Rookie Grades From NFL.com
February 9th, 2019
Research is finished.
This isn’t very pretty if you believe the draft is the lifeblood of your team.
On the night of the first round of the draft last spring, it sure seemed like Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht pulled off a heist. Just weeks after stealing Jason Pierre-Paul from the Giants for a third-round pick, Licht got that pick back and more when he traded down in the first round with Buffalo.
A year later, that load Licht ran off with in the dark of night seems largely wasted. What looked to be a promising draft is instead beyond frustrating. It seems the Bucs only procured two starters from having four picks in the first two rounds including three second-round picks.
Jeremy Bergman of NFL.com decided to grade each draft class for the NFC South teams following the just-completed season, and just as the Bucs are constantly moored in Buccaneers Cove (last place in the NFC South), so too, per Bergman, is last year’s Bucs draft class.
Is it a good or bad sign that three rookies started a combined 28 games in Tampa’s secondary in 2018? On one hand, there’s a reason the Buccaneers’ defense ranked 26th in passing yards allowed per game and 31st in points allowed per game. On the other, experience! The hole-plugging Vea battled injuries and got off to a slow start, but the first-round pick came on late in the season, recording three sacks and eventually averaging around 50 snaps per game over the season’s last quarter. Drafted ahead of Kerryon Johnson, Royce Freeman and UDFA Phillip Lindsay, Jones was a disappointment, struggling to see the field in a weak RB room. Davis could take over for the departing Brent Grimes next season, but the corner and Whitehead will be tested this offseason by new defensive coordinator Todd Bowles.
Combine/free agency focus: Where to begin? If we are to believe the swashbucklers’ new skipper, Bruce Arians, then Jameis Winston is Tampa Bay’s QB for at least 2019, meaning the Bucs can’t relieve their ultra-tight cap situation of his $21 million burden. Some targets for release reside along the remade front seven from last season: Jason Pierre-Paul, Vinny Curry and even Gerald McCoy. Any of their releases would count nothing against Tampa Bay’s cap in 2019, but would Arians dare part with more than one of them? Kwon Alexander is an impending free agent, as are Tampa Bay’s two leading rushers, Peyton Barber and Jacquizz Rodgers. Then there’s DeSean Jackson, who, set to count for $10 million against the cap in 2019, looks to be the odd receiver out if he doesn’t take a pay cut. With the fifth overall pick, Tampa Bay can go offensive line or edge rusher or running back or linebacker, and it would do. Have fun, Jason Licht.
Bergman gave the Bucs a C-grade for last year’s draft.
Vita Vea, after he had a mysterious sitdown with Licht, sure seems like a future stud (think about how awful the Bucs defensive coaching was last year that it took a suit — not a coach, but a suit! — to turn around Vea). Ronald Jones looks to be, as Joe is typing this here article, one of the all-time draft busts in Bucs history, which is saying a helluva lot. Currently, Jones is the worst second-round pick for the Bucs since the bad Dexter Jackson.
(Don’t stain Sabby the Goat’s reputation. He had five picks with the Bucs in less than three seasons. Jones ran for a grand total of two first downs last year. Those border collies that drag around monkeys at halftime shows could do that.)
Cornerback M.J. Stewart is a whole lot of meh. Yet another in a flock of nickel corners on the roster. A second-round pick should not be a part-time player.
Carlton Davis seems like a keeper though he struggled early. He just needs to stay healthy. Alex Cappa? It took most of the season for Cappa to get on the field and it wasn’t like John Hannah was blocking his path, it was turnstile Caleb Benenoch.
Jordan Whitehead, a fourth-round pick, seems like a diamond. Dude was not afraid to stick his nose in a scrum and stick ballcarriers. It was refreshing to see in the current politically-correct, don’t-hit-too-hard NFL. He too has to stay healthy. Justin Watson already has demonstrated he’s a solid special teams player. Jack Cichy may be on the verge of being out of football with a second knee injury in less than two years.
Joe hopes his readers can gather from this post one reason why Joe is hesitant for the Bucs to trade out of the No. 5 pick.
February 9th, 2019 at 12:36 am
PFF has predicted Donovan Smith will get 5 years, $60,000,000. $27m guaranteed.
Joe, I have to disagree with your evaluations of Stewart and Cichy.
