Mike Mayock: Bucs Went “Old School”
April 28th, 2017
Flashback but futuristic star
Well, former NFL defensive back and current A-list NFL Network draft guru Mike Mayock was dead wrong about the Bucs in his mock draft. But Mayock still remains a big-time analyst worthy of respect.
Mayock looked at the Bucs’ drafting of explosive, three-down tight end O.J. Howard at No. 19 overall last night, and Mayock sees a very old school move.
19. O.J. Howard, TE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Analysis: “With Cameron Brate, now they’ve got two tight ends that can both block in-line and go down the field. … Old-school combination tight end. He reminds me of Greg Olsen. He was underutilized as a pass-catcher and his best catches are ahead of him.”
Wait a minute! Did Mayock just suggest Brate can block in-line? Sure, Brate can block, but so could Kellen Winslow. That doesn’t mean they were good at it. Please.
Brate isn’t a seriously developing blocker. He’s a pass catcher, and a damn good one. Brate actually has spoken publicly about the tremendous personal challenge he has maintaining and gaining weight. He’s just never going to be a blocking tight end.
As for comparing Howard to Greg Olsen, that’s elite company. Olsen is the standard after setting a new NFL record with three consecutive seasons with 1,000+ yards receiving.
Joe highly doubts Howard will get Olsen-quantity targets in Tampa. The Bucs have too many other weapons to share the load.
April 28th, 2017 at 12:03 pm
I’m forced to agree with Joe on this one.
Use Howard/Stocker on obvious running downs, Howard/Brate the rest of the time.
April 28th, 2017 at 12:04 pm
Good take joe. Exceptional pick here.
April 28th, 2017 at 12:04 pm
and Howard isn’t about quantity targets, he is about quality targets.
April 28th, 2017 at 12:05 pm
Old school new school but wrong twice concerning us. Brate an inline blocker?? Startin to lose his cred! OJ will hit 500 yards and 4 tds
April 28th, 2017 at 12:05 pm
My prediction is that Cam and O.J. both get 700+ yards and 8 TD’s this season.
Our offense will be scary good with the additional Juice provided by Howard.
April 28th, 2017 at 12:08 pm
Bucs were smart last night. Stayed out of the trading madness and took the guy who fell (we knew somebody would, just not who). Honestly, I see the 2nd round playing out the same way. HB, S, WR, DL…..somebody at one of those positions will fall farther than anyone expected, and that’s who I want, whoever it is. Last night it was OJ Howard.
April 28th, 2017 at 12:08 pm
I seriously cant wait for training camp watch OJ go up against Kwon and Lavonte.
April 28th, 2017 at 12:08 pm
And if we add a formidable talent Running back Like Mixon, Foreman, Hunt, Conner, Perine, Hill, or Williams, we could have the best offense in the Nfc South, and own our division for years. Not a doubt in my mind.
April 28th, 2017 at 12:09 pm
Mayock was way off. He had the Bucs drafting Dalvin Cook with #19 overall pick. Damaged goods, character concerns. Who would even think that was every realistic? I don’t think the Bucs will trade up to get him today, and bet if it’s him and Zay Jones…Jones it is. Go for Marlon Mack Round 3.
April 28th, 2017 at 12:09 pm
Goal line situations Howard and Stocker lined up on either side together where you think the ball is going? Even Fameis should be allowed to run in 6 tds. Not gonna need to pass in that package!
April 28th, 2017 at 12:14 pm
I have Howard as one of the most highly rated TEs coming out of school in years. Kellen Winslow, Jr. was one of the only ones that I had slightly higher than him… of course in hindsight, Winslow’s emotional outbursts which I viewed as passion and not immaturity at the time, would not be ranked as highly now (see Takk McKinley, who I now view as a complete moron). Getting him at #19 was a steal, I thought he could go as high as #5 to the Titans or #6 to the Jets.
April 28th, 2017 at 12:14 pm
Anyone know if we keep Stocker if he will keep #88 and if so what number will OJ wear?
April 28th, 2017 at 12:14 pm
It depends on the opponents defense and how they will defend us
Im sure they will test OJ and see his strengths and weakneses in the beginning of the year
So many different factors to consider
Will a saety or linebacker cover OJ?
