryk Gilmore's request to pull LSU offensive lineman La'el Collins" from the '15 NFL Draft "in favor of the supplemental draft." Gilmore "petitioned the league earlier Thursday as his client efforts to clear his name." Collins is "scheduled to meet with Baton Rouge police in connection with the shooting death of a 29-year-old pregnant woman, Brittany Mills," although he is "not a suspect" (NFL.com, 4/30).

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