First, Just because Stewart did not adjust to Mike Smith’s off-man coverage does not mean anything. If you recall, he looked fantastic in training camp…and he was playing press then.
As he settles in, the game speed will change for him too. Don’t give up on him just yet.
Jack Cichy got injured, but it is far too soon to suggest his career might be over. Don’t bet on it.
And the whole Cappa thing? It came down to loyalty to Caleb. We all know Caleb should have been benched. Obviously, he had pull with Warhop and Koetter. That is no reason to think any less of Cappa.
But even so…how many teams land 4 quality players in one draft? On the surface you might think it happens more often than it actually does.
And I personally feel Licht land 6 good players last year…2 are just taking more than one season to show it. Which is why players need to be evaluated after 3 years.
February 9th, 2019 at 12:38 am
Btw, that $60m for Smith would come out to $12m per year…only a million less than McCoy.
Kind of adds some perspective.
February 9th, 2019 at 12:49 am
Two bad knees for a scrub linebacker with virtually no investment sunk into him and a new coach coming in? Not exactly the way to build job security.
Joe wouldn’t be booking a flight to Vegas or Newark to bet on Cichy’s 2019 odds.
February 9th, 2019 at 12:59 am
I’ll take that bet Joe – that Cichy is on the team this year – and that he at the very least is a Special Teams stud – which is exactly what he was displaying before he got hurt.
WAAAY too early to be evaluating the 2018 draft in such a negative fashion.
Betcha the Bucs wind up with at least 3-4 solid or better starters out of the 2018 draft when its all said and done – which is a pretty damn successful draft by any team’s standards….
February 9th, 2019 at 1:14 am
Not saying he won’t but Joe surely wouldn’t bet on a sixth-round pick with two bad knees — and has played in how many games in the last two years because of those knees? Bucs have virtually no investment in him and a new coaching staff is coming in.
Don’t recall anyone suggesting Cichy was some Steve Tasker (Bobo and Watson, yes).
February 9th, 2019 at 1:31 am
I started paying extra attention to #48 (Cichy) on Special Teams plays a few games in last year – because I started noticing he was almost ALWAYS around the ball or in on the tackle. I’m tellin ya – dude was a pretty Special special teams player for us last year as a rookie. Don’t be surprised to see that particular player have a very successful NFL career for a 6th rd pick….
Every player Jason brought in last year has talent – as evidenced by the fact that all 8 draft picks made the final 53 man roster. That rarely happens….
The next 2 years will tell how successful the 2018 draft was.
In the mean time – lets give these sophomores a bit of a break. We already know for sure that the coaching they received as a whole was not at the level it should have been – especially on defense and especially in the secondary which constitutes 5/8 and 3/8 of the draftees respectively….
February 9th, 2019 at 2:40 am
I watched every game Cichy played at Wisconsin. If he’s healthy he can play. We’ll see…
February 9th, 2019 at 3:12 am
Not to seem like a homer but Christian mccaffrey was nothing special his rookie year and the panthers have had garbage drafts for more than a few years. We have a bad running back situation that just may prove to be because of weak coaching and a stupid scheme so not for nothing I’d prefer our gm compared to the panthers who did find a star running back but he also leads the team in receptions and receiving yards.
Carolina not finding a competent wide receiver is just as pathetic as our situation. National Media has always been harsh towards bucs but with an established coach and quarterback Carolina had no business having the season they had.
February 9th, 2019 at 4:11 am
All I heard was fire the coach. Jason is the problem
We have 6-10 talent no matter who the coach is
We are the Vanderbilt of the nfl
February 9th, 2019 at 4:21 am
How dare they put JPP among the list of players we can cut? He’s one of the few players who played like they actually cared last season. Not to mention the fact that he was the first Buc with double digit sacks since Simeon.
February 9th, 2019 at 4:22 am
@Destinjohnny
I don’t like Licht either, but we wouldn’t have gotten Arians without him.
February 9th, 2019 at 5:38 am
@Jimmy … “I don’t like Licht either, but we wouldn’t have gotten Arians without him.” Perhaps a bit of an overstatement? We’ll probably never know. People get credited for things every day that were much more likely the result of just ‘being in the right spot at the right time’. We as fans have zero idea what motivated Bruce Arians to take the Bucs’ job.
