Already believed to be the likely No. 1 overall pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the upcoming NFL draft, Jameis Winston did nothing to change that belief on Tuesday at his Florida State University Pro Day.

Because he participated in the full wave of drills at the NFL Scouting Combine in February, Winston only threw on Tuesday afternoon in Tallahassee, but he did so for nearly an hour, a significantly longer period than most quarterback prospects. Over that time, he completed 91 of his 102 passes and also had several catchable balls dropped by receivers.

The 21-year-old showed once again that he could make all the throws, but might have done more impressing with his demeanor throughout the day than with his arm. Winston showed up hours before his scheduled throwing session to support his FSU teammates. Then, before he took the field to throw, he addressed the assembled group of coaches, general managers and scouts, and propped up each of his participating teammates with introductions to those in attendance.

One member of that large group of observers was Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht, who commented afterward that Winston had an outstanding all-around day.

“He makes guys around him better and I think he did that today,” Licht said. “He had a great day. He threw a full nine innings.”

Winston enters the draft coming off two excellent seasons at Florida State. He was the Heisman Trophy winner in 2013 and led the Seminoles to an undefeated season and a National Championship as a redshirt freshman starter. He completed nearly 67 percent of his passes for over 4,000 yards and 40 touchdowns during that title run. He came back for a second year and though his numbers ticked down slightly, he was still among the best quarterbacks in college football last season.

The quarterback’s talent is undeniable. The only thing that ever considered to hold him back from being the number one pick in the draft has been character concerns stemming from a series of off the field incidents during his tenure at FSU. But while Winston may never truly put all those incidents behind him, specifically his involvement in a questionably handled sexual assault case, he has done plenty in the last several weeks to quiet some of those concerns about his character.

It started with the way he handled the combine. He not only chose to participate in all the drills, a rarity for quarterbacks these days, he handled his media session with poise and reportedly displayed an impressive Football IQ during meetings with teams. He continued to leave a positive impression at his pro day.

“Right now, I can’t convince someone I’m different, but I can move forward,” Winston said after his throwing session. “I haven’t changed, I’ve grown. … I don’t have to change as a person, I have to grow.”

Throughout the day, Winston exhibited a relaxed demeanor. Before one of the biggest moments of his young career, he was on the sidelines playfully joking with Buccaneers coach Lovie Smith, Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher and members of the media. He continued to showcase an attitude that has surprised some who have doubted his maturity. After his day was done, Smith raved about Winston.

“There’s something about being here in person, seeing him between throws, seeing him before the workout,” Smith said. “He had to wait four hours, and he was just Jameis.”

All signs continue to point to Tampa Bay selecting Winston No. 1 overall on April 30th, but Licht and the Buccaneers remain understandably non-committal to that end.

“It’s just part of the process,” Licht said. “We’re going to use every minute of time that we have here in the next few weeks to make a decision.”

TOP PROSPECTS TO NO-SHOW CHICAGO?

While Winston may have solidified his place at the top of the draft on Tuesday, he continued to insist that he would rather stay home in Alabama to watch with his family than attend the draft itself.

Not having the top pick in attendance is a nightmare scenario for the NFL and Winston noted on Tuesday that he has been receiving some pressure to attend the draft, which will be held outside of New York City for the first time in more than 50 years, and will instead take place this year in Chicago.

“We really haven’t made that decision yet,” Winston said. “There’s been a lot of pressure on people trying to get me to come and make the draft.”

The draft has long been used to showcase the league’s top prospects through media and marketing opportunities. That showcase was only heightened when the first round of the draft was moved to prime-time on Thursday night, set apart from the rest of the proceedings.

But Winston told NFL Network that for he and his family, the day isn’t about the league and what the NFL wants, it’s about sharing a special moment with family, which he can’t do in Chicago due to extenuating circumstances.

“My grandmother, she can’t travel, she has Type 2 diabetes and has multiple surgeries and I want her to be there,” he said. “I want the people who I’ve been with Day 1 to be around me and enjoy this moment. It’s a celebration to me and it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

A similar sentiment has come from the camp of the other top quarterback in the draft, Oregon’s Marcus Mariota. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Tuesday that, like Winston, Mariota and his representatives have told NFL officials that the quarterback plans to watch the draft with family in his native Hawaii. According to Schefter, Mariota has expressed the “personal and cultural importance” of celebrating the big moment with the community he was raised in.

While the reasoning for both quarterbacks not to attend seems fair and honest, it’s hard not to wonder if this would be happening if the draft was still taking place in New York, not Chicago. The New York-based draft had turned into a week-long event with limitless marketing opportunities for draft prospects in one of the world’s epicenters of entertainment. Chicago simply does not have the same appeal from an opportunity standpoint and it’s probably not a coincidence that the two faces of the 2015 draft aren’t interested in attending.

How the NFL handles the rejection of both players and what they attempt to persuade each to attend despite their reservations will be an interesting sidebar to the draft itself this month.

RAVENS SIGN SCHAUB TO BACK FLACCO

Just one year removed from being a showcase addition in Oakland as the franchise’s next starting quarterback, Matt Schaub has once again found a new home, and this time his arrival comes with much more reasonable expectations.

The 11-year NFL veteran signed a one-year, $3 million contract with the Baltimore Ravens on Tuesday to serve as the primary backup to incumbent starter Joe Flacco.

Schaub heads to Baltimore coming off a disappointing season in Oakland. When he was traded to the Raiders from Houston last spring, Schaub was touted as the team’s solution to a long-standing problem at quarterback. But that never came to fruition. One month later the Raiders selected Derek Carr in the second round of the draft and Carr eventually beat out Schaub for the starting job in training camp.

Carr started all 16 games for Oakland while Schaub was limited to holding duty for most of the 11 games that he was active. He threw just 10 passes all of last season and still managed to throw two interceptions. It was far from Schaub’s first experience as a backup. He played the role for three years in Atlanta behind Michael Vick at the outset of his career.

But after being traded to the Houston Texans in a draft day trade in 2007, Schaub ascended to the starting spot in Houston. He held that job for most of the next seven seasons, including a breakout 2009 campaign in which he led the NFL in passing attempts (583), completions (396) and passing yards with a career-high 4,770 yards. Schaub led the Texans to a 9-7 mark that season, which left them just shy of the postseason, but after two more tough years, including an injury-plagued 2011 season, he piloted Houston to a 12-4 record and a playoff berth in 2012. However, another injury-plagued campaign in 2013 marked the end of Schaub’s tenure in Houston, and perhaps the end of his career as a starter.

In Oakland, the 33-year-old transitioned forcibly to a backup role, but he should be more comfortable in that role with Baltimore, given the low expectations going into the season. Flacco hasn’t missed a single-game over his seven-year career and Schaub will simply serve as an insurance policy, a role befitting the veteran signal caller.