Jameis Winston is widely projected to be the first overall pick in the NFL Draft, but not before the Tampa Bay Buccaneers get a good, close look at him.

Unnamed sources told ESPN that Winston arrived in Tampa Monday to meet with the Buccaneers' ownership Tuesday. It is not uncommon for a team to meet with their potential draft pick, but the timing is abnormally early, ESPN noted.

The sources indicated the idea for the meeting came from the Buccaneers' owners, the Glazer family. NFL Draft prospects typically start their visits in April, but the visit was reportedly scheduled to Winston's availability, a source told ESPN.

The Buccaneers are also expected to host Marcus Mariota in April, and thus they are widely believed to be choosing between the two QBs with the top pick overall.

Reports indicated that Buccaneers head coach Lovie Smith would favor Winston because of his refined arm talent, lauded "football IQ" and his time in Florida State's pro style offense. At the NFL Scouting Combine, NFL.com noted, Smith said he could see Winston as the face of the Bucs' franchise.

However, Smith told the Tampa Tribune those short meetings at the combine are not enough to get to know a prospect.

"What are you going to get in 15 minutes?" he said. "We're going to spend a lot more time than that (with Winston), so (the combine interview) is just a start.

"We're talking quarterbacks here, so ... the 15 minutes, we won't even count that. We're going to spend a lot more time with [Winston and Mariota] a lot more."

Mariota played in a spread offense at Oregon and is therefore seen as a poor fit in the Buccaneers' system, though he comes with a pristine public image. If the Bucs are truly favoring Winston, then the early meeting could be to shore up their interest and a meeting with Mariota would then just be a formality.