Blake Bacho: Character should count in NFL

When you hear Jameis Winston’s name, what is the first word that pops in your head?

Punk? Thief? Entitled moron? Wait, that last one was two words.

In any case, the former Florida State starting quarterback is on the short list to go first overall in next month’s NFL Draft.

Tampa Bay, a team desperate for some consistency at the signal caller position, seems ready and willing to overlook Winston’s many character concerns. The presence of a cannon arm and football smarts apparently trumps sexual assault allegations.

Now before anyone gets on me about people being innocent until proven guilty, I am well aware that Winston was not charged in the sexual assault case. But even if you want to kid yourself and pretend all parties handled that situation anywhere near professionally, it isn’t the only issue that has caused concerns over the former Seminole’s character.

Winston left college a Heisman Trophy winner, but he also left behind a rap sheet of boneheaded off-the-field incidents, including stealing crab legs from a convenience store and shouting obscenities in a university cafeteria.

And yet he is still projected to be the first overall draft pick when the 32 NFL teams meet in Chicago in April. At the very least, Winston will be out of the green room and on a roster by the end of the first round.

So what does any of this have to do with the University of Toledo? I’m so glad you asked.

Former UT center Greg Mancz attended the NFL Combine last month. The Mid-American Conference player of the year wasn’t able to participate in drills due to a right shoulder injury sustained weeks earlier in a practice for the East-West Shrine All-Star Game.

But scouts should have already seen all they need from his impressive resume of game tape.

One trip to the Glass City will tell those same scouts all they need to know about Mancz’s character. He is a leader, the consummate professional on and off the field and just an all-around good guy. I’m sure every one of his coaches and former teammates will vouch for that.

Mancz won’t ever be a headache for whatever team he ends up with, but whether or not he ends up with a squad via the draft is the real question.

He was a top center prospect before the recent injury, but even then wasn’t expected off the board until somewhere in the middle or late rounds. This isn’t a case of discrimination against the big guys – it has become normal for the cream of the O-line crop to be drafted in the first round. This draft grade is more to do with the perceived skill level of the MAC.

But my problem isn’t with the mid- to late-round projection for Mancz anyway.

My beef is with the NFL’s continued ignorance when it comes to character concerns.

If he stays healthy and productive, Mancz will easily spend a decade or longer playing professional football. Even if he isn’t used to the skill level that players in the power conferences experienced, Mancz can be relied on to be a dependable, sturdy presence on any offensive line for years to come.

What can anyone count on someone like Winston to do even in the next six months, especially after he has been handed everything he’s ever dreamed of on a silver platter?

It’s not just Winston. There are at least half a dozen incoming players with checkered pasts to go with their prodigious talent on the gridiron. Teams will investigate these men as best as they can, but in the end talent trumps everything.

And it’s not just Mancz. There are hundreds of prospects with sterling records both on and off the field. I’m not saying they won’t ever do anything wrong, I’m just saying they haven’t yet made a habit of it and are a safer bet to stay on the straight and narrow.

Character can’t be everything in the NFL, but it needs be a bigger consideration. If the past tells us anything, it’s that players with problems usually don’t clean up their act when handed millions of dollars.

Mancz is a perfect example of a player whose draft stock should rise because of the off-the-field stuff. Winston is the type of player whose stock should fall for the same reason.

I guess it comes down to a choice for NFL teams. Would you rather have the stolen Ferrari that’s leaking oil, or the Mustang with a clear title and bumper-to-bumper insurance?

The Ferrari might be more impressive at first, but from the beginning you know how the ride will end.