Scoping Available Talent
April 29th, 2016
Key talent is on the board entering Round 2
So the Bucs chose to go cornerback as opposed to filling the Grand Canyon-sized, decade-long hole in the roster, defensive end.
Joe is OK with this. Could be worse. Bucs could have drafted a right tackle at No. 11, or worse, a defensive tackle.
But now there is no excuse any longer. A draft thought to be deep at defensive end has plenty to choose from — right now. A defensive end must be selected. Must!
So Joe took a gander at the best available players, per long-time Cowboys personnel wizard and current NFL employee, Gil Brandt. The Bucs pick eighth tonight in the second round. Sadly, many teams ahead of them are also in the market for a defensive end.
Here are Brandt’s top six defensive ends still on the board:
Kevin Dodd, Clemson
Kamalei Correa, Boise State
Emmanuel Ogbah, Oklahoma State
Jihad Ward, Illinois
Noah Spence, Eastern Kentucky
Shilique Calhoun, Michigan State
Picking ahead of the Bucs are the Browns, Titans, Cowboys, Chargers, Crows, Chiefs, Jaguars. All with the possible exception of the Chargers and Jags could be looking to add a defensive end.
If Spence is really ranked as low with other teams as he is on Brandt’s board, then it seems realistic Spence could be on the board when the Bucs are next on the clock.
And remember, Spence is endorsed by America’s Quarterback.
April 29th, 2016 at 7:11 am
Joe i don’t get why you don’t want a beast of a DT.. look at what the panthers are doing.. Look at Denver two super bowl teams had beasts of DT up front and the push came from the middle why wouldn’t you want that? The league is a copy cat league i am all for taking a DT or Spence. McCoy isnt getting any younger and the other guys we have can be upgraded lets not act like they are game changers
April 29th, 2016 at 7:11 am
Wishful thinking
April 29th, 2016 at 7:11 am
Can’t sit… Must move up and grab either Spence or Ogbah. Too risky to wait.
April 29th, 2016 at 7:16 am
We are paying big money at DT and have a HUGE hole at DE. DT is a luxury pick and we only won 6 games. We need to put QB’s on the ground and a DE is the way to do that.
April 29th, 2016 at 7:23 am
If Licht really wants Dodd, Ogbah or Spence he will have to trade up because a DE run at the top of round 2 is almost guaranteed. However I think they like the available talent at 39 regardless and will still land a good football player which is what this team desperately needs.
April 29th, 2016 at 7:33 am
@Luther i never knew DEs were the only position on the DL that can get sacks…. think about it if you get the rush from the inside that will push the qb to the outside makes everything easier for the DE when the push up the middle is there. Do your research before posting non sense. Yes we need DE but DT is also a need we don’t have much behind Gerald McCoy
April 29th, 2016 at 7:33 am
I look at this list and only the Cowboys and Jags are 4-3 teams. So wouldn’t the 3-4 teams be looking for a different kind of edge rusher. I think the pass rush was improved with our 1st rd pick more than people know. We are so used to Tampa2 and 4 man rush here we forget that teams with good CBs can blitz. I think LVD and Kwon are our pass rush answer and think will combine for double digit sacks this year.
April 29th, 2016 at 7:38 am
Chris jones would be a great pick
April 29th, 2016 at 7:56 am
I want Spence. I just like a guy who can recover from a mistake as well as he has done. He has the body type of Von Miller and again…my son lives in Columbus. When they were both on the Buckeyes, OSU fans widely considered Spence better than Bosa.
Like others here though I’m not sure why the disdain for a great DT. Rankins would have been great but he is not available.
As one of the pundits last night reported…if you ask NFL QB’s which kind of pressure bothers them the most it’s the pressure that comes up the middle…far more disruptive than a DE who simply forces a QB to roll.
And Destro makes a good point. Smitty will probably use LVD and CB’s to improve our rush. That’s a major selling point for VHGIII…he’s “thick”. He’s built like a running back…imagine Ronde if he had been 205lbs instead of 185!!!
April 29th, 2016 at 8:12 am
There is no one deeper in the division with DT then Carolina, But somehow they were able to draft a HUGE DT with their 1st round draft pick!!!! Maybe there is something to this “Best Player Available”!!!!!!!!!
