The Importance Of Drafting
June 17th, 2018
Key in rebuild.
Joe is confident if he brought up to Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht or coach Dirk Koetter that the team is in a rebuild mode, they would likely throw up.
But when a team has but two winning seasons since Chucky was jettisoned in January 2009, and has finished in last place all of those years they haven’t had a winning season (seven of the last nine), the team surely isn’t built — unless the powers at One Buc Palace wanted to build a lasting basement-dwelling team content to be docked in Buccaneers Cove (last place in the NFC South).
BSPN recently did an interesting study on how teams are built, among other things. And it listed teams with 10 or more first-round picks on the roster. Nearly all have enjoyed success in recent years.
The Bucs do not have that many. They have a total of seven first-round picks on the roster, all five of Licht’s first round picks, as well as former Giants first-round pick Jason Pierre-Paul, and one from the era of former rock star general manager Mark Dominik remains, Gerald McCoy.
Only one first round pick by ex-Bucs GM Bruce Almighty is still in the league. That would be Aqib Talib, who is with the Rams.
This just goes to show how important it is not only to hit on your first round picks, but not to toss them overboard because they may not be Buccaneer Men.
June 17th, 2018 at 6:27 am
I Think it shows how important it is, that you draft players who are going todo what it takes to succeed, and avoid drafting scumbags.
If you are trying to say cutting talib was wrong- you’re nuts.
He was an absolute thug here- JUST LIKE HIS COACHES WARNED THE BUCS HE WOULD BE.
Not listening to the people who warned the Bucs- is just another example of stupidity, from a franchise famous for being stupid.
The act that got The POS cut, was that he ran into a 68 year old woman- then got out and was threatening to beat her up. She couldnt get out of her car.
This was after firing a gun into his neighborhood- and slapping a cabbie.
And a dozen other little things.
Talib seems to have matured some, after being cut by the Bucs. If so, Im glad for him
But the lesson isn’t “ Keep your picks”. The lesson is” Draft players you will keep”
If a players coaches tell you hes going to be problems- DONT DRAFT HIM.
Look back at some recent failures- that set this team back
Jeremy Stevens, Tanard Jackson, Kellen Winslow Jr., lagarotte Blount, And Talib. There are others.
This team has stayed in the cellar. Because it was a dumb team. Licht has said so, and made it an agenda to bring in smarter players.
The Patriots are the gold standard. Smartest team in the league.
They occasionally have a need, and bringbin problem players
But they treat them like an ugly one night stand,
Use them then dump them.
Licht has done a great job of drafting. Reall only two bad misses.He still needs to get us a young DE
But more importantly- keep drafting smart players.
Thugs only keep us in reverse
June 17th, 2018 at 6:38 am
First rounders doesn’t tell the whole story……we have very few second round picks on the roster……and many are gone….mostly from the “Disastrous Dominick” years…..I would love to see an analysis that includes 2nd round picks also….we would likely be at the very bottom of the list.
Licht has only two busts that I can recall…..ASJ & Aguayo……..I believe LVD is the only 2nd round pick to remain from Dominick.
It’s time to call him out….he was awful.
June 17th, 2018 at 7:21 am
We currently have 8 2nd round picks on the team. Even if you don’t count the 3 from this years draft, that’s still 5.
June 17th, 2018 at 7:22 am
Dom drafted exactly TWO consistently good players in FIVE YEARS…
Nuff said.
June 17th, 2018 at 7:46 am
Excellent point TBBF; 2nd rounders are just as important to building a team as are 1st rounders IMO. Licht has certainly done a much better job drafting in the first 2 rnds than Dominick did, but when you’re drafting as high as the Bucs have been for so long there’s no excuse IMO for NOT hitting at least on the 1st rounder.
Starting in 2014, Bucs have done reasonably well in the first 2 rnds:
2014 – Mike Evans (keeper) … ASJ (gone)
2015 – Jameis (keeper) … D Smith (keeper) – Marpet (keeper)
2016 – VHIII (keeper) … Spence (keeper) – Aguayo (gone)
2017 – OJ (keeper) … J Evans (keeper)
2018 – Vea (keeper) … Jones (keeper) – Stewart (keeper) – Davis (keeper)
So out of 14 picks (Rnds 1 & 2) since 2014, we still have 12 on the roster. The real test comes IMO when those early guys hit their 2nd contract … Do the Bucs keep them as key building blocks or do we send them packing? The majority I think will get a 2nd contract, but only if the Bucs start winning consistently. The jury’s still out at this point far as I can see.
June 17th, 2018 at 8:48 am
Talib went to play off teams after the bucs cut him along with Blunt . Other teams always wanted them so and they played well .
June 17th, 2018 at 8:51 am
DR, most of these guys are still on the team but, I don’t necessarily think that that means they are good, especially on a perennial loser.
