A Year In Review
March 20th, 2019
Downgrades Bucs draft.
It’s always tricky to be judging a team’s draft before most of the drafted rookies have even signed professional contracts.
But that’s what many people do including helmet hair Mel Kiper of BSPN. Last year he slapped the Bucs with a “B” grade for the 2018 draft.
A year later looking back, Kiper is less enthusiastic.
Post-draft grade: B
I wrote last year that I was surprised Tampa Bay didn’t pull the trigger on safety Derwin James with the 12th pick. I thought he would have instantly upgraded the secondary. And based on how good he was in L.A., I was right. Now, Vita Vea, whom GM Jason Licht took over James, came on at the end of the season, and I like his potential. But defensive tackle wasn’t nearly as big of a need at the time as safety was, and Vea took half the season to make an impact. The jury is also still out on second-round pick Ronald Jones II, who had just 23 carries as a rookie for a team with one of the worst rushing offenses in the league. That’s not a great sign for the future.
Licht did address the secondary on Day 2, taking cornerbacks Carlton Davis and M.J. Stewart in the second round. Davis started 12 games and Stewart started five, but they looked like rookies in Year 1. Let’s see what a full year in a pro strength and conditioning program does. Safety Jordan Whitehead might have been the most impactful Bucs rookie, as the fourth-round pick had 76 tackles and four pass breakups.
The question I asked after last year’s draft was: Did the defense get better? Well, it didn’t — Tampa Bay allowed quarterbacks to complete a ridiculous 72.5 percent of their passes, the worst mark in the league. There’s a reason new coach Bruce Arians brought in his guy Todd Bowles to help fix the D.
New grade: C
Well, a “C” grade is generous. Joe really loves the potential of Vea and he may be a total stud there. No quibbles from Joe about Vea.
The cursed second-round — it’s always the second-round — looks just dreadful and is beginning to have the stench that Licht got fleeced by Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane. Hey, trading down sure is a cool concept. First you have to have a partner. Second, you damn well better hit on those extra picks.
With the exception of Carlton Davis, that second-round haul Licht appeared to have last year is damn near a total washout. Ronald Jones is on the cusp of being one of the biggest busts in Bucs history, which is saying something. M.J. Stewart was so bad the Bucs have already moved him to safety.
And while Jordan Whitehead (fourth round) sure likes to hit, it says something to Joe that the Bucs are trying to sign just about any warm body to play safety this offseason.
March 20th, 2019 at 5:51 am
It says something about the need for competition as well.
RJ will be fine with a better OL.
Brimg on another LB and DE in the draft to make sure we have everything we need
March 20th, 2019 at 5:52 am
Licht got beat period. I said it at the time the trade was made. They should’ve gotten the other first round pick that Buffalo had and one second round pick as well. We had a top ten pick and gave it away for a bunch of second round picks. It was idiotic to me. If Licht doesn’t return next season or trade up into the first round he will be the only Tampa GM to not obtain two first round picks in his tenure than any GM we had in a long time. We could’ve had Vea and James after the draft last year if that would’ve happened. We could’ve traded with the Chargers just to move up a few spots from Buffalo additional first round pick. Apparently they knew their value because Buffalo had two first round picks and still stunk if that were us we would’ve been in the playoffs with two All Pro rookies despite the time Vea missed. What a miss by Licht but the guy can save face this season and do the same thing. We have a early second round pick this season and we could trade up again or even trade with the Raiders again and give them like the rest of the draft for their two late first round picks. Look back in draft archives Everytime we made a trade to get more than one first round pick we made the playoffs that very season
March 20th, 2019 at 5:53 am
Needless to say, Dunce Cap Licht needs to go.
Hoping BA takes over the draft this year.
March 20th, 2019 at 6:10 am
A ‘C’ is very generous IMO.
But, lets face it, Mel Kiper’s hair is G-L-O-R-I-O-U-S! Isn’t that the real reason we scrolled through this story?!
March 20th, 2019 at 6:19 am
Ronald Jones is a mystery to me. In college, he averaged 6.1 yards a carry. His highlight reel was off the charts! And I mean OFF THE CHARTS!
OJ Simpson (yeah, he’s filth as a person, but this is about football) only averaged 5.1 yards a carry at the same school the year he won the Heisman Trophy.
Jones looked lost last year—like the 20 year old kid he was trying to play amongst men. It didn’t help that he knew if he dropped one pass or was murdered carrying the ball (no fault of his) he’d be benched for the rest of the game and probably deactivated for the next week.
It’s inexplicable to me why Koetter, after we were eliminated from the playoffs, didn’t start him and let him play a full game just to see what he had in the kid.
But that’s Koetter.
I trust BA will give Jones another chance. If Jones fails, so be it. But, at the very least, the 21 year old deserves a fair shot.
March 20th, 2019 at 6:23 am
I was watching highlights on ROJO in college last night and its maddening hoe misused he was here. That kid flies and is a td waiting to happen. Pathetic.