April 29th, 2016 at 8:13 am
must trade up for quality DE! Loved the trade last night, would have loved a third rounder but hey well done Licht
April 29th, 2016 at 8:14 am
StPete: You mean we can actually USE cbs on defense now. After watching this team last year, I thought the league changed the rules to prohibit teams from putting cover players in the secondary for ANY reason! Imagine if we actually had a CB that could cover, play the run, and blitz?!?!? Ha Ha!
I’m with you on Spence. Actually comes across as a good kid who made some mistakes during a time in life when most of us do. And, if all the reports are true about his voluntary drug tests and extra academic load to graduate early and prove to teams he was focused and discipline, then I have a lot of respect for how he dealt with his mistake. Plus, if Jameis likes him, then he’s ok by me!
Spence in R2 and Aguayo in R4 with our extra pick. Add J. Hargraves in R3 and a Safety project, and we could have some nice developmental players on both sides of the ball.
April 29th, 2016 at 8:16 am
take spence, bullard, dodd, or the oak st kid. By going VH3 in the 1st, we are forced to go DL in the 2nd.
April 29th, 2016 at 8:18 am
BcuLaw
Agree and I’ve been wanting Aguayo for a long, long time.
The rules changes have just made kickers that much more valuable and Aguayo is MONEY!!!
April 29th, 2016 at 8:19 am
Ogbah will be gone within the first three picks tonight so Licht better be working that phone trying to trade up.
April 29th, 2016 at 8:21 am
DE and WR tonight. I’m looking for a trade up with one of our picks. 2nd and 4th to move higher in the 2nd round, or 3rd and 4th to move back into the 2nd.
April 29th, 2016 at 8:41 am
Dallas and Jax will most certainly be picking DE, so I hope Licht is shaking some trees to see what it will take to move on up
April 29th, 2016 at 8:43 am
I’d sit where we are in the 2nd….but use all the ammunition to trade back up into the second for a WR….
April 29th, 2016 at 8:55 am
I would rather take Myles Jack (if its only a rehab process like some are saying) and then use our 4th to trade back into the 2nd for Noah Spence.
April 29th, 2016 at 9:05 am
If we see a run on DE we need to try to trade up.We desperately need either Spence, Ogbah, or Dodd. If we don’t get one of these guys and maybe another in a later round, joe is going to suffer another year of bellyaches,
April 29th, 2016 at 9:25 am
I don’t see how/why we wouldn’t address WR at some point in this draft.
April 29th, 2016 at 9:46 am
I agree with TBBF. Try to get the best available DE with our 8th pick in round 2 which could hopefully be Spence and if we could get back into the 2nd round if Sterling Shepherd is still on the board then that would be great. He would be a great slot receiver.
April 29th, 2016 at 9:49 am
Food for thought.
That extra 4th round pick we acquired from the Bears (#106) is valued at 82 value points.
The difference between pick #39 and pick #32 is 80 points according to the value chart.
So you see where I’m going with it. Use the extra 4th to trade up to the top of the 2nd round and grab the DE you have likely been targeting all along (Spence or Ogbah).
BTW – you gotta love Jason Licht’s patience and trust in his intel. I was feeling really itchy around pick 28-29 last night for us to move back up and grab one of those 2 players. But Licht stood his ground and it paid off because now we are headed into the 2nd round with 3 good DE prospects still available and a # of good DTs still available. Even if there is a run on DL to start the 2nd round and even if we stay pat at #39 – we will STILL get a good DL player.
April 29th, 2016 at 10:23 am
So what happen to the “Best Player Available” approach by Licht? No way Hargreaves was BPA with the 9th nor at 11th pick when every list ranking players had him rated lower than the 20th best. Would have liked to have seen Licht trade down one more time and pick up another 4th rounder, then he could have combined the 2-4’s added and moved up in the 2nd for his pick of day 2 DE or DTs.
Looks like Bucs will get 3rd or 4th best, regardless of D-Line position, ugggggh.
April 29th, 2016 at 10:30 am
There are still plenty of high-profile players up for grabs according to NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock.