Coach strikes me as a long-range thinker, not the more common ‘how can I survive tomorrow’ type of coach. Look at the coaching staff that he put together. Good mix of experience & youth, indicating to me that he’s working with a long-term vision here (and yes, I do see Todd Bowles as our ‘head coach in waiting’). The fact that BA’s ‘return to football’ has come together so quickly & smoothly (thus far) tells me that he’s been laying the groundwork for some time. Two teams … Cleveland & Tampa … were the perfect fit for his return to football. I’m convinced that the Glazers now know that their Bucs are a mess, knew they needed to hire a highly experienced coach who’d had success in a similar situation, and have given BA all the authority he needs to FIX IT. He’s our Bill Belicheck … the ‘defacto GM’ as well as HC.
The ‘stars aligned’ as they say for BA to choose the Bucs. This is the perfect situation for what I believe are his long-term intentions: to become a ‘consultant’ (as he used the word previously) for the Bucs, much like Tom Coughlin is a ‘consultant’ for the Jags. Personally I prefer the title ‘President of Football Operations’ (but BA can call himself whatever he wants). Enjoy the ride; I have a hunch it’ll be interesting & fun.
February 9th, 2019 at 6:03 am
Oh and Joe(s), it’d be fun to be a fly-on-the-wall at times in JBF World Headquarters I have a feeling. You two seem to have diametrically-opposed views on quite a few things related to the Bucs. This article (which I loved BTW) is a classic example. It seems likely that one Joe is a Licht-supporter while the other would hang him by this thumbs then skewer him if given the opportunity.
And that video clip of “Those border collies that drag around monkeys at halftime shows” was TOTALLY AWESOME! The perfect visual.
February 9th, 2019 at 7:03 am
With all that has come out since seasons end about the lack of control in the locker room, lack of authority exercised by the entire FO with MeseAn and Grimes, on the heels of the Fat Baker fiasco – I don’t want to grade any of them yet – great point on the GM having to tell Vea to get nasty? Where the heck is that great DL coach?
Give them all a mulligan and let a true set of NFL coaches have a stab at them- then let’s regroup
February 9th, 2019 at 8:12 am
John B Says:
February 9th, 2019 at 7:03 am
“With all that has come out since seasons end… “”
All of which were pure speculation. But you really can’t hold the FO responsible for the attitudes of free agents. The players will always say the right things to get their money.
And two bad attitudes do not mean the entire locker room was out of control. The people who wanted Koetter gone hold onto that assumption like it is their long lost child.
However, in perspective, 2 of 53 players is not a big deal. The simple truth is, some of us knew DJax for what he was from the start. And we all knew Miko would turn on the team eventually. We just thought Grime was a stand-up mentor king of guy. His attitude was surprising to us, as it must have been to the Bucs.
But no one can deny that the team, as a whole, played hard for Koetter the entire time he was here. A team with an out of whack locker room doesn’t do that.
February 9th, 2019 at 8:14 am
Excuse the typos. Tablet changes words and I don’t catch it.
February 9th, 2019 at 8:16 am
Defense Rules 100% on your thoughts & on the joes, its easy to listen to the ira podcast and then get the gist of the article to see who is writing. Im not expecting a winning season from BA until this roster is flipped because the overall talent isnt there due to the GM
February 9th, 2019 at 8:38 am
I agree with Joe that Whitehead is a great hitter. He has the chance to be special…Evans is solid…don’t think he has the upside of Whitehead but he can be good. Safety is solid.
As far as the DB’s I give them two passes…#1 they were incredibly young with two rookies tossed into the fire at the beginning of the season due to the injuries to Grimes and Hargreaves. I do not believe that Jason drafted those guys thinking they would start that early. Experience is critical for young DB’s as they adjust to the NFL game and NFL speed. Davis clearly “acclimated” himself as JW might say as the season went on. If he gets healthy he can be solid.
#2 NO CB’s play well without some help from the pass rush. It’s not just our lack of sacks…we don’t break the QB’s rhythm enough and how many passes did we bat down at the line of scrimmage.
As D.R. likes to preach…football is a team sport with ALL the units required to perform. I’m for building the trenches…improve the OL and improve the running game…improve the DL and improve the DB’s.
February 9th, 2019 at 10:28 am
There is a core group of talent on this roster. Most pressing issues are on the OL and the defensive backfield. Coaching should make a drastic change on the field and attracting quality free agents. The draft will be even more important with a tight cap. We have holes to fill, but not as many as in years past. The playoffs are not impossible.