How are the other corners covering djax and me
April 28th, 2017 at 12:15 pm
Mayock had the Bucs taking Malik Hooker, not Cook.
April 28th, 2017 at 12:18 pm
Did anybody see the 2 short passes that turned into 50 yard tds?
No reciever in our team can do that
Its all about playmakers making explosive plays- The New NFL Normal
April 28th, 2017 at 12:22 pm
If you look at Tony Gonzalez’s final year in the NFL ( under Koetter as OC )…he caught over 90 balls & 8 tds. Now…I’m not comparing Howard to the future hall of famer…but more so looking at Koetter’s track record. Howard is certainly as athletic as Gonzalez was in his late 30’s…this I’m pretty confident in. Howard will be the ultimate security blanket for Winston and will draw coverage away from the middle of the field for Evans and pull a safety away from D-Jax on occasion no doubt. Exciting times!
April 28th, 2017 at 12:28 pm
We need a defensive end badly defense wins championships our defense is why we went 9-7 its also why we went on a five game winning streak glad we got oj now its time to get an edge rusher
April 28th, 2017 at 12:31 pm
My prediction is that each TE will catch at least one pass for 2 yards.
April 28th, 2017 at 12:32 pm
How many catches for how many yards total? Dunno.
April 28th, 2017 at 12:32 pm
Stocker probably stays, but Myers is most likely gone.
April 28th, 2017 at 12:33 pm
If the Bucs have there “12” personnel package on the field….Evans, Desean Jackson, Cam Brate and Howard…..with a RB in the backfield….how do opposing defenses cover that? With D-Jax speed, you gotta at least keep one safety deep to play centerfield…that means single coverage for everyone else.That means no sneaking 8 men up in the box! That means your best two CB’s have got to handle Evans and Jackson. Your nickel guy has now got to cover Howard or Brate alone. Your other safety has to come up to play the other guy. And you’ve got to stick a linebacker on the running back! It’s a matchup nightmare!
Now if we get a good RB and a KR/WR….I can see a very potent offense!
April 28th, 2017 at 12:35 pm
Mockers will hate this draft overall because it made them look very bad. They wish they could say “TB was set on Cook for a long time and even with all the sliders coming to them they knew this was their guy (because I told them so in my mock).” Anyway I think he had Hooker falling to us and he was gone at 19.
PS Last three top offensive picks for the bucs should establish a foundation for a golden era as long as talent is preserved and sustained with depth and a good Oline.
April 28th, 2017 at 12:36 pm
Not sure if this is OT, but are the Bucs planning on getting a young LB to play alongside the Kwonster and LVD? We do need OL/DL depth for sure. Ain’t Mixon a head case? Who needs that headache?
April 28th, 2017 at 12:37 pm
Dudes I can’t get over this pick. It’s f*cking amazing.
He was literally the last elite talent left at 19 before a huge dropoff imo. I’d probably put him top 5 in this draft class in terms of my own big board
He’s basically a faster (4.51 vs 4.68) just slightly lighter (251 lbs vs 265 lbs) Gronkowski without medical concerns in terms of a prospect. He will impact our offense more than any other offensive player could have in this entire draft with an extremely unique skill set that says future HOFer all over it.
He will improve our run game dramatically. He can take a 5 yard screen 50 yards and he’s a f*cking TE. I can’t believe this happened lol
if i had to guess we will go BPA defense round 2. If we go offense it’d be for Cook/Mixon/Samuel/Godwin/Jones; but id think they all go before our pick or that we may not even consider Mixon/Cook for character reasons.
Budda Baker / Marcus Williams / Jordan Willis r2
Kareem Hunt / Samaje Perine R3
WR in R4 . BPA R5-R7 on either line / secondary
April 28th, 2017 at 12:38 pm
“orlbucfan Says:
April 28th, 2017 at 12:36 pm
Not sure if this is OT, but are the Bucs planning on getting a young LB to play alongside the Kwonster and LVD?”