Best Available:
1. Myles Jack, LB, UCLA (No. 5 overall prospect)
2. A’Shawn Robinson, DT, Alabama (17)
3. Jarran Reed, DT, Alabama (24)
4. Reggie Ragland, LB, Alabama (26)
5. Emmanuel Ogbah, DE, Oklahoma State (29)
6. Kevin Dodd, DE, Clemson (30)
7. Noah Spence, DE, Eastern Kentucky (32)
8. Jihad Ward, DE, Illinois (35)
9. Jason Spriggs, OT, Indiana (36)
10. Hunter Henry, TE, Arkansas (37)
11. Nick Martin, OG, Notre Dame (38)
12. Kamalei Correa, LB, Boise State (40)
13. Cyrus Jones, CB, Alabama (41)
14. Cody Whitehair, G, Kansas State (42)
15. Sterling Shepard, WR, Oklahoma (43)
16. Andrew Billings, DT, Baylor (44)
17. Michael Thomas, WR, Ohio State (45)
18. Mackensie Alexander, CB, Clemson (48)
19. Jerell Adams, TE, South Carolina (49)
20. Carl Nassib, DE, Penn State (50
April 29th, 2016 at 10:40 am
@realist…well well well…how’s it going…you’ll get your dt this round I believe….be on the look out for chris jones Andrew billings both the bama boys, jon bullard…de ogbah, carl nassib, spence….we are in a great position to get another impact player….GO BUCS!!!
April 29th, 2016 at 11:37 am
It was funny last night a few people were crying the blues because of our pick but last year when we were the toast of the league on every pass play and slant they were crying about the secondary. What good is a good line if receivers are open 2 steps off the line? No DT or DE is good enough to get to the qb in under 2 seconds. Now that we have a much better DE with Ayers and CB with Grimes than we’ve had it was the right choice to get a Hargreaves who can play press man. With Verner and Banks these guys can theoretically give the line the 3-4 seconds the line needs to get to the qb. You guys have heard of a coverage sack right?
Now for the crowd crying about not picking a great DT. Of course you can get pressure up the middle and that is the hardest pressure for a qb to handle but why do you think DEs almost ALWAYS have more sacks than interior linemen? Because they usually are 1on1 with a tackle with maybe a chip from a RB. DTs especially good ones are constantly double teamed on the interior so so where do you thing it is easier for a mibile qb like Scam Newton to break contain, in the interiir or the edges? We already have one of the best DTs in the league with G Mac but he has never had the benefit of having a good or great DE in Tampa. It is a known fact he us one of the most disruptive DTs in the league who had 8.5 sacks last year and 9 before if I’m right so you imagine how more disruptive he’d be if 2 ends can push the qb UP into the pocket where he already is? Two things tend to happen when a qb is forced to pass at the same time they throw and that is an under or over thrown pass which do tend to lead to interceptions. Sacks and interceptions are the name of the game. Then when teams can no longer double team him as much his pressures and sacks will increase even more. Why do you think Sapp became greater when Rice came to Tampa? The line and secondary benefit each other.
April 29th, 2016 at 11:46 am
That was supposed to be pass at the same time they are forced up into the pocket.
ON A SIDE NOTE JOES WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO FIX YOUR WEBSITE? ???????????? SUPER SLOW LOAD TIMES BECAUSE OF ALL THE FLASH ADS AND CONSTANT CRASHES WHERE WE HAVE TO RELOAD THE PAGE !!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU HAVE THE VERY BEST IN BUCS NEWS AND ENTERTAINMENT ON THE WEB BUT NO WEBSITE IS MORE IRRITATING IR NUISANCE AS JOEBUCSFAN.COM. COME ON GUYS DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
April 29th, 2016 at 12:09 pm
I second that motion!
April 29th, 2016 at 12:18 pm
“Bucs could have drafted a right tackle at No. 11, or worse, a defensive tackle.”
A defensive tackle would have been worse?!? After that statement, and your clamoring for Johnny rehab and Jesus tebow, I’m starting to wonder if the joes have any actual football knowledge.
April 29th, 2016 at 12:54 pm
Of that list of 6, there might be 2 or 3 that Licht deems worth drafting at #39. Be prepared for a DT or a S if the DEs they like are taken. I imagine they’ll try to move up to grab the guy the DE they like most if possible.
April 29th, 2016 at 1:24 pm
Great pic choice Joe!
April 29th, 2016 at 1:28 pm
Spence is like 255lbs. Isn’t he better suited for a 3-4 outside linebacker?
April 29th, 2016 at 1:33 pm
Dodd is my choice but I’ll take Spence or Ogbah also.
Not sure why so many want a DT. If they take one after this round, great but they got two damn good starters in McCoy and Akeem Spence.
I think a lot of people are forgetting how good Akeem came along and developed in to a real good partner to McCoy.