Geeks Down On Donovan Smith
May 8th, 2015
Whether you believe in the statistical gibberish pumped out by the numberscrunchers over at Pro Football Focus or not, Joe gives them credit for never holding back on an opinion.
And in the opinion of Thomas Maney, the analytics reveal the Bucs whiffed on their second round pick, Donovan Smith.
In fact, Maney has a dire warning about Smith’s run blocking.
Round 2: Donovan Smith, OT, Penn State
Grade: D
Smith has the requisite size and length for the position, putting that to good use in pass protection as he finished with the fifth-best Pass Blocking Efficiency rating among left tackles in this class when facing Power 5 opponents. But he looked very disinterested in run blocking, to the point that he barely graded above 0 there, and more than 60 tackles in this class finished with a better grade.
Depth Chart Fit: In contention to be a Day 1 starter.
Well, there YouTube video that shows Smith manhandling defensive ends and linebackers in the run game. Whether those plays are just accidents, Joe isn’t sure.
The words of Bucs general manager Jason Licht are comforting when it comes to Smith. Licht noted that when he watched Smith own Nebraska defensive end Randy Gregory, who if he put the bong down was likely a top-five pick, it meant a lot.
And it means a lot to Joe, as well.
May 8th, 2015 at 9:57 am
They whiffed on their first two picks.
May 8th, 2015 at 10:04 am
Just stop it Mariota guy, your steady sipping on the Hatorade.. Get over it bud, your boy was the second one chosen. Stop acting like a kid, crying over a toy that they didn’t get..
May 8th, 2015 at 10:05 am
I’ve got low expectations for this guy.
I thought you were leaving, and selling your hundreds of Bucs gear, Mariota Joe. Your word is as good as Mariota’s play. Worthless
May 8th, 2015 at 10:06 am
HAHA Mariota Joe…. You come out of no where with your comments…. Can you explain on how they whiffed on the first two picks? What would you have done better and why? Please give me the gouge that you are working with.
May 8th, 2015 at 10:06 am
Like it or not Buc fans, our team is going to get a lot of national ink this year. Most of it that I have seen hasn’t been complimentary. The hate for our QB is shown everyday somewhere on the interwebs. I was neutral on the pick but now that he is ours, I hope he “F___ks em! Right in the P____!!”
This is make or break year for Lovey Dovey and Lichtenstein if our record is not better.
May 8th, 2015 at 10:08 am
Hopefully, some of these negative reviews will serve as motivation for Smith to proove them wrong.
May 8th, 2015 at 10:08 am
I can’t imagine that after the Bucs put a first round pick in Winston that they will let the guy who they drafted to protect him be lazy at all. If he’s disinterested it will be identified and he’ll be called on to the carpet for it.
May 8th, 2015 at 10:11 am
Rachel Watson thong,
Just wanted you to know I clapped and cheered when I read your post. Rah Rah rah!!!
May 8th, 2015 at 10:11 am
Draft grades are just nonsense. We won’t find out how good they are for about another 2 – 3 years…
May 8th, 2015 at 10:11 am
This is silly… Let’s give the guy at least one day in rookie mini camp before we even guess if he will be a productive player or not… Geeesh…
And I am very glad we got Winston over Marioto… RG3 was faster and has a better arm then Marioto and he is a few bad plays away from being a back up… Marioto will not fair any better…
May 8th, 2015 at 10:12 am
“Mariota Joe Says:
April 28th, 2015 at 5:26 pm
I care about the TEAM more than I care about Infamous, however, I simply cannot root for a team that decides to make him the face of the franchise”
There’s the guy who is still pouting a week later. Have you started charging Jameis rent for that space he has up in your dome? Even if he can’t stick to his word, it’s good to know how much time he spends thinking about our new face of the franchise.
May 8th, 2015 at 10:12 am
All Jameis does is win!!!!!! In the words of tpain “all we do is win….hands up and they stay there!!!! Get ready for gene deckerhoff to yell so loud he will practically have a stroke
May 8th, 2015 at 10:15 am
Winston supporters…..quit taking the bait….or you will keep the issue alive unecessarily…..just ignore the negative comments from now on.
May 8th, 2015 at 10:17 am
I am very happy with both OL picks !
