Value
April 15th, 2018
Bang for buck.
Leave it to good ol’ Helmet Hair to maybe blow the Bucs’ cover.
The following got Joe’s attention. Helmet Hair Mel Kiper of BSPN recently did a short spot on value at running back. Specifically, Kiper was looking at running backs who should make impacts for their teams drafted in the third round or later.
Two names Kiper spoke about in detail Joe knows the Bucs have significant interest in because both were among the 30 allotted visits to One Buc Palace. One reminds Kiper of Darren Sproles.
And Joe would be good if Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht grabbed one of these guys next Friday night.
Who are they? You can find out in the BSPN video below.
April 15th, 2018 at 12:26 am
Wow the kid from Miami gets DOWN HILL!! How’s his hands? 3 down back?
April 15th, 2018 at 1:09 am
@37Champs
Walton can do it all
Hines would be a nice compliment to Barber but man I want someone to take that lead role who is also explosive. Chubb isn’t the same rb since the knee injury imo and I don’t think Michel could hold up in the NFL as a lead back
Justin Jackson and Walton are my later round favorite rb’s. Early favorites are Barkley and RJII
Had all of these dudes on my college fantasy football teams various times in the past 3 years so watched them all closely
April 15th, 2018 at 1:53 am
Don’t sleep on Bo Scarborough
When healthy is a 1200 yard back
April 15th, 2018 at 2:26 am
A real sleeper rb a.j. Dillon Boston College 6′ 240 lbs check him out.
April 15th, 2018 at 4:48 am
Nether of our current RBs are very good at pass protection?
JOE, are there any good RBs in this years draft who are better at it than the two on our roster?
We could use a guy who is smarter than some of the Brommsticks we’ve drafted at RB in the past.
April 15th, 2018 at 6:05 am
WTF is a Brommstick?
April 15th, 2018 at 6:54 am
I don’t want any “sleeper” running backs. It’s Barkley, Michel, Guice or bust for me.
April 15th, 2018 at 6:58 am
Love the word ‘value’ but prefer the 2 words ‘sure thing’ more. Chubb is very impressive IMO, but he’s probably gonna go in the 2nd Rnd (maybe 3rd). Would prefer Barkley, Michel or Guice as our workhorse back, but Chubb would be right after them (still wary though of RBs with past major knee injuries). Hines is a Darren Sproles type it appears (not the bell cow type) but would be intriguing in the later rnds (5-7). Pass on Walton, but agree totally with DestinJohnny … grab Bo Scarborough if he’s available late (Rnds 6-7). He’s my version of a 2018 Mike Alstott.
April 15th, 2018 at 7:31 am
Agree Defense
Barkley, Michel or Guice…..with the loss of Sims, we could pick another RB late.
April 15th, 2018 at 7:38 am
Joe, seriously? If Mel knows about these guys, everyone associated with the NFL know about these guys. C’mon man.
April 15th, 2018 at 7:39 am
Gotta agree – everyone is enamored with trying to find the diamond in the rough at RB – it seems to be the it thing nowadays.
IM CALLING BS!!! – – IF this coaching staff and FO pulls this kind of crap they should immediately be docked a month’s pay.
This team is in a sorry state in part because of boneheaded ego driven flat out busts in the draft.
Get the best players you can.
Its like some of these GMs just want to stroke their own egos
Package those R6-7 picks to move back up and try to score a R3 or another R4
end of rant
April 15th, 2018 at 7:52 am
Mel Kiper, the biggest hack fraud of them all. Nyheim Hines is a lot more Charles Sims than he is Darren Sproles. I get that he ran a 4.38 40, but he doesn’t look anywhere near as laterally dynamic or shifty as Sproles was.
If Licht wanted a Sproles type of back he would have drafted Tarik Cohen in the 4th round of last years draft. Compare Hines tape to Cohens college reel and I think you will find he doesn’t quite measure up.
April 15th, 2018 at 7:58 am
For my Money, the two biggest steals of this Running back class will be Rashaad Penny and Kerryon Johnson. With Nick Chubb possibly being the third biggest if he goes in the 3rd round.
April 15th, 2018 at 9:03 am
Jordan Howard, Kareem Hunt, Alvin Kamara, Devonta Freeman, David Johnson, Alex Collins, C.J Anderson, and Jay Ajayi.. To name a few of those “sleeper” RB’s because it’s a terrible idea to find value in players regardless of where they are being graded out. SMH
One of the easier positions to fill starter wise without using a 1st or 2nd round pick.. While I do want Barkley or Jones II I would be fine with a later round back as this draft is extremely DEEP at the position if that means we got a top CB, S, OG, or DE positions filled before
I would personally trade back in the 2nd if some QB hungry team wanted to snag Rudolph, Falk, or Lauletta to recoup that 3rd if it present itself obviously
April 15th, 2018 at 9:10 am
What about Royce Freeman? Surprised no one has talked about him much. Was productive at Oregon and looks like he can run and catch. I am sure pass blocking needs work like all the others
April 15th, 2018 at 9:20 am
Walton I think is this year’s Alvin Kamara.
If his ankle checks out medically, I want him. He’s a major sleeper that isn’t getting any hype. If he doesn’t screw up his ankle he’s a 2nd rounder and probably being talked about right in there with Sony Michel.
