Bucs Lock Up Athletic Freak
May 13th, 2014
The Texas A&M man who caught balls from Johnny Football and chased him in practice — and one of the few who could catch him — is now a Tampa Bay Buccaneeer.
That would be linebacker Nate Askew, the freakish converted wide receiver.
Lovie Smith openly craves speed at linebacker and treasures elite athletes. Askew brings all of that, with 4.46 speed from his 6-4, 241-pound frame with a 38-inch vertical leap.
Yet another guy ready to suit for the NFL’s best basketball team.
Askew was one of 11 undrafted free agents and the only linebacker inked by the Bucs over the past few days.
Why wasn’t Askew drafted? Well, Askew wasn’t much of a linebacker, but he only played the position one year in college. As a receiver for the Aggies, the drops plagued him, so don’t look for a conversion there, though he might make quite a receiving target for trickery on special teams.
Really, special teams is Askew’s ticket to making the Bucs’ final roster.
May 13th, 2014 at 9:03 am
I actually think this guy may stick & make the final 53… We lost some depth at linebacker with the departure of Watson and Hayward. Don’t know how many LBs we will carry, but I can see this guy beating out Munoz or Lansanah for a backup spot.
May 13th, 2014 at 9:06 am
Lol @ Joe still mentioning Johnny in every post
Actually, Joe really hasn’t written about Johnny Football at all. Feel free avail yourself of the archives. This post is not about Johnny, and the reference is thoroughly releveant. –Joe
May 13th, 2014 at 9:18 am
We do need LB depth & help on special teams…with his size and speed…he should be good there….
May 13th, 2014 at 9:45 am
now we got the best out of Texas A&M.
I bet if he turns back to WR he wont drop passes from our QBs.
I trust Lovie & Licht to get us the best available players. We’ll probably see Askew catching every pass from Glennon in preseason. Then it will be clear why L & L did not draft the QB that went to Cleveland. you know Connor Shaw…
May 13th, 2014 at 9:49 am
Lovie loves him some Texas A&M guys, he certainly did his due diligence on them
May 13th, 2014 at 9:50 am
Outside of Fletcher, our LB depth is almost zero. Between Munoz, Lansanah, and some of the other undrafted free agents, Askew is very likely to make the top 5 or 6 if he can prove value on special teams.
May 13th, 2014 at 10:02 am
Maybe it’s just me but he doesn’t look anywhere near 6’4 in that pic next to Manziel.
May 13th, 2014 at 10:03 am
@pablo – You didn’t think it would end did you? (Remainder deleted. None of what you wrote was remotely true. Lying about Joe is not acceptable. Thank you.) —Joe
May 13th, 2014 at 10:06 am
@Joe-and one of the few who could catch him
Johnny football has breakaway speed?
Well, that’s what the game film revealed. He wasn’t exactly an easy guy to catch and bring down. Damn, so many of you are so obsessed with Johnny Fooball. It’s not like he will ever be a Buccaneer this season. –Joe
May 13th, 2014 at 10:11 am
@ Pablo & Patrick
Nov. 2 Bucs @ Cleveland Joe will have plenty of Manziel then. It all be interesting if Glennon is our starting QB then. Lol
May 13th, 2014 at 11:09 am
I really doubt Askew will make the final roster. As Joe said, the kid wasn’t much of a linebacker and as WR he had too many drops.
May 13th, 2014 at 1:14 pm
Dekoda Watson-ish athleticism at linebacker…Joe’s right about the special teams angle.
May 13th, 2014 at 1:50 pm
“Damn, so many of you are so obsessed with Johnny Fooball.”-Joe
That’s HILARIOUS!
May 13th, 2014 at 1:56 pm
That’s a large, fast man to be a bearing down on kick/punt returners. Already scary enough without such freaks coming after you.
May 13th, 2014 at 2:34 pm
Caught Johnny’s balls and chased him around? Didn’t this happen on a visit to One Buc?
May 13th, 2014 at 2:47 pm
Agreed, if he’s good on special teams he has a shot to make it.
@Joe
Hope springs eternal, however it would have been more realistic to leave the “this season” part off
It’s not like he will ever be a Buccaneer THIS SEASON
May 13th, 2014 at 6:55 pm
Stay in the game make a name or yourself on S.P.