May 8th, 2015 at 10:18 am
@LandWD
I love how you have made your signature….
“Mariota Joe Says:
April 28th, 2015 at 5:26 pm
I care about the TEAM more than I care about Infamous, however, I simply cannot root for a team that decides to make him the face of the franchise”
May 8th, 2015 at 10:18 am
i think, for the first time in years, the bucs got this draft right…very positive about d.smith and marpet…good start to build an oline…saw minimal tape but enough to say these guys are soild players…
May 8th, 2015 at 10:25 am
Mariota Joe Says:
May 8th, 2015 at 9:57 am
They whiffed on their first two picks.
——————————————————–
These kind of statements just amuse the hell out of me. I mean how can we determine if we whiffed or for that matter hit a home-run on any picks? News flash…They never played a down in the NFL, therefore the only thing anyone can do and that includes the “experts”, is project based on the college performances that were witnessed, how a rookie will perform at the next level.
These projections are however nothing more than individual opinion however it is still comical how some people mix up opinions and facts. In summary:
We whiffed or hit a home-run on a pick = Opinions.
We will not know until there is a large enough sample size on a pick at the NFL level of competition to know if that pick was a whiff or a home-run = Fact!
May 8th, 2015 at 10:26 am
considering our quarterbacks were getting killed last….freaking run to the other side of the field and lets get it going
May 8th, 2015 at 10:26 am
Tampabaybucfan Says:
May 8th, 2015 at 10:15 am
Winston supporters…..quit taking the bait….or you will keep the issue alive unecessarily…..just ignore the negative comments from now on
I like keeping it alive…. I’m sure it makes it burn that much more for them just as I become filled with joy all over again.
May 8th, 2015 at 10:30 am
I wonder what size suit that is.
May 8th, 2015 at 10:32 am
Only time will tell with Smith. I was a bit surprised with the pick as I thought then…and still believe now…that there were better tackles still on the board. I wish the young man well and hope he proves us wrong.
May 8th, 2015 at 10:33 am
are these the same guys who graded anthony collins as one of the best LTs in football in 2013? i think football analytics are not nearly as refined as baseball analytics
May 8th, 2015 at 10:35 am
Im guessing here, but pretty sure we were targeting Landon Collins. Then the Giants paid us back for the takeaway of Martin from them, lol. I really think we may have been able to trade down some and still landed Smith, but nobody knows.
He was our next target, and there were some early runs on big OT’s, so he may not have lasted long. Im happy with the pick though. Pass protection will be key for Jameis. If Marpet can excel at the nfl level (and Im sure he will), then thats our road grader for opening holes.
May 8th, 2015 at 10:41 am
I’m going to assume the Bucs have watched more tape on all of the LT’s that were available at the top of round 2 than anyone on these message boards. Probably more than the geeks at PFF too. Comments that there were better LT’s available where Smith was drafted carry no weight at all. All that means is you looked at a website’s projections and saw there were a couple names above Smith that wound up going later.
I highly doubt the average Joe is sitting back and watching hours of film on left tackle prospects and knows of one that was better suited for the Bucs offense than the guy they drafted.
May 8th, 2015 at 10:45 am
I just think we as fans just need to hope this year is different reguardless of how you feel about draft picks its a new year so bucs fans lets defend the bay because the rest of the nfl thinks we are a joke
May 8th, 2015 at 10:45 am
If you remember the Geeks were pretty high on the ghost Johnson
May 8th, 2015 at 10:46 am
Check out his big toe & make sure it’s OK…..
May 8th, 2015 at 10:48 am
You kinda have to look at the whole picture. They pretty much had to go OL with the pick so who was available. OG/C- the only one worth that high of a pick would have been B. Sharif, Flowers, Cam E. & L. Thomlinson and he were gone so you can rule out going G.
At T. Peat, D.J. Humphries, Ogbuehi (off ACL injury but great)were taken so are choices were J. Fisher (doesn’t fit Bucs blocking scheme), Harvenstein, T.J Clemming (injury foot fracture!)so D.Smith was probably the best pick. The Bucs trusted their intel and took the best LT available.
I bet Gene Deckerof will announce a few more years than he would of if the Bucs didn’t choose Winston.
