2015 NFL Draft: Mike Mayock Downgrades Jameis Winston, Yet Raises Randy Gregory

NFL.com draft guru Mike Mayock released his latest positional rankings yesterday to many a raised eyebrow. What caused such a stir, you ask? How about Jameis Winston being bumped down the quarterback list to number two behind Marcus Mariota?

Yeah, I don’t get it either.

Mayock went on "Path to the Draft" yesterday afternoon for a phone interview to explain the change. He answered as follows.

"Well I’ve been fighting with this thing all along and there’ve been two issues for me with Winston. Number one is on the field. He threw eighteen interceptions this year, and on the team that arguably had the best talent in the country he continued to put his team at a disadvantage almost weekly. The first half against Louisville, Miami, and Florida were awful. Now he came back in the second half and played tremendously well as we all know. Off the field, regardless of what did or didn’t happen in that alleged rape, he continued a pattern of poor decisions throughout his career, so bottom line for me is can you trust him off the field?"

"As far as Mariota is concerned, the more tape I’ve watched the more I’ve appreciated what he’s been asked to do in their version of the spread offense. He reads combination routes, he takes tremendous care of the football, and he wins games. He’s not as natural a thrower, but in the correct scheme I think he can be productive. So Andrew I’ve been fighting this for a long time, and I think that’s where I have to come down on it."

Additionally, here is Mayock on if the Buccaneers should take Mariota with the first overall pick instead of Winston.

"Andrew, nobody in their right mind cares what I think. This is all about Jason Licht and Lovie Smith. I think there’s every indication that [Mariota] will go number one. I think the bigger question is what happens with Tennessee at two. Do they try to trade that pick down, or do they go with [Winston] or Leonard Williams? I think that’s really where the suspense will start."

Interestingly enough, despite bumping Winston down for off the field concerns, Mayock simultaneously bumped Randy Gregory up to the number two edge rusher spot (from fourth) right after a positive test for marijuana at the combine became public. Make of that what you will. I, however, will continue my postulation of Jameis Winston as the best thing since legally purchased sliced bread.