Liking The Hargreaves Pick
May 4th, 2016
Just don’t be Talib.
If rookie cornerback Vernon Hargreaves turns out to be more Ronde Barber than Aqib Talib, the Bucs will have hit a home run.
All Hargreaves must do is play solid football and not throw down with a rookie teammate at a seminar, not blast a defensive teammate in the grill with a helmet, not speedbag a cabbie flying down the interstate, not hassle Tampa grannies, not go all OK Corral in a Dallas suburb, not cuss out referees and coaches, and not eat Adderall (allegedly), then he should be fine.
Andrew Astleford of BSPN also thinks Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht nailed it with the selection of Hargreaves.
There’s not much to quibble about with this pick. The Bucs had targeted Hargreaves for some time, with Licht and coach Dirk Koetter both confirming they would have taken the cornerback if they had remained at No. 9. Koetter compared Hargreaves to four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Brent Grimes, and Licht said he considers Hargreaves’ “ego” a plus. The Bucs’ cornerbacks lacked bite last year under former coach Lovie Smith. The defense allowed an NFL-worst 69.87 completion percentage, so more aggression will be a welcome change.
It took a while for Joe to warm to drafting a cornerback in the first round. But Joe saw the light with more thought.
Brent Grimes turns 33 this summer. Nobody knows if Alterraun Verner can turn his career around. And with Johnthan Banks being a free agent after the season, without addressing corner needs last weekend the Bucs would have set themselves up for a major hole or holes in the roster next year.
May 4th, 2016 at 6:04 am
Wash, rinse, repeat…. Yawn. Probably shouldn’t forget RB didn’t get on the field until his 2nd year and wasn’t any good until yr 4.
May 4th, 2016 at 6:16 am
Everyone talks about the size difference but don’t discount him practicing against bigger receivers to help him get better and him learning from Grimes.
He will be fine.
May 4th, 2016 at 6:48 am
Yeah it took me a minute to realize how big of a hole we really had back there. Blaming the prior regime can only go so far though. I think we’ll get a solid 2 years out of Grimes and that will help bring VH along nicely. Hopefully Banks will work back into the field as a solid #1. I dont know whats going on with his situation. He needs to be with the 1’s the whole camp.
May 4th, 2016 at 6:50 am
I expect him to be more Grimes than Barber.
May 4th, 2016 at 6:57 am
This team is about to have its own identity it won’t resemble the team from yesteryear at all.
May 4th, 2016 at 7:39 am
Off the field Ronde is the nicest guy you can know in it he was a honey badger. He feared no one and had mad attitude when done dirty. As long as Hargreaves keeps it clean and penalty free I hope he ruffs some guys up!
May 4th, 2016 at 7:45 am
I think it’s a little to much to ask for in hoping both Verner and Banks return to there form. Now we only need one of the two to do so. And im betting on Banks for sure, he’s younger, taller, (wich we need at least one tall CB) and still hasn’t reached his full potential yet imo.
But it wouldn’t be a bad thing if Verner returned to his pro bowl form either. Because u need at least three really good corners to be successful in this league against the pass. Grimes will only be here for a year or two so u gotta start thinking long term very soon. And the combination of…
1) Banks
2)Verner
3)Hargreaves lll
4)Robinson
Looks good to me until VH3 can settle in and possibly rotate from nickel to the outside on certain matchups.
May 4th, 2016 at 8:01 am
I’ve come around on this pick. Nickel corner is virtually a starting job. He has great hips and is a ball hawk. I think he could be special in this role. I know we wanted someone to cover Jones and Benjamin but Ramsey was gone. Instead we got someone to cover Cooks, Ginn, and Sanu.
May 4th, 2016 at 9:13 am
Just watch his feet, hips, and how he moves. Smooth, effortless, athletic. There’s a reason why virtually every scout had him in the top 10. Plus he’s a fearless tackler, a great kid, and and wanted to be here.
He was the #2 rated cornerback in the country coming out of high school. This kid is super talented. The critics of this pick apparently just don’t like cornerbacks in the first round. This just in – cornerback is a critical position in the NFL.
Hargreaves has significantly more talent coming out of college than Ronde!! If he can stay healthy, I believe he has a good chance to eventually become the best Bucs corner ever!!
May 4th, 2016 at 9:25 am
@Architek, that’s what i’m hoping also. part of the reason the big boys got the better of him some days is because they are so rare to match up against. certainly UF with its horrible offense wasn’t giving him great looks in practice. trying to defend evans and VJax all offseason will teach him alot about how to match up with dudes like kelvin benjamin. Jameis and Glennon will also be by far the best QBs he has taken practice reps against
May 4th, 2016 at 9:42 am
@buc55…I know im nik picking but he was regarded as a five-star recruit by Rivals.com and was ranked as the nation’s best cornerback recruit and the second best player overall only behind Robert nkemdichi…GO BUCS!!!
May 4th, 2016 at 9:44 am
VH3 also has a large vertical and tremendous ball skills. Could it take a little while to adjust to the pro game? Of course. I don’t think it will take him long to establish himself as one of the team’s top playmakers. I’m not worried about this player at all. He will be a star before we know it!!
May 4th, 2016 at 9:49 am
@bucboi – “nation’s best cornerback and second best player overall”
My bad, thanks for the clarification.
Only strengthens my point that this is a freaking GREAT pick!!!
May 4th, 2016 at 11:31 am
BUC55 his feet and hips are flawless man. This about to be stupid nice wit it yo. And don’t forget about his position coach.
May 4th, 2016 at 12:15 pm
Funny how a questionable draft early by some can turn out looking so good after closer scrutiny.