May 8th, 2015 at 10:57 am
lol @ people with such definitive predictions of O-lineman; which seem to be one of the most unpredictable draft positions in football.
Also I really doubt we ever wanted Landon Collins. Everything I read said he wasn’t the best cover safety and more of a heavy hitter / run stopping safety which is what Barron was.
May 8th, 2015 at 10:59 am
@Stanglassman…right, he was the best LEFT tackle available…don’t like how we were cornered into drafting one specific position, but like the pick
May 8th, 2015 at 11:00 am
Seems to me the guy liked his pas blocking but not his run blocking. Every player has a weakness that he was to work on.
He even projects the guy as a possible No. 1.
I have read reports on this guy from other sights that his run blocking was good and his pass blocking needed work.
Huh?
Here is a simple fact.
If these guys were as good as they think they are, they would be working in an NFL office and making skads more cash.
Instead they are groveling around in some office eating two day old donuts and trying to squeeze out a living.
May 8th, 2015 at 11:05 am
For Christ sake fellow Buc fans..Lets give this man a chance!! We have chosen our picks. You’re either with us or you ain’t. If you are not, then get the hell outta the way!!! You see, I’m a real BUCS fan. Have been ever since my dad use to take me to those..0-16 seasons!! The pirate ship is set for sailing. Dead weight needs to jump the hell off!!!!! AMEN.
May 8th, 2015 at 11:26 am
About time you took Jamies Winston’s dick out of your mouth and report on other Buccaneers………….
May 8th, 2015 at 11:32 am
Wow Dave!
That is a very harsh comment… Please remember that there are young Buc fans that read these comments as well… Hopefully you are capable of communicating on a higher level more mature level…
May 8th, 2015 at 11:37 am
No one knows how the draft was for at least three years. 40% of all first round players are “busts”.
May 8th, 2015 at 11:38 am
“Dave Says:
May 8th, 2015 at 11:26 am
About time you took Jamies Winston’s dick out of your mouth and report on other Buccaneers………….”
Bitter, party of one, your table is ready.
May 8th, 2015 at 11:56 am
Yeah if he didnt have any flaws dude would have been taken in the 1st round. Hes shown he can dominate at times, got the size and is athletic. Just got to hope last year was a fluke when in regards to warhop and he can coach d.smith up to his potential.
.
May 8th, 2015 at 12:04 pm
Dave is just upset his Winston jersey has not arrived yet. Winston is the most important and most relavant buc Dave you will get used to it. Hopefully the Winston jersey fits
May 8th, 2015 at 12:17 pm
Mariota Joe Says:
May 8th, 2015 at 9:57 am
They whiffed on their first two picks.
Troll.
May 8th, 2015 at 12:22 pm
@ Dave
Though I am not for the lifestyle and am very much anti political correctness, I still hold to the live and let live mind set when viewing others activities or lifestyles since it is not my place to judge. That being said, your comment not only was extremely distasteful, it was also very easily able to be taken as a slur against men who happen to be gay.
May 8th, 2015 at 12:29 pm
@Mariottajoe you obviously are not a Bucs fan all you do is diss the Bucs no matter what they … You have already decided the fate of Winston and their first two draft picks and they haven’t even hit the practice field yet! Google Tennessee Titan + blog and in words of Tkraz on 620 ” GET OUT OF HERE”
May 8th, 2015 at 12:32 pm
Wasn’t happy about this pick. I think they reached and then turned around and reached again for a D3 OG.
May 8th, 2015 at 12:34 pm
@dave I’m embarrassed to have the same name as you! Show some class!
May 8th, 2015 at 12:35 pm
The rookies in this draft class should be motivated like no other, the way they have been pretty much kicked under the bus, this is why we need Jameis and his us against the world leadership. Guys with something to prove, especially to each other and in that locker room. Starting TODAY!
May 8th, 2015 at 12:37 pm
THIS
May 8th, 2015 at 12:46 pm
This is an opinion of mine. The OL will be much better this season for a few reasons.
1. They will want to protect Winston because they will be won over by his leadership traits and will want to give him the maximum time to use his QB skills.