M. Evans (obvious), ASJ (asj)
Jameis, D. Smith (both just good enough to not replace), Marpet (keeper)
VHIII, Spence (only here because of their draft position), Aguayo (see syphilis)
OJ, Evans (keepers but, it is still very early)
2018- Everyone (is unknown, the jury is out, 1,2 or all may bust)
…and these 1st rounders are earrrly picks! They MUST be slam dunks! The scouting and ego-control can be better, imo.
Licht may have equal or better success on mid-late rounders.
June 17th, 2018 at 8:54 am
Capt Tim
Great post. Pretty much says it all…especially getting the horse back before the cart…it’s drafting players you want to keep…not just keeping the players you draft!
I think looking at it from this perspective also makes us realize how fortunate…(talented Licht?) we are to have landed JPP. First round draft picks generally do not move in this league unless there is some serious baggage or declining skill set. To see a first round draft pick move in his prime is rare. This is why this move impresses me so much…adding Vea…and ROJO are going to make a definite imprint on this team….as in three difference makers.
June 17th, 2018 at 8:56 am
Sorry, wrong Disease, Aguayo (see Brain cancer)
June 17th, 2018 at 9:33 am
Well said Capt Tim. It’s one of the reasons you don’t draft someone like Guice. We have a young team with potential and a punk mentality can derail things quickly (see Swaggy). Some teams can take that risk if you have established leadership with a history of winning per your NE example.
Also, drafting players from winning programs, see Sapp and Brooks, can have a profound impact.
June 17th, 2018 at 10:10 am
Some players can’t mature in the system that drafts them. Talib needed to get fired to get his head on straight. Even then he needed to be managed by coaching that didn’t have anything to prove. We will take chances on players like that. His talent was obviously elite or teams wouldn’t have put up with him. We aren’t building a boys choir so don’t pretend only gentlemen should apply. I agree that our teams need to win before we start taking too many chances, but we might not win at all if we don’t Risk for the right reward.
June 17th, 2018 at 10:39 am
Gambles sometimes pay off…..and sometimes not…..Look at Sapp…
But, you simply can’t take any chances with a first round pick and shouldn’t with a 2nd round either……..character & injuries are the two areas of caution.
Aguayo was only a gamble at the time because of how high he was chosen….if he had been chosen with that 2nd 4th round pick we acquired not only would Licht be off the hook….but it may even have affected Aguayo’s performance…..(head case)….
From the gamble standpoint….I think the last two 1st rounders Howard & Vea are very solid picks…..
June 17th, 2018 at 11:01 am
Joe is so wrong about Talib.
The kid was getting in nothing but trouble here. Sometimes a young player needs an abrupt awakening. He thought he was untouchable and learned different and that helped straighten him out.
It was the best thing for the Bucs and for Talib at the time.
Joe should not be blaming the Bucs. He should be blaming Talib, who was responsible for his own actions.
June 17th, 2018 at 11:48 am
Bottom line if these “THUGS” win and simply don’t get caught doing their stupid sh*t then everyone’s virtue signaling high moral double standard thinking goes nowhere and you’ll praise them as pillars of the community.
June 17th, 2018 at 1:01 pm
This year it’s “sh|t or get off the pot”. There’s a lot of jobs on the line.
June 17th, 2018 at 3:42 pm
Please… How soon everyone forgets. The majority wanted to run Talib out of town due to his punching cabby’s and not being able to get along with others. a lot also wanted Blount out of here too. First thing Talib does is shoot himself when he’s off our team. Had we kept them the commenters here would have been going nuts. And not in a good way.
First thing Blount does is get arrested with the other Steelers running back and then he goes bye bye there too. Don’t sit there and preach that the loss of these guys was a bad thing- it was addition by subtraction.
Talib has made statements in interviews about how he has figured it out and matured since we let him go. That happens sometimes. We need to get over it.
Oh, and Capt Tim, don’t attribute Jeramy Stevens and Kellen Winslow to the Bucs draft. Stevens was drafted by the Seahawks and Winslow by the Browns. Not defending Dominick here- I thought he sucked.
If you guys don’t think eliminating those two TE’s wasn’t addition by subtraction then I don’t know what you’re looking at. Neither should have been here to begin with if we were concerned with attitudes of players at the time.
Licht is kicking a$$ compared to these buffoons we have had as GM. Its not even close and if they don’t resign him even if we don’t have a particularly good year then its us shooting ourselves in the foot. See what I did there? Talib reference.
June 18th, 2018 at 7:56 am
Tampabaybucfan — I am not saying I totally disagree with you. Hitting in the second round would obviously benefit the team. I do want to point out however that based by statistics no one hits consistently well after the first round. Below is a cool little article I have looked at previously about draft success rates per round and position. I found it very interesting and I think you will as well.
https://www.arrowheadpride.com/2015/2/20/8072877/what-the-statistics-tell-us-about-the-draft-by-round