Which Hog Will It Be?
May 1st, 2015
Donovan Smith
Good morning! The sun is shining brightly across Tampa Bay. No surprise. The Bucs have a real franchise quarterback prospect in town.
But dark clouds will roll in quickly if the Bucs don’t fix their offensive line — tonight.
Draft Jameis Winston, and you better be smart enough to protect him. Let’s not pretend he can win with last year’s O-line, which was a stain on Bucs history.
With the second pick in the second round of the NFL Draft, which kicks off its Day 2 at 7 p.m., the Bucs have offensive line talent staring them in the face.
There’s Marcus Mariota’s left tackle, Jake Fisher out of Oregon. Donovan Smith, the 6-6, 338-pound Penn State stud the Bucs have talked to repeatedly, is on the board. So is Pitt’s T.J. Clemmings, a converted defensive lineman considered to have first-round talent. A. J. Cann, the consistent rock of a guard out of South Carolina, seems like a can’t-miss prospect.
Dear Lovie Smith and Jason Licht,
Please take the best available O-lineman. Do right by young Jameis.
May 1st, 2015 at 8:34 am
And the Lsu tackle… Big boy is top 15 talent
May 1st, 2015 at 8:35 am
All I want is for them to draft OL and trade back into the 2nd and get another OL. The rest of the picks can be crap, just build a young brick wall in front of Winston and let the towers and RB’s do the rest!
May 1st, 2015 at 8:37 am
Lael Collins/Landon Collins/Randy Gregory, then go after Ali Marpet.
May 1st, 2015 at 8:37 am
Also out there tempting Lovie is DE Owamagbe Odighizuwa. L&L, please fix the Oline to help Winston be successful. We can get DEs next year
May 1st, 2015 at 8:39 am
the bucs had better start taking 0-linemen!
take Donovan Smith 0-lineman!
don’t trade down out of the 2nd round! he probably won’t be there!!!
trade up and get another good one in the second round. include next years picks as part of the package. this way they can get a 3rd 0-lineman this year. the bucs o-line needs lots of help now!!!
May 1st, 2015 at 8:43 am
“The team is expecting Winston to start”
Yup, 2nd and 3rd picks had better be O line starters…..Lael Collins and Ali Marpet!
May 1st, 2015 at 8:44 am
I’m more excited about today’s picks than yesterday because these picks are going to be even more important even if we didn’t draft Winston this day would have been huge to shore up holes for us…next pick better be an o lineman. im on lovie’s side and I think he will get us back to winning but what I don’t trust him to do is draft an offensive lineman, he’s as bad with o lineman as he is with quarterbacks
May 1st, 2015 at 8:46 am
Devin smith WR out of Ohio St! I’m aware of the o-line help we need but you can’t pass him up
May 1st, 2015 at 8:47 am
Fisher or Cann
May 1st, 2015 at 8:50 am
Randy Gregory played at 228 at times last year… In the NFL, you can’t play on 1st & 2nd down as a Defensive Linemen at 228. Have to go Offensive Line with the pick. If I were Bucs Managment i’d have one of those ex-FBI security guys the usually keep in house, down in Baton Rouge finding out whats really going on with La’el Collins.
May 1st, 2015 at 8:51 am
JAKE FISHER !
May 1st, 2015 at 8:52 am
Clemmings or Fisher, then trade up into the 2nd for Cann or Marpet.
Thanks!
May 1st, 2015 at 8:55 am
Man if you are listening to sports radio today you would think we just drafted Charles Manson, these people are unreal. Wow just wow about how people sit up on their high horse and judge someone who they never have met or even spoken a word to. I mean call after call is about how he disrespect women, or how he is a thief, or even though he wasn’t even charged they are convicting him. I mean what the heck is any of our legal system worth, if just one person says you did something that’s it your guilty. So just a heads up to everyone out there not only do you have to live perfectly but you also better not dare have anyone not like you or get mad at you cause if they claim you did something you should go to jail for life or just get the chair according to all of the vocal sports fans in this town. These people are unreal and are the same idiots that I have to deal with in the stadium each that don’t know what the heck they are talking about. On a day that should be one of the greatest days in our history is being destroyed by all of these perfect people that none of us will ever live up to and that seem to know everything regardless of actually looking into or not.
May 1st, 2015 at 9:01 am
@ndog
I said the same ish yesterday. I wished I lived in tampa for I can go to bat for the kid!
