Bucs Seem Content With CB Depth
June 25th, 2017
Sleeper?
More than a couple of folks wanted the Bucs to draft a corner.
That wasn’t hard to figure out. Brent Grimes seems ageless but he is about to turn 34 and Father Time is undefeated. And there seems to be a simmering of Tampa Bay fans waiting to pounce on Vernon Hargreaves.
Bucs fans always need a player to hate and Joe gets the sense Hargreaves may be next in line, unless he becomes Pro Bowl-like. Hell no, that’s not fair. But that’s just the way it seems.
Even Andy Benoit was perplexed by the Bucs not drafting a corner, so the NFL analyst for theMMQB.com took to Twitter.
@Andy_Benoit: Interesting that #Bucs didn’t draft an outside CB given Brent Grimes’s age (34 in July).
Well, privately, the Bucs were overly impressed by Ryan Smith blowing up (yeah, practice) after he was moved from safety to corner during the middle of last season. And he sure didn’t embarrass himself in underwear football this year..
The guy Joe thinks has a chance to shock some folks is Javien Elliott. In underwear football, that guy made a play every time Joe was watching. And winning Bucs coach Dirk Koetter often highly praised Elliott for it.
You can’t judge how linemen practice in underwear football and you sure as hell cannot judge running backs. Quarterbacks, receivers and corners? You very much get an idea of how they are playing.
And in underwear football, Elliott practiced quite well.
June 25th, 2017 at 10:04 am
CB, DE and T for the Buc draft in the NFL 2018!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
June 25th, 2017 at 10:49 am
Joe, just to clarify, Elliott primarily played nickel corner for us. Is that where he is still practicing, or has he seen time at outside corner too?
June 25th, 2017 at 10:56 am
I’m hoping for Derwin James. Or McFadden in the first.
June 25th, 2017 at 11:29 am
I think Jude and Elliott are solid nickel corners and backups. Elliott really stepped up at the end of the year and finished solid
June 25th, 2017 at 11:31 am
Kalind I’ll be screaming for Derwin the same way I screamed for Dalvin next draft season. Bank on that.
June 25th, 2017 at 11:31 am
Teams like Oakland, Tennessee, and Tampa are primed for ridiculous runs because of one thing–we all sleep peacefully about our QB situation. What sets OUR team apart is the draftpertise of America’s GM, Jason Licht!
Walter Football calls the 2018 Draft the year of the QB; he has FIVE going before the Bucs pick at #20 (no #StickCarrier believes we’ll pick this high, but I digress!). Expect Jason Licht to have OJ Howard-like fortune again next year, as teams lose their minds trying to get their franchise guy. We are primed to trade down or to just get a difference maker in the latter half of the round.
The next chapter is watching teams like the Giants, Patriots, Saints, Packers, Chargers, etc. join the perennial losers in *having* to get that next guy. Half the league could be desperate for a franchise QB in the next five years. That’s a lot of “how’d this guy fall to Tampa at #32?!?!” year after year.
Far be it from me to overlook the most exciting year we’ve ever had, but we are about to exchange exciting offseasons for exciting year-long-calendars, for a very long time.
June 25th, 2017 at 2:50 pm
Just like at Oline – this year is a “lets wait and see what our young talent develops into” year at the CB position.
June 25th, 2017 at 3:09 pm
Good call Realist on CB, DE & T next draft, but I’d think that RB & DT will rank right up there also. And buccan8, you’re so right about Oakland, Tennessee & Tampa … all three are now pretty well stocked for SB runs during the next 5 yrs or so. Pickgrin, I’m also hoping that our younger CBs besides VHIII (Jude, Smith & Elliott) can step up to the plate this year and gain some valuable experience for the future. But the same holds for young guys at a number of other positions, like Godwin, McNichols & Auclair, plus several others.
June 25th, 2017 at 5:58 pm
predictable though right Nole? lol
June 25th, 2017 at 6:01 pm
Our CB play should get better with improved play up front.
June 25th, 2017 at 6:10 pm
The issue may be that we do not see enough of Ryan Smith if Grimes keep playing at a high level, s we still may not know what we have going into next year’s very low draft pick.
June 26th, 2017 at 8:41 am
If Derwin James stays healthy he will be a top 5 pick in the draft. I think there is a great chance he is the first non-qb picked so lets hope we have no shot at him in next years draft.
I’m excited that Javien is playing so well and even if Ryan Smith plays well too we still need to draft CB next year. The Buc Realist is correct about next years draft needs being CB, DE and OT.
Bucs may even double up at CB and OT in next years draft.
June 26th, 2017 at 9:46 am
Actually feeling pretty good about our CBs.
Jude and Elliot have both showed talent and a higher ceiling.
Smith was a good CB in College- and also had a high Ceiling
Grimes Is an Immortal!! Incredibly fast Springs in his legs. Also keeping the Young guys on track- because Grimes plays this game the right way.
Thank God we made Brent Grimes a Buccaneer!
Hes good for at
Least a couple more years. I think last year might have been his best year.
And thats saying a lot!!
The question is Hargreaves.
I think he’ll never be less than a “Decent” CB.
But he is short and Slow, without Grimes’s “springs”.
But he showed some great instincts, and great reaction speed.
I believe he can be a great CB.
If he sticks close to Brent Grimes, and listens to his every word he says,
I think he will be
Cant wait to see Ryan Smith Play pro ball.
Think he will be tremendous!
June 26th, 2017 at 12:05 pm
“Bucs fans always need a player to hate and Joe gets the sense Hargreaves may be next in line”…..only ones being dumb enough to call out a rookie cb are the fsu homers….get a grip….
as for our cb depth, I think its solid….ryan smith has the skills to succeed and j. Elliott can really play….GO BUCS!!!!