Noah Spence is built to play olb and hr just sits on the sideline all season. I wont judge these picks until Arians staff gets a season in..
March 20th, 2019 at 6:29 am
Coaching MIGHT save some of these guy’s careers but players have to show they belong. Everyone in the NFL is big and fast, unlike the competition ROJO had at USC. A RB should show you some flash, some sliver of capability at the NFL level. It’s one of the easiest positions to transition from college.
He’s a Buc so I root for him to succeed. However, based on his “performance”, he might just not have IT.
I hope I’m wrong.
March 20th, 2019 at 6:32 am
Rojo was hit most of the time before he even took his first step with the ball in his hands. He was uses so little (average of two carries per game) that every time he was even in the game , the defense knew it was a run.
Thats bad coaching.
March 20th, 2019 at 6:49 am
No doubt joes
Jason Licht should trade up to the end of the first round
Or
Trade back to the beginning of the third for extra picks
Just take second round out of consideration . 😂 His round 2 picks have been head scratchers.
March 20th, 2019 at 6:52 am
But yes
I want to see proper coaching with these guys before throwing in towel
I like Davis. I like Whitehead.
Vea has potential to be a next level bad ass .
ROJO just needs some mojo
Arians runs 2 practices at once which is brilliant. ROJO will get his much needed reps. He needs open field to get going and get confidence . Bucs line did not do that for him last year.
March 20th, 2019 at 6:58 am
Just like in poker , Jameis has been in league for 4 years and therefore has his own tells
Defenses have stacked the box (to stop run) and challenged Jameis to make him beat them.
Those tells hopefully are out the window with new regime. Defenses will have to get new tape on new Jameis under Arians. I think Jameis has best year as a pro. Arians was best move of offseason for Bucs. Right hire to see if he can take Jameis next level. The qb whisperer. His last 6 games were better then the previous years. (Less turnovers ) so let’s see how good arians is.
March 20th, 2019 at 7:39 am
Vea is gonna be a solid player in Bowles scheme and CDIII will benefit from playing press coverage. MJ and ROjJO I just don’t know what to think.
March 20th, 2019 at 7:56 am
During the draft Jason Licht should be locked in a closet without any means of communication. He should have bread, water and a chamber pot.
March 20th, 2019 at 8:18 am
“With the exception of Carlton Davis, that second-round haul Licht appeared to have last year is damn near a total washout. Ronald Jones is on the cusp of being one of the biggest busts in Bucs history, which is saying something. M.J. Stewart was so bad the Bucs have already moved him to safety.” – Joe
Here’s the thing: You are making the same mistake a lot of fans do. If a player doesn’t make an impact in his first year, he must be a bust.
There have been plenty of players who had great first years, yet ended up being busts (Michael Clayton for example).
By the same token, there have been a lot more players who did not show they could be great until their second or third years…and ended up as Hall of Famers.
That’s why the strong belief that you can’t truly evaluate a player until year three exists.
You don’t know what Ronald Jones will do when given a real chance. Koetter had a tendency to stick with his guys (Peyton, Rodgers) instead of giving Jones oppo to work the kinks out. Arians is all about development (from what I hear), and he certainly does not give up on a player because of 1-3 bad plays.
Were we really told that M.J. Stewart was definitely moving to safety? Or were we told Safety might be a better fit for him and the media twisted it? With all these safeties being brought in, it sure doesn’t seem the case.
And this story doesn’t even account for the rest of the picks, which might work out.
March 20th, 2019 at 8:21 am
Jones couldn’t learn the playbook….which basically means he wasn’t operating like a professional but seemed stuck in college mode of just showing up and being athletic. Koetter wasn’t up for baby sitting anymore of Licht’s draft picks and frankly I don’t blame him. Koetter had to look at his roster and see nothing but garbage from Licht. Sims, ASJ…gone. Winston was suspended…Hargreaves is a nickel CB…Spence cant see the field….Aguayo is gone….Jones is dumb….Stewart was too slow. These are all top tier picks and straight garbage.
Not to mention he overpays for underachievers…..Licht has no vision and didn’t work with his coaches on crafting a roster for their schemes. I’m guessing BA has more say on the draft process and who gets signed evidenced already by our free agency moves.
March 20th, 2019 at 8:22 am
And the great insult…..3rd Rd, Alex Cappa wasn’t even mentioned……wouldn’t it we odd if the best player aside from Vea in that draft turns out to be Whitehead or Justin Watson?
March 20th, 2019 at 8:23 am
Bird Says:
“Arians runs 2 practices at once which is brilliant… ”
I agree 100%. Given the new rules, I’m surprised more coaches haven’t thought of it.