May 1st, 2015 at 9:03 am
fingers crossed that lael collins is exonerated this afternoon….or perhaps this evening, moments after the titans make their selection. randy gregory won’t make it. he can barely keep up NFL LB weight, i think he might accomplish the impressive task of being less productive than d’quan bowers
May 1st, 2015 at 9:07 am
I think they should go after gregory or landon collins, then laeil collins who prolly will be cleared, and then trade back in 2nd get an OL
May 1st, 2015 at 9:14 am
Gergory gets destroyed by o lineman when melvin gordon ran for 400 every run was to his side! ESPN should be ashamed for hyping this guy all off-season. I could care less about the failed drug test.
May 1st, 2015 at 9:14 am
Na, just give up on those people…..they are who they are and you cant fix stupid. Thats why I usually dont respond to them here….when you cant fix stupid, its just a lot easier to shrug your shoulders and ignore it.
May 1st, 2015 at 9:15 am
@ndog
Don’t sweat it. Most people suck.
May 1st, 2015 at 9:16 am
L. Collins better be off the board. There is no way we can find out in the next few hours whether he is innocent or potentially guilty of murder. If police find out that he had involvement in the crime, he will never play a down for TB. Too many good options are still available to take Collins. L&L could lose their jobs on that decision if it goes south. I heard a report from a radio station that had an inside tip that Collins previously hit the girl who was killed. Just too many unknowns, pass.
I do like Fisher and to a somewhat lesser extent Smith. Clemmings is also interesting but is still raw. I however am still in the draft DE camp or trade down. If the Bucs are comfortable with Gregory’s character, you have to take him. He is a top 10 talent on the field. Yeah, I know he likely would be a situational pass rusher his rookie year. But that is okay. We need pass rushers and we can develop him to be an every down DE. We won’t find anyone near his talent at pass rushing later in the draft. But we should only take him if his character checks out. And that is a big if.
May 1st, 2015 at 9:16 am
ndog- you can’t change the whole world’s opinion of a guy overnight. the bucs know that and i think they are ready to ride it out. when a guy as charismatic as winston starts proving himself, a team gains fans all around the country, more than enough to offset a fistful of ignorant local hypocrites. and usually, those ignorant local hypocrites have short memories when the winning starts. i wonder how many of the eagles fans that threatened to rip up their season tickets when they drafted mcnabb over ricky williams or whoever actually kept up their outrage once it was proven on the field to be idiotic.
In Tampa, we’ve sucked so bad for so long we’ve forgotten what it feels like to deal with haters. Brady & Romo have haters. Favre had haters. Sapp had haters – still does, but they can’t take away all the wins that defense stole for us. winners irk losers and haters. so if a bunch of losers and haters are threatening to take their toys and go home, it just adds to my confidence that we picked ourselves a winner
May 1st, 2015 at 9:16 am
I agree with meh.
May 1st, 2015 at 9:21 am
Well the negative types are the ones who call in. The lines always light up after Bucs losses.
Most Bucs fans are ecstatic, or at least want to give the kid a chance.
Doesn’t realy matter now, Lovie Smith and others like Brooks have this kid’s back.
Plus the entire Seminole nation.
May 1st, 2015 at 9:25 am
@pick6 – good call. I think you’re right about being so deeply in the trenches of loserdom for so long that we’ve forgotten what it’s like for someone to be hated on for being good and people trying to find something to take away from them.
May 1st, 2015 at 9:26 am
On a positive note the Bucs ticket guy just called me and said their website crashed last night due to so many folks ordering tickets.
Don’t let the loudmouths get you down, it’s a great great day for Tampa Bay.
May 1st, 2015 at 9:35 am
Gotta get some O-line help or our new QBs nickname will be “Splat”!
I enjoyed seeing the energy and enthusiasm Winston showed last night after he was chosen, but I hope he is prepared for what lies ahead. Turning the Bucs ship around will take some time, and Winston must be prepared to lose more games than he wins at first until they get better as a team. Hope he doesn’t get too frustrated. I think Winston has all the tools to help the team turn their fortunes around!
May 1st, 2015 at 9:39 am
Landon Collins or Preston Smith
May 1st, 2015 at 9:43 am
Landon, T.J. or Fisher should be the pick. Preferably OL, but I can see Landon.