2. The presence of a real Offensive Coordinator.
3. The absence of Anthony Collins.
4. Upgrades through the draft.
5. Signings of OL players released by other teams during roster trimmings which I believe we get first dibs on.
6. Last but not least, it would be pretty hard to block worse than last season.
May 8th, 2015 at 12:47 pm
They probably reached on all their picks, but they got who they wanted. OT D. Smith played in a pro-style offense, where as OT J. Fisher did not. D. Smith is a very big man that is nimble on his feet. They took a chance and hope it pays off. Same thing with A. Marpet. Although he was mocked in the 2-3rd rounds. Also intel suggested other teams were looking to draft him about that time too. Patriots and Seahawks, so must be a good enough player to take then. The draft is all about taking chances and L&L know their jobs ride on developing these guys and winning. Good luck to them as their team is starting to look like their team. Finally I’m excited about Bucs football again.
May 8th, 2015 at 1:00 pm
I came to this conclusion as well. Smith is an elite pass blocker, but not a very good run blocker (and that’s being generous). But hey, at the very least Winston will get some protection.
May 8th, 2015 at 1:10 pm
My thought is….ol qb whoever we draft lets just fill the darn stands and get behind our bucs #itsabucslife
May 8th, 2015 at 1:12 pm
Im iffy on the Smith pick for right now, Love the Marpet pick for right now. Of course Smith can manhandle Randy Gregory, he is hoving around 330-350 and Gregory is a bit bigger than Double Nickel in his prime. Im worried about him against the 5 techniques and larger more stout DE’s.
May 8th, 2015 at 1:54 pm
@’Real’ Bucs fan Mike.
Not to nitpick but those were 0-14 seasons. Lots of us were there too we just don’t feel the need to mention it in all our comments. (not necessarily you)
Most of the post I read people were just pointing out he was the best available or mentioning the areas he needs to work on. Or like Doc was saying, his pre-draft break downs were all over the place. By the way I agree with this point so it’s difficult to tell so it’s best just watch and see.
May 8th, 2015 at 1:55 pm
@Mariotta Joe.. Joe, I used to be like you in that I could not stand Winston at all.. I used to think that he wasn’t worthy of being the face of our franchise.. Due to the off the field stuff that is going on..
But as time goes on, I have learned to like him more. Hearing him speak, makes me realize that he understands whats going on, what people think of him.. And he has said it himself in that he has to “earn” our trust… Which is soo true..
So lets turn the page.. move forward.. Winston is our quarterback.. And I have a good feeling about him being the “face of the Franchise”.
May 8th, 2015 at 2:28 pm
Animal…well said. I too was a MM supporter but once the draft card was in I turned that off. Bucs fan first….
The 2-3 year eval time is real…I would even say the QBs need all 3 years to truly be evaluated. The thing that irritates me is all the overhype…images of JW as Jesus and writing that he is the next coming of Montana or Andrew Luck or basically the excuses for his poor behavior at FSU. Its ridiculous….
He needs to prove it on the field and off then all the haters will go away.
After watching JW live on TV today from Bucs camp wearing his orange jersey….how can we not think NFL dynasty? I mean he can touch his toes…that says HOF all over it. <<more silliness from BSPN when they hype up his first day of warmups.
May 8th, 2015 at 2:31 pm
BTW JBF…please report to us the number of times his toes were touched…..I need to know…Montana touched his toes 30 times in his first practice….the bar has been set. lol
I expect a lot of silly reports today….let the hype machine churn on!
May 8th, 2015 at 2:44 pm
Winston=JaMarcus Russell
D.Smith=Kenyatta Walker
Marpet=Sean Mahan
Lovie=Fired
May 8th, 2015 at 3:18 pm
Yungry, you are a modern day Nostradamus. Don’t tell anyone though so It can remain your little secret. SMH
May 8th, 2015 at 7:56 pm
Smith does not move well in the run game. He has a lot of developing to do for a 2nd round pick, this is why I said the other day that Ali will end up being the better pick. From what I’ve seen on the limited video that is available online, Smith ends up on the ground far too much and stumbles around alot when he’s trying to get to the second level.
Im not a big fan of the pick and I am disgusted that they came out and said that he will be the starting LEFT tackle out the gate.