The Tampa Bay Buccaneers aren't taking this whole drafting-a-quarterback-with-the-first-overall-pick thing lightly. Everything continues to point towards Jameis Winston as the first overall pick, and the Bucs have been very sure to do all of their homework on the Florida State passer. Because hidden in Peter King's mock draft was the following nugget.
If the Bucs—whose private eyes have interviewed more than 75 people from Winston's past—don't find any big problems with him, he'll be the first pick on April 30.
If that sounds like a lot, that's because it is. And with good reason: Jameis Winston has gotten himself in trouble over and over again. Most of those incidents can be ascribed to immaturity -- but immaturity isn't a desirable trait, either. One incident was a lot more serious: a rape accusation which continues to come up, with a possible civil trial in the future -- although thus far, Winston has not been found guilty in any of the settings where he's been investigated.
No details on how many people the Bucs interviewed to get into Marcus Mariota's past, but I'd assume a similar amount -- perhaps a little less because there are fewer off-field questions about the Oregon signal caller.
It's good to see the Bucs taking Winston's personality and history seriously, not that we ever expected anything different. And while the Buccaneers aren't infallible, they do have more resources than most folks to get to the bottom of what's going on with him. Ultimately, we have to trust they make the best decision they can -- because, well, it's not like we have an alternative.