Devonte Bond if they don’t take one this year – drafted last year
April 28th, 2017 at 12:51 pm
I generally like Mayock but he seems to have read too many of his own headlines. Aside from getting most picks utterly wrong (granted, that happens to many) he seemed indifferent when we were picking. At the last second he parroted what one of his colleagues and everyone else with a brain was thinking when Howard inexplicably dropped to us: “maybe it’s OJ Howard”. Brilliant! But this bull Shiite about Brate as an in line blocker?! Puh-lease. I’ll say it again though, thank you Jason Licht. Best possible pick at that time. He let the board come right to him. I hope he does that for the rest of the draft as well. We saw last year what happens when he gets cute.
April 28th, 2017 at 12:51 pm
Koetter is now pulling Film about how the pats used Gronk and Hernandez. Remember how we had issues scoring in the red zone. Color those days gone. I think keeping vJax is starting to make sense. He won’t be a focus but he can become the forgotten guy. Maybe he only get 35 catches but if there are 5 Tds and 16 first downs in there that would be strong. The other guy that’s gonna get lost is djax, then when that happens uhoh.
April 28th, 2017 at 12:52 pm
@Lord C
Im with you. I hope we go Defense and RB tonight. Which comes first I dont care lol
April 28th, 2017 at 12:53 pm
LC…great points, great pick by the bucs not sure why the one joe hates this pick……bucs really do not need a sam backer because they are running a 4-2 defense and multiple front defense with that nickel back most of the time and then as joes stated they may be tinkering with the 3-3-5 defense to get faster off the edge in passing situations….which is why i hope the bucs grab ryan anderson from bama that could be that edge rusher in a 3-3-5 look…of course buddha baker from everything ive read is that robber safety….
April 28th, 2017 at 12:59 pm
It was great seeing the Bucs select OJ Howard, another weapon for Winston. Who knew that teams would trade up ahead of the Bucs and select QBs? Who knew that the draft was so complicated?
April 28th, 2017 at 1:05 pm
I’m not sure if it was Mayock or the coach from Stanford David Shaw that said on the NFL network when Howard was picked, but they said “it just got real in Tampa”. yep it is real, so hyped about this pick, was on this from the national championship game, keep firing them cannons and light it with a big stick
April 28th, 2017 at 1:05 pm
“Dusthty Rhothdes Says:
April 28th, 2017 at 12:53 pm
LC…great points, great pick by the bucs not sure why the one joe hates this pick……”
Because Joe thinks that a non-blocking TE getting 7 TDs = we are set at TE for life lol; and somehow he doesn’t understand the concept of 2 TE sets at all or F TEs vs Y TEs; and tends to zero-in hardcore on a position or player he wants in the draft with tunnel vision and blinders to the value of other players/position. Thank god he’s not our GM but also thank the gods for joebucsfan and all the articles.
TE has solid lifespan as a position too. Tony Gonzalez was still balling out in his mid to late 30s. Antonio Gates is still playing at 36. No RB would have that life span
April 28th, 2017 at 1:05 pm
Yup, that’s right…thanks for the reminder. Mayock did predict Hooker…so he’s not as delusional as we thought.
April 28th, 2017 at 1:08 pm
Correction Brate had 8* TDs.
Kenny Stills & Rishard Mathews each had 9 TDs. In Joe’s world they must be top 6 elite #1 WRs lol
April 28th, 2017 at 1:11 pm
Mike Mayock gets 4 right out of 32 and people still consider him as an expert.
April 28th, 2017 at 1:12 pm
Good call on Ryan Anderson.. Tim Williams would be a steal in the 2nd too. Both those guys are battle tested SEC edge rushing nightmares.. Great hands and technique.. Lot of Bama hate this year for some reason but that’s good news for somebody. I’m happy with the OJ pick, he was my first wish even though I didn’t think he’d be there at 19. Whatever we do now is just gravy to me.. I’m good.
April 28th, 2017 at 1:14 pm
Jordan Willis 2nd round, use in as a starter at RDE, have Spence start at SAM, it’s Ayers, Baker, GMC, Willis, passing situations, drop Ayers to tackle, Spence to LDE, Willis n Spence off the edge, Ayers n GMC inside
April 28th, 2017 at 1:20 pm
Sticker blew out his knee watching the Draft last night
April 28th, 2017 at 1:22 pm
I’m wondering if Malik McDowell will be around for us in the 2nd round.