May 1st, 2015 at 9:45 am
@Jeagan – In my head, I realize that that’s what logic says. We should not reasonably expect to go from 2-14 to a great record. I think that the transition from last season to this season is an anomaly in that we’re going to have what has potential to be a special QB and an OC, which we didn’t have last year, who has a track record of success. We haven’t had one of those in a while.
I’m intrigued by the will to win and the confidence that Winston has. I think that will help him come along much quicker than the conventional rookie learning curve because he won’t be as timid to put his toe in the water like rookie QBs generally seem to be. Everyone says he processes information quickly and that will help to slow the game down for him sooner than is the case for most Qbs, in theory.
I realize that this is all optimism based on speculation but it’s the first thing that we’ve had in a long time to get truly excited about so I’m going to bask in it
May 1st, 2015 at 9:46 am
Bucs have now drafted 7 straight offensive players under Lovie Smith. I think the Bucs go defense here, against the conventional wisdom that the Bucs need OL help.
May 1st, 2015 at 9:47 am
I know we need line help but Devin Smith might be the best pick. You immediately have a slot receiver and kick returner starter. He can then slide out next year as this is likely Jacksons last year.
May 1st, 2015 at 9:49 am
Trade back 10-15 spots in the second round. OL will still be there and we could get a 4th or 5th rounder. This team has zero depth.
May 1st, 2015 at 9:51 am
Everyone is injecting what they want. Did the Bucs not shock the fans last year by taking a TE in 2 and a RB in 3? I’m prepared for a surprise pick.
May 1st, 2015 at 9:56 am
It isn’t what we WANT, but more of what we NEED.
May 1st, 2015 at 9:56 am
Of course there will be OL available come June as well when the 2nd FA opens up.
May 1st, 2015 at 9:57 am
My preference is a DE… Gregory, UCLA stud OO, or Eli Harold…if not one of them, Jake Fisher. I prefer at DE at #2 and OT Ty Sambrailo at #3. We need a pass rusher more than anthing else. The hiring of Koetter will imrove the OLine tremendously.
May 1st, 2015 at 10:00 am
@Patrick….I would say that if we could get to 6-10 or 7-9 this season, you’d have to consider that a success….considering where we started. Winston’s energy and enthusiasm are great to see, but you just don’t see rookie QBs come in and lead teams to the playoffs very often. His second season, if the team continues to improve, could be the one where we get back to playoff contention!
This year, I’ll be very happy if they just play competitive, hard nosed football! Too many times last season it seemed like they didn’t even want to play. It was tough to watch!
May 1st, 2015 at 10:03 am
Hard to pass on a tackle here…but they are going to have to rip the card out of Lovie’s hands to keep him from drafting Eric Kendricks. Franchise middle linebacker tailor made for the Tampa 2.
May 1st, 2015 at 10:05 am
Fisher or Cann.. I would be digging hard right now on la’el Collins if I were the bucs.
May 1st, 2015 at 10:08 am
@Jeagan – I think it really depends on how well the rest of the division improves. I mean, can anyone honestly say that we couldn’t have won the division with even a rookie Jameis last year? The falcons have to learn a whole new system this year, the saints lost Graham and I don’t know that they had a splash offseason so far. Same for the Panthers. I’ll be interested to see if bringing in the OC and a legit QB would be what we need to just get to the front of the division. We certainly aren’t ready for a deep run, but I don’t rule out the playoffs in the NFCS until the rest of the teams prove that they’ve turned it around and should be considered
May 1st, 2015 at 10:11 am
We need 2 O Linemen and at least 1 DE preferably in that order. I’m not very good at scouting NFL Draft O Linemen. Heck, I don’t even recognize half the names of O Linemen in the NFL right now. All I do know is that needs to happen, preferably a tackle with our next pick.
P.S. Patrick in VA. I’m with you man. I’m pumped as well. None of us can predict the future but this is the strongest our immediate future as looked in over a decade.
May 1st, 2015 at 10:14 am
So much talent available. I wanna get Fisher, Eli Harold and AJ Cann
May 1st, 2015 at 10:19 am
Guys who is better Fisher or D.Smith?
May 1st, 2015 at 10:20 am
Fisher
May 1st, 2015 at 10:21 am
Also, I was assuming you were talking about Donovan Smith? He is projected for 3rd round.