March 20th, 2019 at 8:34 am
I am glad to see a ton of posters have a lot more faith in RoJo than I do. I’m sorry but the Pac-12 is hella soft and that showed when RoJo started playing with and against men. As for those saying he didn’t get a fair shot from Koetter, that may be true but the dude could not block or catch. Maybe Koetter is to blame for not developing the kid in on off-season but to my eyes, he’s a 3rd down change of pace back AT BEST, and not an every down back and not worth a #2. I would love to be proven wrong.
March 20th, 2019 at 8:56 am
ChanEpic, when Mike Alstott was drafted, he could not catch or block either. I’m not saying Rojo will be good…I’m saying we don’t know yet.
March 20th, 2019 at 8:56 am
As to Alstott, those are areas he worked hard to improve later in his career so he could be more useful.
March 20th, 2019 at 9:06 am
@Buc Bonzai
mark alstott still could not block when he retired!!!!!!!!!! surprised the sheep do not blame coaching on that one as well!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
2019 season will reveal answers to the sheep, that the “real” fans already know!!!!!!!!!!!
Go Bucs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
March 20th, 2019 at 9:16 am
a few picks couldve been better but the problem was lack of development from the previous coaches……
#REALISTKNOWSNOTHING!!!!…GO BUCS!!!!
March 20th, 2019 at 9:24 am
Bonzai says:
“when Mike Alstott was drafted, he could not catch”
Oh really? Hmmm. 65 catches from 81 targets (an 80.2% catch rate) in Alstott’s rookie season says otherwise…..
March 20th, 2019 at 9:46 am
Mel Kiper also said Trent Dilfer was a franchise QB at the draft. Oops………….
March 20th, 2019 at 10:24 am
Just tell Licht the draft was moved to May, and have security keep him away from the building during draft weekend, we’ll be much better off. Sooo many blown second round picks, sooo many busts free agents, how did this clown keep his job? When he finally gets fired he’ll go the way of Dom, and never get an NFL job again.
March 20th, 2019 at 10:38 am
A “C” is being overly generous. Taking Jones in the second and passing Derwin is at least a “D”. Jones has nothing, jury is still out on Vea, Davis, and Stewart. Gump continues to add to the mess with marginal free agents….. hope good coaching can help solve some of the poor personell decisions by Mr. Gump? Can’t wait to see this years draft picks… lol.
March 20th, 2019 at 12:08 pm
An All-Pro safety for the next decade or a 3-4 run stuffing NT who had 3 sacks after averaging 3.5 sacks a year in college…
Yeah, I’ll take the already proven all-pro safety.
Hopefully Vita becomes an all-pro, if he does then he’s clearly the better pick – but the likelihood of that is pretty low, in particular if we’re running a 3-4 most of the time and he’s just there to eat up space in the middle.
March 20th, 2019 at 2:03 pm
What do we always hear here? It takes 3 years to evaluate a draft pick.
March 20th, 2019 at 2:19 pm
I’m pretty sure I read an article here around the time of last year’s draft where Joe was breaking down Dirk Koetter’s history with rookie running backs. Freeman from Atl. for example (a pretty good player) could hardly get on the field as a rookie. There were other examples but I believe the point was confirmed this past season where what looked like a pretty good rookie RB coming in looked lost and bewildered on the field. Now is it possible that Dirk puts SO MUCH on the RB’s in his offense that he takes away their confidence and he feels he cannot trust them in his system. I think that’s an even greater factor than the lousy run blocking overall. Maybe I’m wrong, I don’t know.
March 20th, 2019 at 2:24 pm
Malcolm:
You are on the right scent.
March 20th, 2019 at 2:33 pm
When did Jason Licht turn into a fan?
He already a second-round pick — second-round! — is a not a corner but a safety. He sure as hell didn’t waste a second-round pick (53rd overall) on a safety! Stewart was drafted as a corner. That’s a pretty glaring admission from the guy who drafted him that Stewart is a swing-and-miss.
Please name one play where RoJo looked anything like a pro, liked he belonged. Hell, an undrafted free agent (Shaun Wilson) seemed more of an NFL player than RoJo. Joe doesn’t expect a rookie to be a Pro Bowler, but at least have one productive play in a season. Dude was a total afterthought.
March 20th, 2019 at 2:46 pm
Mike Alstot didnt have to catch,they couldnt stop him when he had the ball.
March 20th, 2019 at 5:23 pm
I always thought that grading drafts was best after 2-3 years. We still don’t have a clear picture on these young Bucs.
March 20th, 2019 at 6:50 pm
BucEmUp 7 Says:
March 20th, 2019 at 6:23 am
Like you I am willing to wait on ROJO and Spence to see if they are still here on day one of the season. If so I am sure we will know something by mid-season.
I expect Vea to be a beast and to have a prp bowl/all-pro career. We will know a lot about that in the next two seasons.
March 20th, 2019 at 7:09 pm
It will be interesting to see how MJ does also.
_____________
Also Alstott had “fumble-itis” early in his career but was allowed to stick around long enough to overcome it.