Chief Defensive End Scout
March 13th, 2016
The new Bucs’ front man
Yet again, the Buccaneers sent new defensive line coach Jay Hayes to a “pro day.”
It’s a trend standing out on the NFL landscape.
Last month, Hayes was the only NFL coach at the Eastern Kentucky pro day. There he worked out defensive end prospect Noah Spence, a potential first-round pick.
Last week, it was Hayes again at the Oklahoma State pro day. The Godfather of NFL personnel, Gil Brandt, noted on SiriusXM NFL radio that Hayes was one of only two coaches there. Defensive ends Emmanuel Ogbah and Jimmy Bean were among Oklahoma State’s nine players showcasing for a job on Sundays.
For those unfamiliar, Hayes was renowned for his work with the Bengals for many years, and the Bucs went hard after him and pried him from Cincinnati in January.
Joe can’t stop thinking about how former defensive line coach Joe Cullen, a respected guy in NFL circles, appeared to be the man responsible for sackless George Johnson. Good riddance!
Hayes, no doubt, will have a huge role in picking the defensive end the Bucs will draft next month.
Joe hopes he gets it right.
March 13th, 2016 at 10:44 am
Do not be surprised to see 3 D-lineman drafted in the first 5 picks!!!!
March 13th, 2016 at 10:49 am
I do think it’s important to add an influx of young talent at the DE position, but once again I’m going to caution Buc fans from expecting too much from a rookie at the DE position.
4 sacks out of a rookie, no matter how high they were drafted, seems to be the best we can hope for. That’s not the answer to our pass rushing woes next year
March 13th, 2016 at 10:55 am
He will be our dc next season. Mike smith alreadys knows this hes just using this year as a step to get back into head coaching.
March 13th, 2016 at 11:04 am
Just curious, which coaches from the Bucs attended Shaq Lawson’s pro day?
March 13th, 2016 at 11:13 am
I hope the Bucs get a chance to slide back a little in the draft. Every player we are targeting seems possible to be draft several picks behind #9: Spence and Hargreaves might be falling a little, Apple, Ogbah, Floyd, Nkemdiche, even Stanley and Conklin can be had later. Trade back and get 2 of these guys! No Clemson DE’s please!
March 13th, 2016 at 11:15 am
With the Robert Ayers signing we have a chance to find the answer to our pass rushing woes this year. We should draft either Noah Spence, Shaq Lawson or Leonard Floyd in the first round, followed up with a DT in the second. There are some mock drafts that have Andrew Billings and Vernon Butler falling out of the first. A combination of any of those five with Gerold McCoy and Ayers, I believe our pass rush would be solid for years to come. Use William Gholston, Akeem Spence and Jacquies Smith as rotational players and depth. If he is there SS Karl Joseph in the third and CB Cyrus Jones in the fourth. We are on the brink of putting together a special team with the right draft picks. Go get Reggie Nelson and we are on the way.
March 13th, 2016 at 11:18 am
You watch when mike leave to be a head coach jay Hayes will be the new D coordinator I just know it why would he leave cin
March 13th, 2016 at 11:21 am
With a pass rush the defensive backfield gets even better.
March 13th, 2016 at 11:21 am
I don’t think trading back is an option in this years draft, I think most of the teams would like to trade back. I’m not high on Clemson DE’s either and wasn’t all that impressed with Lawson when watching him on film prior to the combine but after seeing him move in the drills he’s quicker than I expected and I think he put up equal or better times to Noah Spence in most drills while carrying about 15-20 lbs. more than Spence.
March 13th, 2016 at 11:28 am
I agree waterboy unfortunately! I think the Eagles just jumped the Giants to get Elliott and that was the chance there.
March 13th, 2016 at 11:35 am
I’d love that Realist.
My dream scenario is Rankins & Spence with the first 2 picks and maybe another DE project in later round.
1-Rankins
2-Spence
3-WR
4-S
5-DE
6-CB/KR
7-OLB
March 13th, 2016 at 11:43 am
Bring on the draft, with this All/Star Staff, one DE and one OLB + one Corner, then switch to Fastest Wide/Out that can catch. GO BUCS!!
March 13th, 2016 at 11:45 am
He was at Ohio State’s as well working with Bosa. There’s a video on the NFL YouTube account.
March 13th, 2016 at 11:51 am
This is great. I’m happy with any addition to the d-line, be it DE or DT.
I want to say this though, I believe Will Gholston is about to take a major leap. He could be an absolute stud in a hybrid system. They need to move him around a little bit and use him inside. I look for him to have at least 7 sacks this year.