May 1st, 2015 at 10:22 am
Clemmings, Fisher or Donovan Smith would be the wise pick. Too bad the LSU kid Collins has the legal red flags pullling him off everyone’s boards….. The Bucs could trade back and still try to get an OL later in the 2nd round and get a extra 3rd or 4th rounder but if the Bucs are really sold on one of these kids then just pull the ****ing trigger and don’t try to be cute like Jerry Jones or the Patriots with a trade down for extra picks……
May 1st, 2015 at 10:22 am
I don’t know anything about what makes one o-lineman better than another. I know that there are some that people seem to be more excited about than others. I just hope that the powers that be address our line appropriately with whoever they deem to be the best fit. I can’t lobby for one over another but as long as we’re working toward giving JW3, Doug and our receivers a chance to let the play develop, I’m on board
May 1st, 2015 at 10:24 am
Wow-can’t believe Landon Collins is still on the board.
I know many won’t agree with me on this-But Dorial Green-Beckham, would be the Ideal selection here. The kid is a match up nightmare
(Projection)
• Vincent Jackson
• Mike Evans
• Dorial Green-Beckham
May 1st, 2015 at 10:25 am
Don’t get me wrong-I’m a big fan of Donovan Smith. But with current prospects on the board-he would be a major reach right here.
May 1st, 2015 at 10:27 am
I could also see Lovie taking Jalen Collins
May 1st, 2015 at 10:44 am
@Skyline
Cool I was wanting Fisher, but didnt know much about D.Smith.
May 1st, 2015 at 10:50 am
Yeah, like most of these LTs being drafted Smith would be moved to Guard. Fisher is more versatile, but needs to add a little more bulk to his frame if he is to play guard.
May 1st, 2015 at 10:57 am
Lovie is struggling to not draft best safety in the draft or mlb i hope he goes oline.
May 1st, 2015 at 11:04 am
As long as it’s D.J. Humphries or Randy Gregory I’ll be fine with it.
May 1st, 2015 at 11:08 am
Since Humphries was drafted by the Cardinals how do you expect to draft him?
May 1st, 2015 at 11:20 am
@Patrick….good point. The NFC South is not a very strong division at the moment! But I still think the playoffs are a tall order for a rookie QB! I spent most of my career as a corporate Trainer, (before leaving to write my first 2 books) and one thing I’ve learned is that everyone learns and processes information at different speeds. I know everyone is excited at Winston’s arrival, but it’s best to bring him along at a comfortable pace and not put too much pressure on him too soon….that’s why I always cringed when people kept throwing around words like “savior” when talking about Jameis…there’s enough pressure on him as it is with so many FSU fans in the Tampa area…let’s not overwhelm him with unreasonable expectations too soon! 6-10 or 7-9 would be an awesome start for the young man. If he does better than that, then that would be impressive.
May 1st, 2015 at 11:21 am
I keep looking at that pic of D. Shelton, man he picked up the Commish like he was a baby.
May 1st, 2015 at 11:27 am
@Jeagan – To your point about bringing someone along at their own pace, I absolutely agree. What I am encouraged about with this young man is the amount of praise that he has received from everyone who has worked with him for the speed at which he processes information and how well he comprehends football concepts. That’s not to say that I’m expecting veteran level understanding on Sep 13, but I think it bodes well for a faster than average acclimation to the speed and level of play in the league. Again, that’s a lot of wishful thinking right now and it could come crashing down but, as it stands, the indicators are that this is going to be a big, big swing in the Buc franchise’s momentum
May 1st, 2015 at 12:28 pm
Well, we NEED a LT and we NEED a SS. Two of them still sitting there and their last names are Collins. I have a strong feeling that Lael didnt have anything to do with the murder of his x-gf.
May 1st, 2015 at 12:51 pm
I feel L Collins from LSU needs to be a Buc, we are desparate. That said I would throw a 4th or 5th rd pick to him. It’s a gamble but we need competent OL help to bad to not have his rights if he walks away from the investigation clean.
May 1st, 2015 at 1:00 pm
we don’t have enough draft picks to do what needs to be done. trade down in the 2nd and dump doug martin to add at least a 3rd and a 4th. there have been some rich deals so far to move up just a couple of spots. then you have enough ammo to address OL x2, DE, and perhaps S or slot WR all before the 5th round starts
May 1st, 2015 at 3:16 pm
2 Jake Fisher
3. Ali Marpet