Page 13 - 4-28-15 Tuesday's Edition

Thursday’s NFL Draft
Jameis Winston Should Be The First Player Selected
BY LEON B. CREWS Sentinel Staff Writer
Professional football en- thusiasts and fans will be glued to their television sets and phones Thursday as the NFL begins the 2015 Draft Se- lection.
With the Tampa Bay Buc- caneers holding the first pick, the consensus is they will se- lect Florida State Seminole quarterback Jameis Win- ston.
NFL broadcasters, draft analysts, former players and coaches, and some in the gen- eral public has expressed con- cern over Winston’s selection, citing the latest in NFL perceptions, the charac- ter of the athlete.
Winston has had some off-the-field issues, but none of them have cost him time in jail or have come close to some of the antics of his peers, both professional and in college.
This is what a few fans in the area think about Winston being selected first in this year’s draft.
Ronald Pressley: “Of course, Jameis should be the first selection. He is a proven winner. A Heisman winner, and his team won a national championship. I think he has
profes-
sional abil-
ity and
with the
right
coaching
staff, he
could turn
out to be
the best
ever. I really don’t think the other quarterbacks are that close to him, and I think he is the future of the Bucs and the NFL.”
Odell Barnum: “I under- stand the
history of
the Bucca-
neer fran-
chise with
Black quar-
terbacks
and it’s not
good. Most of them go to other teams and win Super Bowls. I wish all of that history from the past can be pushed aside, because I’m a Buc fan and I’ tired of seeing them go through this.”
Tampa-Hillsborough NAACP President Bennie Small: “I
think there
will be a lot of pressure on this kid because of
his off-the-field problems. He’s going to need some sta- bility around him as a profes- sional, and I think he has the will to be the best ever.”
Former NFL receiver Andre White: “He’s the best, so why shouldn’t he be the first pick? Just re- member we’re talk-
ing about the draft and anything can
happen. The past is the past, so I don’t think what happened with the other Black quarterbacks has any bearing on this year’s draft.”
Desmond Key: “Jameis has a his-
tory of get-
ting into
trouble and
the first
player I’d
pick as a
leader on a
team that’s going through its own problems wouldn’t be Winston. You need a true leader who can gain the re- spect of his teammates, and I don’t think this guy is the right pick.
“It’s also important to note that Tampa has never shown
any love for Black quarter- backs, so what kind of support can he get here?”
RONALD PRESSLEY
TUESDAY, APRIL 28, 2015 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 13