February 9th, 2019 at 10:41 am
Buccaneer Bonzai
“First, Just because Stewart did not adjust to Mike Smith’s off-man coverage does not mean anything. If you recall, he looked fantastic in training camp…and he was playing press then.”
Agreed. I remember him playing tight on a tall receiver and he had two very nice back-to-back deflections in the end zone. Need to find a way for him to be a safety up front also if he’s not gonna be our starting slot. VH3 should be in the slot if he can ever stay off the bench. He looked really good for the short time he played compared to him bombing on the outside over the years. But yeah, have no clue what this defense is going to do to this young secondary.
February 9th, 2019 at 10:51 am
I would have to pencil in Roberto Aguayo as the worst second round pick.
February 9th, 2019 at 10:54 am
IMO I think out of all our FA Hump is the one that needs to be signed. To me he is the Bucs Edelman. Also I think Nassib is the real deal. Also S A. Adams deserves to be resigned. If for no other reason the 3 picks he had in one game.
February 9th, 2019 at 11:06 am
Joe
“Two bad knees for a scrub linebacker with virtually no investment sunk into him and a new coach coming in? Not exactly the way to build job security.”
Agreed. Cichy busted his knee again, what, the first play he made??? The entire backup LB corp needs to be rebuilt. We were down to about third or fourth string. We were desperate and had to pick up Minter off the street and he went on IR his first or second game. Beckwith and Kwon having major ankle and leg injuries are both liabilities now. Would not mind at all if they traded back to ten with the Broncos and got Devin White.
February 9th, 2019 at 11:17 am
TOM
“Also S A. Adams deserves to be resigned.”
He played well even without just the three picks. Only backup on defense that should be kept. Need to wipe that slate clean and also get some guys that can play rotation.
February 9th, 2019 at 11:33 am
D.R.
“Im not expecting a winning season from BA until this roster is flipped because the overall talent isnt there due to the GM.”
Due to the GM? Get your sh!t straight. Drafted Hump and Brate UDFA. He brought in JPP for a third round pick, traded back for Vea and more picks, and got Nassib off a Cleveland sidewalk for peanuts. Had one of the best offenses last year and had very little to do with good coaching. He’s had some busts, but all teams do but no one knows or mentions them cus they’re not on the Bucs. I’m still going to give RoJo a second shot at what they are obviously gonna do and try to fix the oline.
February 9th, 2019 at 12:09 pm
Looking forward the NFL Combine players are selected. NFL website has them all listed, categorized and graded. Josh Allen has the highest grade I saw at 6.7. Bosa is 6.5.
February 9th, 2019 at 1:10 pm
Would not take much to re-sign Kwon. Really am not expected Beckwith to take another snap. He may, but just not expecting it. If you miss an entire season because of ankle surgery in April (!) that tells Joe he had a shattered ankle.
February 9th, 2019 at 3:43 pm
He actually won a game for the Bucs!
February 9th, 2019 at 4:19 pm
It is juuust a little early to judge the 2018 draft class but, not Licht! He has squandered more HIGH draft picks than I care to enumerate. Sure, he has brought in some good players; he’s been here for FIVE YEARS! It would be nearly impossible to have his job that long and not fall into some good players! (Blind squirrel & all). He has gotten too cute, too many times, with too many players & picks. As I’ve said before, he conducts business as if each round is the 6th round.
If there is a football god that ever forgives the Bucs for their embarrassing existence & decides to blow “winds-of-change” their direction, BA will ignore the knocking on the draft war-room door & the faint hoarse whispers of, “my laminate doesn’t work”, to the persistently buzzed J. Licht on the other side!!!
Then I just realized that our scouting department hasn’t changed!? Bucs life!
February 10th, 2019 at 8:05 am
I love how everyone says it is the GM cause he is bringing in crappy players. Do you even think about Revis, Bennett, Clayborn, Talib, Blount, Young, Barron, Vinny T, Foster and countless others that we drafted only to go onto success elsewhere? Yeah that’s cause our coaching totally sucked with all of those players just like it did last year. Let’s give em more than one year, with a trash coaching, before we cast them aside as bums. Tell will tell, it always does.
February 10th, 2019 at 5:40 pm
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