April 28th, 2017 at 1:24 pm
Celly I was thinking the same thing. Meyers never lived up to even the little hype he got coming here so it’s hasta la vista baybeee yer outta here!
Long season here’s a solid piece of advice for you while you ponder that question, take a long run off a shorf pier!
April 28th, 2017 at 1:38 pm
I think we make a move up tonite. Wide receiver. I believe Koetter is gonna stand by Jacquizz this year. They’ll keep Martin and see how it pans out early. Dirk went to Rogers pronto after the season and let him know they were gonna keep him. I can see them grabbing Samuel. Dual threat, fast, fast, fast. Playa. All defense after that. Unless of course…….another stud falls in our lap. Bucs are gonna be real good for a long, long time.
April 28th, 2017 at 1:56 pm
DevilDogBuc and Guzzle are right. Can’t get a good DE after the 2nd round. Jordan Willis from K-State if he’s available or the guy from Youngstown State.
RB and S will be available in the 3rd and 4th. Maybe Marlon Mack, Kareem Hunt or Samaje Perine in 3rd and Xavier Woods in 4th. WR in 5th (or trade back into 4th) – maybe Josh Evans, Carlos Henderson or Taiwan Taylor slip.
April 28th, 2017 at 2:03 pm
Hope we go
willis
safety
runningback
not considering injury, but we might have too many offensive options? sims is a great receiving rb on 3rd down. both quizz and martin can catch
**Im hoping the tightend that OJ equates to is travis Kelche. With koetter and Fat Andy being so close, im sure koetter will get his input and include similar designs/routes
April 28th, 2017 at 2:09 pm
If McDowell is there when we pick at #50 then I hope he is still there for #51 to take.
April 28th, 2017 at 2:10 pm
I really hate it when they compare rookies to other players. They never measure up.
OJ Howard is just like….OJ Howard. And that’s fine. We just need to find out who OJ is to know what that means.
April 28th, 2017 at 2:12 pm
Kobe, we do have a lot of offense, but Samuel could take Sims spot. More speed, better athlete, and would be a heck of a returner. I actually could see moving Sims for a pick. But only if Samuel is in play. Speed kills. OJ, Jackpot, and Samuel on the field at the same time would be unfair. Samuel in the slot, or out of the backfield itself presents the linebackers with way too much to think about. What say you?
April 28th, 2017 at 2:50 pm
The issue I had with Brate and the reason I’d have been OK with the Miami kid (never thought OJ would be there) was that Brate can’t get separation – he was a UDFA for a reason. He does catch everything thrown his way but the team missed the play making ability of ASJ. Go back to week 1 for example, with a fully healthy Martin and VJ and ASJ making plays the offense looked as good as it did in 2015. If we have OJ making those ASJ plays – and hopefully there for 16 weeks and not constantly injured and getting DUIs, that’s a huge plus.
April 28th, 2017 at 2:59 pm
Just a great all around football player with elite ability. Strong blocker with great hands who can take it to the house from anywhere. Winston loves to throw the seam routes. Perfect fit. Will keep the safeties honest with Evans and DJax on the outside. Look out!
April 28th, 2017 at 3:09 pm
Indeed, Samuel will be a great underneath playmaker…
I just want them to add more defensive players for Mike Smith,…
Im definitely getting ahead of myself, but with the addition of Djax and OJ, we have the talent to go to the NFC championship game…especially if we give Mike smith more tools on the defensive side
April 28th, 2017 at 3:11 pm
Joey ju cracey man, Mcdowell is a monster. Getting him in the 2nd would be another godsend.
April 28th, 2017 at 3:25 pm
I’m wondering how Silaga, Russell and Bond are panning out. If those guys are stepping up and improving it gives us a good chance to move up and grab the best safety left. Or Willis. Nothing like a shut down D when you need it.
April 28th, 2017 at 5:43 pm
i am happy as a hog in slop