Tampa Bay Buccaneers DL Gerald McCoy to Take Jameis Winston Under His Wing

When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers decided to go ahead and pick former Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston with the No. 1 pick in the draft they knew it came with a bit of risk. His talent is unquestionable and not an issue. What is, however, is his maturity.

He made a lot of poor decisions off the field, and now that he has a few million in his bank account there is nothing he can't do should the whim grab him.

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Don't worry Buccaneer fans. One player has already said he would be willing to step up and take the 21-year old face of the franchise under his wing--defensive tackle Gerald McCoy.

"What I don't want him to do is to feel like and I think he already has an understanding of it, is that it's not going to be all on him,” McCoy said. “Just because you're the first overall pick, people expect you to come in and to be 'the guy'. People expect you to come in and be...flip the whole organization. It's not going to happen like that."

Winston has already tried to deflect the face of the franchise tag to McCoy and wide receiver Vincent Jackson. Some will look to go ahead and place that tag on Winston and should it stick it will come with a lot of baggage that can be difficult for a young player to handle.

Many guys have folded under the pressure. McCoy is intent on making sure Winston is not one of those guys. He has already met with Winston and reached out to him:

“I talked with him. I got to meet him the day after the draft. I came in, got to meet him. Got his phone number. We've been talking a little bit. I just let him know. I let him and his parent know. I got his back. I'll take care of him."

Great players take time to develop. For them to get that time they sometimes need a little help navigating the challenges and distractions that come with being a young millionaire celebrity athlete. It helps to have someone you can lean on; that will get your back.

It sounds like Winston has just that in McCoy.

[FoxTampaBay]

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