NFL draft: Just how badly has FSU's Jameis Winston hurt his draft stock?

The big story in scouting circles this week is the latest incident involving talented but troubled Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston. Talent evaluators are taking close note of the profanity-laced incident on campus, where Winston stood on a table and shouted a few curse words (that were related to a popular Internet meme) amid a group of fellow FSU students — all of whom know Winston's name and face.

Social media helped the story go viral, and Seminoles head coach Jimbo Fisher suspended Winston for the first half of the game against Clemson, a key ACC matchup.

Although Winston and his camp have said the third-year sophomore intends to stay in school past this season, some are more convinced now than ever that he could declare for the NFL draft sooner than later.

But others think his draft stock has been hurt by this latest incident, reinforcing some of the character and maturity questions that have cropped up before, and feel his best option might be to stay.

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One regional scout who has studied Winston and has been around the FSU program sees a frightening disparity between the player on the field and the person off of it.

"[It] scares me because you watch the player — fearless, poised, gifted, all of that. It was on display [last season]; look how cool he was on that final drive against Auburn," the scout said. "When you see quarterbacks with those intangibles, they're rare."

But ...

"I just don't know. We'd put him through the meat grinder before we ever signed off on [drafting] him."

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One NFL team's college scouting director isn't sure Winston comes out after this season.

"Why would he?" the director asked. "He's clearly the king of the castle there. He's shielded. And he hasn't played that well yet, not like last year. I understand he could keep pushing those guys [FSU coaches] to the point where they can't take it anymore, but if they've put up with it to this point, I don't see why he wouldn't stay another year.

"He needs to, honestly. Too immature."

The biggest red flag isn't Winston shoplifting crablegs this summer, or this latest incident, of course. It was the sexual assault allegations from an incident during his redshirt season, a story that lingered throughout the Seminoles' run to a national championship victory in January, even though charges were not filed in the case.

Winston won the Heisman Trophy during the season and led the game-winning drive against Auburn in the final minute of the game. His talent alone puts him in the discussion for the top five picks — even the first overall — but his off-field problems hinder that possibility.

"I wouldn't do it," the regional scout said, "but then again I don't make the picks. I just write up the [scouting] reports, and mine has a lot of red ink on it, if you know what I mean. When you talk to people [about Winston], it's either excuses being made or they privately rip him. That just doesn't earn you a lot of trust."

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Especially in an age that has transformed dramatically over the past two weeks amid the Ray Rice, Greg Hardy and Adrian Peterson cases — where character must be weighed differently.

"When ownership gets involved, there's a change," the director said. "When you see what's happening [around the league], you know teams will be hearing from the top down that certain things will not be tolerated. It's already happening."

TIDBITS

• One name that likely will not be among those declaring early for the 2015 NFL draft is Devonte Fields, a pass rusher who was the 2012 Big 12 Freshman of the Year with TCU. He was dismissed from school in  July. Fields tried to transfer to Stephen F. Austin but did not get the proper waiver to do so. Instead, Fields has enrolled at Trinity Valley Community College (Texas) and apparently will try to get his associate's degree there and then look to go back to another D-I school, not declare for next year's draft, per the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

That sounds like a good plan. Fields has raw pass-rushing talent but remains a character concern and must rebuild his image, as well as develop as a player, before he'll convince NFL talent evaluators he's ready for the big jump.

• Missouri DE Shane Ray has stepped into the spotlight a year after Michael Sam was the SEC co-Defensive Player of the Year and Kony Ealy was a second-round draft pick. Ray's athleticism is eye-opening — some have said he could run below a 4.5-second 40-yard dash — and he has displayed it with sacks and tracking down ballcarriers from behind.

Last week against experienced Central Florida left tackle Torrian Wilson (32 college starts), who will be an NFL draft pick himself, Ray was stymied a few times when he rushed inside or tried to convert speed to power, but he overwhelmed Wilson and the Knights with a consistent speed rush that they were not prepared to deal with. Ray is more athletic than Sam, and it's possible that Ray and Markus Golden could be a better pair of ends than Sam and Ealy were a year ago.

Because of his athleticism, Ray has been mentioned as a 3-4 outside linebacker possibility and has seen his draft stock soar since the start of the season.

• It has been a nightmare start to the season for the University of Texas, but DT Malcom Brown (not to be confused with Longhorns RB Malcolm Brown) has gotten off to an impressive start and is rumored to be considering a jump to the NFL next spring. The third-year junior tackle will be eligible in 2015, and after a solid sophomore season in 2013 he has been explosive this fall. Brown has eight tackles for loss (for 31 yards), 3.5 sacks (for 26 yards), with two QB hits and a forced fumble in three games.

At 6-4, 305 pounds, Brown fits best as a 3-technique in a four-man line in the pros and has helped raise his profile with a strong start despite a lot of things crumbling around him. We'll see if Brown can keep playing at a high level despite Desmond Jackson going down with a season-ending foot injury.

• Even Larry Fitzgerald has heard about comparisons to West Virginia WR Kevin White.

Yes, White did ball out (13 catches, 216 yards, TD in a big win at Maryland) last week, and yes, on the surface — the hair, the No. 11 uniform number and the 6-3 frame — it's easy to see the similarities. But scouts are not quite there yet, even with White's hot start to the season.

"He just doesn't take the top off [a defense] the way Larry did," the college scouting director said. "I mean, let's slow down a little. Larry was one of the best college receivers we ever graded at my old team; he just didn't have any real big flaws. [White] has come on, and teams can't seem to stop him, but he's not the same player yet."

Still there's a lot of excitement about the former junior-college player who is on the verge of eclipsing his catch and receiving yards totals with the Mountaineers last season after only three games in 2014.

"There are more big receivers this year," the director said. "It's not as stacked [as the 2014 draft], but it's a good group potentially."

Top 5 quarterbacks

Every week we’ll run a top-five list related to the 2015 NFL draft.

1. Marcus Mariota, Oregon — Poised, athletic and gifted thrower and runner might not be instant coffee in NFL but has special traits to groom.

2. Winston, Florida State — There will be a higher level of concern for him than there was for Johnny Manziel, no question.

3. Brett Hundley, UCLA — Hasn't been the start to the season anyone expected, but he has off-the-charts intangibles ... and very good tangibles.

4. Sean Mannion, Oregon State — Pocket passer has an old-school game, not dissimilar to Joe Flacco's skills.

5. Connor Cook, Michigan State — Recent run of MSU quarterbacks is solid, and Cook has more talent than ex-Spartan Kirk Cousins.

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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Eric_Edholm