March 13th, 2016 at 11:51 am
I not sure the amount of football people watch beyond sunday but our defense was top 5 in sacks last year. We got to the quaterbacks alot last year. That being said the scheme was horrible. The talent is all over the field its just not used correct. So when your skills are not used to correct you will look and play lost on the field regardless of league or level. You cant walk Verner up and play man coverage and drop Moore and BANKS into zone . Thats crazy , thats why Moore and banks always seem like the were getting beat on the slant and Verner got benched . GMC cant just play the 3 tech because he fits the sapp style. You must move him all over to finf the mismatch the 5 or 4 tech and sometimes the leo spot . This is PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL THE BEST MINDS AND PLAYERS IN THE WORLD . SOMETIMES SHOW DIFFERENT SETS LIKE GMC AND GHOLSTON ON THE ENDS WITH JONES AND SMITH PLAYING THE DOG POSITION OVE THE GUARDS AND CENTER. LET THEM STAND UP AND SHOOT THE GAP . I COACH LITTLE LEAGUE VARSITY DEFENSE AND I HAVE TAKEN THE SAME KIDS THAT LOTS EVERGAME THE YEAR B4 AND TURNED THEM IN TO DEEP PLAYOFF CONTENDERS THE FOLLOWING YEAR ON MY TEAM . SO THERE MIND HAS TO BE EXTREMELY BETTER THAN MINE
March 13th, 2016 at 11:55 am
You want late round value bucs need a long term kicker fsu Roberto agayo is an awesome kicker obviously a 6th round pick could be our kicker for the next decade and we need a FB and koetter loves using his FB in the passing game, and we get a little more national attention, either 5th or 6th, go after Glenn Gronkowski getting 2 potential decade long starters would be a big boost, most late picks don’t work out
March 13th, 2016 at 11:56 am
Spence will not be be there in the 2nd round. He’ll too good of a passrusher – to pass up. Especially in a league in dire need of premium pass rushers.
March 13th, 2016 at 12:09 pm
A lip of mocks no longer have Spence going in the first round.
March 13th, 2016 at 12:33 pm
We going to make a playoff push with a semi decent defense that can actually give Jameis a shot plus an unleashed year 2 koetter offense going to be exciting.
March 13th, 2016 at 12:42 pm
i am all in for Leonard Floyd.. Also agree bucs can make a playoff push with a couple of more additions. I’d like to see an experienced wr added for when vjax goes down the offense does not disappear. I’d be ecstatic with 2 starters and 2 contributors from draft this year.
March 13th, 2016 at 1:04 pm
Hayes was also running the defense drills at the combine as well, he will definitely influence our first pick, if a d lineman is not worth the pick, I believe if Hayes doesn’t see it in him, he’s not coming to Tampa
March 13th, 2016 at 1:14 pm
The Bucs were the 5th best team in sacks in 2015? That’s news to me you learn something new everyday on JBF comment page. Even if it’s not true.
March 13th, 2016 at 1:28 pm
I would not be surprised if we had a similar draft as last year…. Except we get a OL first than two WR follows by a DE late and perhaps a best DE avalible after that…
No reason to assume we will get DEs early with the recent bust at DEs that we have had…. DEs can be made with better coverage and LB play…
Just saying I would pass on DEs if I had an option to continue to improve on what I started the year before…. Not to mention we really don’t know what we have on D…. Its possible some of our answers are on the team already…
March 13th, 2016 at 2:31 pm
Hayes is definitely running things on defense. Like I said earlier, Mike Smith is just walking through the DC door to get his shot at HC again. The best thing he has going for him IS Hayes. He’s going to make Smith look so good he will be gone by next offseason. Couldn’t be more excited for the immediate future of this team!!!
Only thing I don’t understand is how much I hear people talk about drafting DT’s, I thought the talent we have at that position is above average at worst. We have just been so lacking off the edge. Unless there is someone there who is just WAY to good to pass on…
March 13th, 2016 at 4:24 pm
@1nebuc
I agree with some of your points ,with the exception of the bucs being top 5
in sacks.We only had 38 sacks and that is not a lot. 12 other teams had more
sacks than we did.Not sure if totals include playoffs.
March 13th, 2016 at 6:52 pm
BOSA! BOSA! BOSA!
March 13th, 2016 at 8:17 pm
Wonder how Jason licht lured this guy from the bengals for the same job. Good job licht, Mike Smith is easily gonna be a top HC candidate if the defense gets good, Hayes would likely be the next DC. Cullen never got production from the dline and it seemed like he yelled to much. Looking forward to this new staff.
March 13th, 2016 at 10:04 pm
The 2 biggest points brought up is the fact that we should be looking at DT after DE. The former I disagree with and the latter is factually untrue. We were middle of the pack and considering we were on defense a lot of the time, that isn’t impressive. Our DT’s are not even close to an area of weakness but DE is our biggest weakness. Ayers is nice but we will need to address DE with one of the first 2 picks.
Max,
I would love to get Bosa but it’s just not feasible unless we traded up and sacrificed picks.
March 13th, 2016 at 10:05 pm
I left a part out. The second point that was previously made was that we were 5th in the league in sacks last year….
March 17th, 2016 at 7:58 pm
Please get Jalen Ramsey!
March 17th, 2016 at 8:01 pm
Or maybe you could get LaMarcus Joyner!!!