NFL Draft 2015: Derrick Brooks endorses Jameis Winston

Derrick Brooks appeared on Sirius XM's Bleacher Report Radio today to talk about Jameis Winston, and he didn't mince words: Derrick Brooks would love to see Winston in a Tampa Bay Buccaneers uniform.

"I would like to see [Jameis Winston be drafted by the Bucs] obviously, from being from Florida State and a bit of a homer," Brooks said. "But I think he's what they need right now, what they fit. And again his development where he's at now is intriguing. So it would be hard-pressed for me to not think, you know, the Bucs are not going to draft him with the number one overall pick. There's a lot of time that happens before then, but what this young man has done thus far, he deserves to be picked by the Buccaneers."

Brooks said he got a chance to know Winston over the past two years, and that he was impressed with the quarterback.

"His work ethic in terms of how he bleeds the cause, undeniable. He gives it up for his teammates, works his butt off behind the scenes. And that's when he really wants to really rise to the occasion for his guys. He's a team guy first, not a me guy. He pours himself into his teammates and I think teams will get a chance to see that."

Strong words from Brooks, who has endorsed Winston before and is obviously close to the Florida State program. Those words will carry some weight with the Bucs, too, and an endorsement from a former locker room leader like Brooks will go some ways to convincing the team Winston's off-field problems won't stop him from being a successful NFL quarterback.

You can hear the interview below.

h/t BucsBlitz