Jameis Winston visits One Buc Place

TAMPA — Former FSU quarterback Jameis Winston, potentially the Bucs' choice as the No. 1 pick next month in the NFL draft, spent Tuesday at One Buc Place for a one-day, face-to-face meeting with team officials.

Winston, who met with the Bucs two weeks ago in Indianapolis during the NFL combine, spoke about his interest in becoming the top pick and showing the Bucs he's the right man to lead their franchise in a video posted on the team's official site.

"I would love to stay here in this great state," Winston said. "I just want to them to know that I'm human, that I'm a great person, that this smile isn't fake. I want to show them I can be the face of this franchise one day, and actions speak louder than words."

Winston was shown getting a tour of the Bucs' facilities from general manager Jason Licht, and he met receiver Vincent Jackson.

Winston won the Heisman Trophy and led FSU to a national championship in 2013, and finished with a 26-1 record in two seasons as starter. Licht and Bucs coach Lovie Smith spoke last month about being comfortable making him the face of the franchise, based on what they know about him to this point.

According to ESPN, Winston's visit was expected to include meeting with members of the Glazer family. That is a key step toward having approval from the top down to draft Winston, who has off-field flags from his time in Tallahassee, including allegations of sexual assault that did not result in any criminal charges.

Those allegations are back in headlines this week with the release in select cities of The Hunting Ground, a documentary on sexual assaults on college campuses, which includes an on-camera interview with Winston's accuser, Erica Kinsman.

ESPN reported that the Bucs are likely to have a similar visit with Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota, another potential match for the top pick.

Contact Greg Auman at (813) 226-3346 and gauman@tampabay.com. Follow @gregauman.