I just want to know that that ankle is good to go, other wise unfortunately he’s damaged goods.
April 15th, 2018 at 9:53 am
IMO if DE Chubb isn’t there at #7, and I don’t expect he will be, then trade back if possible. You can’t pick up a very good DE later. Only potential. You can pick up very good G and RB later in the 1st, 2nd or beyond so you don’t have to get Barkley or Nelson. I love both of them, but the Bucs have too many holes and need the picks. Ideally the Bucs need at least 3 and preferrably 4 picks in the first 3 rounds to get the CB, RB, G and DE/DT needed. Pick up Vaccaro or Boston as a FA Safety after the draft. The price will go down.
I would be OK with Hines, Kerryon or Penny as a 4th round pick if we can’t trade down.
Just stay away from Johnson from USC. Way overrated. Look at his stats in their 3 biggest games – OSU, ND and TX. He was a no show in all of them. That’s inexcusable if you are a premier RB. Once maybe, but 3 times — no way. Also only 14 catches in 13 games. Stats tell the story on this one,
April 15th, 2018 at 10:02 am
@Bucsfan87
I watched some tape on Freeman and didn’t come away overly impressed. He’s a nice runner, with pretty good movement for his size but does not have great lateral agility or very much shiftyness, his running style overall is pretty basic and he never really has any plays that pop and make you say wow.
Not totally against drafting him, but he doesn’t top my wish list that’s for sure.
April 15th, 2018 at 10:06 am
@jgiles87
Im pretty sure AJ Dillon isnt draft eligible until 2020 lol
April 15th, 2018 at 10:07 am
She called him a draft X-spurt?!?!
what is a draft x-spurt?
We all watch football and we can all throw darts at a board!
April 15th, 2018 at 10:11 am
And I said it in a post last week. The 2 biggest sleeper RBs to me are Mark Walton and John Kelly.
If Mark Walton never got hurt I would probably take him over Rashaad Penny, who I also like. He will slide in the draft because of that but he can end up being a good starting RB.
John Kelly nobody talks about and Im not sure why.
April 15th, 2018 at 10:22 am
Kerryon Johnson is the feature back we need. Have to find a way to get a 3rd rd pick.
April 15th, 2018 at 10:41 am
Agreeee on Kerryon Johnson, gout hasn’t been talked about much but dude can run people over.
April 15th, 2018 at 10:42 am
The guy hasn’t been*
April 15th, 2018 at 10:57 am
@JoeyPoppems
I like Mark Walton as a late round prospect. Penny I like as a 2nd rounder, Penny can do everything Walton can but with 4.47 athleticism at 5’11 220 versus Walton’s 4.6 speed at 5’10 188.
Those plays Penny made in the Senior Bowl sold me this year just as Kareem Hunt’s Senior Bowl sold me on him last year.
I honestly think that Penny has a real chance of being the 2nd best back of the 2018 draft class behind Saquon. Getting Nelson and Penny is something I dream about.
April 15th, 2018 at 11:15 am
Seems as if I am one of the only on board with Chubb. I am just listening to my UGA buddies.
April 15th, 2018 at 12:07 pm
We need an Alvin Kamara type of running back in Tampa, IMHO.
What an awesome find by the Saints, in the 3rd round!
April 15th, 2018 at 1:18 pm
Who the hell is Mel Kiper?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouOQr8W12jo
April 15th, 2018 at 2:01 pm
@Blake
I think Kamara and Hunt kinda killed 40 times as being an important part of the evaluation for me. They were both around 4.6 as well and had no problems making big plays. Its a fun stat and fun to watch, but Im just not putting as much stock into it.
April 15th, 2018 at 2:01 pm
@SB
I think most fans would be happy with Nick Chubb. They should be anyway if it were to happen.
April 15th, 2018 at 2:12 pm
40 times aren’t what they used to be.. So many prospects get professional training on how to run them properly to shave a tenth of a second or more off their time.
Not saying ignore a time if he runs a 4.8 but I wouldn’t put much weight behind it if it’s a 4.5-4.6 and his game tape shows otherwise
April 15th, 2018 at 2:14 pm
@Joeypoppems
While I agree that 40 time ultimately isn’t the true measure of a Running backs ability, but it is still important to keep in the comparison of an athletes Size/Athleticism ratio.
Kamara and Hunt are both nearly 30 pounds heavier than Walton, and Kamara tested off the charts in terms of explosiveness drills like the Vert/Broad Jump where Walton was either Average or below Average.
I like Walton for a late round guy, but I don’t think he’s an RB1 or significantly better than Peyton Barber.
April 15th, 2018 at 2:15 pm
*… important to keep in mind…*
April 15th, 2018 at 2:51 pm
Walton has been one of my favorites for a while. He’s exactly the type of back we need. I don’t want to and don’t feel it’s necessary to get a RB in round 2, and I don’t think the Bucs do either, but I’m not Jason Licht. Nick Chubb looks like Doug Martin #2.
April 15th, 2018 at 3:54 pm
No one is really a secret anymore in today’s draft.
April 15th, 2018 at 9:33 pm
Sony Michel is the best RB in the draft.
April 16th, 2018 at 4:55 am
HE LOOKS LIKE A BIRD!
April 16th, 2018 at 7:58 pm
I would be very happy with Michel, Chubb or Penny!