No Need To Sweat
March 4th, 2019
Mississippi State DE Montez Sweat.
Look, the Bucs have a shot to fill the most important position on defense that can be a gamewrecker for the next decade.
And that would be a defensive end.
Now some are hot with the skillset of this Rashan Gary of Michigan. But the dude didn’t produce. To Joe, he comes across as soft like the saying made famous by the original draftnik, Joel Buchsbaum, “Looks like Tarzan; plays like Jane.”
(Gary played a soft as Charmin schedule and only had 3.5 sacks last season. C’mon! Playing Indiana, Rutgers and Maryland, he should have had 3.5 sacks in one game against those slappies if he is supposed to be a top-ten pick.)
Yesterday while Joe was on a plane leaving snowy, foggy Indianapolis coming back to the Tampa Bay area, Montez Sweat of Mississippi State put on a show at the NFL combine. Good stuff. And Sweat has had back-to-back double-digit-sack seasons playing in the SEC, which has dudes in the trenches much better than most teams in the Big Ten.
Playing Alabama, LSU, Auburn and Texas A&M every year is slightly tougher than playing Maryland, Indiana and Rutgers.
On Saturday at the combine, the NFL trotted out defensive linemen and Joe got a question or two in with a few. Joe asked Sweat who he patterns his game after and he gave Joe an interesting answer.
“I watch a lot of pass-rushers,” Sweat said. “I think old-time pass-rushers like Jason Taylor has a lot of my skill set. He’s long, he’s fast. I watch him a lot.”
Is Sweat fast? Hell yes! He ran a 4.41 in the 40-yard dash yesterday. That’s the fastest combine time in the 40-yard dash for any defensive lineman since 2003.
Joe has been pimping Josh Allen from Kentucky but maybe Joe has been focused on the wrong guy? The way the draft is shaking out, it’s very possible Sweat could be where the Bucs pick at No. 5. Rumors are all over the place the Cardinals will pick Kyler Murray at No. 1. That means it is almost a 50/50 shot Allen or Sweat will be on the board when the Bucs pick.
Man, that would be Christmas in April for the Bucs!
March 4th, 2019 at 7:12 am
I would be very happy with DE Sweat. Litch can pick us up a LB after that. This is a deep defensive draft
March 4th, 2019 at 7:21 am
Likely will miss out on Allen, depending on what Gruden does we could miss out on Sweat too, then there is LB Devin White, since Kwon may walk, I am now in the Limebacker U camp (LSU) and White could be that decade linebacker. Great combine too go along with film and obviously passion.
March 4th, 2019 at 7:21 am
We will get our top-notch Defensive player at 5…….Sweat added to White & Oliver are almost certain to be there.
I still like a trade down…..but I am somewhat convinced we need to draft Devin White with the problems we have with Kwon & Beckwith injuries. And, White ran 4.2……..not bad for a LB.
March 4th, 2019 at 7:36 am
I down with the pick…
March 4th, 2019 at 7:39 am
No one knows anything all these 1st rounders have a 50% chance to bust
Just draft the best defensive players available and hope Bowles knows what to do with them
March 4th, 2019 at 7:49 am
Are we really going to start hyping up Sweat as a top 5 pick because he ran fast?
If anything all it shows is that the draft isnt “Josh Allen or bust” like Joe and some fans thought.
The Bucs have a lot of options at 5
March 4th, 2019 at 7:51 am
“KOBE FAKER DARES ANYONE to look at Sweats chicken legs and thighs and tell Kobe Faker is wrong
wise Kobe proverb-
fast skinny legs does not mean strong legs
#SayNotoSweatsChickenLegs”
Kobe Faker
March 4th, 2019 at 7:59 am
Devin White ran a 4.4. And cried after it.
He looks like a Kuechly like MLB.
Worth a top 5 pick? No.
But if trade down a few spots. Take him at 7-12.
Solidify the center of the defense. But can he cover the pass like Luje?
March 4th, 2019 at 8:16 am
@teacherman: in retrospect is Kuechly worth a #5? I would argue absolutely.
So a guy like White who is a tremendous sideline-to-sideline athlete with monster leadership skills would also be worth a #5.
MLB is a critical position on any defense and the Bucs need a big upgrade over Alexander.
March 4th, 2019 at 8:24 am
While I would like to be able to trade down a few spots and still get Devin White…..I do think he is worth a top 5 pick……we desperately need a LB and he should be a force for years to come.
Inside linebackers hardly ever reach that 4.4-4.5-type speed at the combine. The 200 inside linebackers who were drafted since 2005 ran the 40-yard dash in an average of 4.75 seconds, according to data from Pro-Football-Reference.com.
March 4th, 2019 at 8:24 am
Combine is all hype any nfl exec GM or scout will tell you they defer to the tape so don’t buy into the hype of drills
March 4th, 2019 at 8:25 am
Trading down (as last year) is appealing with such strong DLs in the draft.
March 4th, 2019 at 8:40 am
I didn’t know a lot about Montez Sweat before the combine. I still believe we should take Devin White at 5 or 7, but with Sweat’s speed and production I can see Tampa drafting him too.
March 4th, 2019 at 8:42 am
My wet dream of a draft:
1. Montez Sweat ( Edge) – Grim Wrecker!
2. Paris Campbell (WR) – Bye MeSean
3. Trysten Hill (IDL) – Bye McCoy
4. Hunter Renfrow (WR) – Bye Humphries
5. Devine Ozigbo (RB) – BEAST
6. Trace McDorely (QB) – Perfect Back-Up
Imagine the cap space this frees up! Solve for corner in free agency. Linebacker too. Bye Alexander. If possible, pick up right guard or tackle in free agency as well. Sign the Honey Badger.
Ozigbo got SNUBBED by the combine. He’s the sleeper!
But Montez…SIGN HIM!
March 4th, 2019 at 8:42 am
Man, if the Bucs could resign Kwon, get Beckwith healthy, draft Devin white and trot out LVD, that would make a switch to 3-4 a looooot more appealing!
I like Sweat, but he feels more like the reach at #5 than White. In a 3-4 do we need another DL? JPP, Vea and GMC are your starting 3. Nassib in the mix. I hold out hope Noah Spence can revive his career as a tweener edge rusher, but understand that could be a pipe dream.
March 4th, 2019 at 8:43 am
I have always been a proponent for the Bucs to trade down at #5. Now I’m not so sure. Draft Analyst Tony Pauline says that Arizona HC Kliff Kingsbury is stating publicly that QB Kyler Murray will be the first pick. And the Redskins have expressed an interest in trading for QB Rosen. If one other QB needy team trades into the top 4 and/or somebody gets the hots for WR D.K. Metcalf, the Bucs are almost certain to pick a top 3 defensive player at #5.
To complicate things further, I hear now that Gruden/Raiders who pick at #4 are shopping QB Derek Carr. The Jaguars are said to have made an offer for QB Nick Foles. The Broncos have already dealt a 4th for Flacco.
What this means is that turbulence is forming at the top of the draft my friends and at the same time the trade down candidates are becoming fewer or at least the price they would be willing to pay has gone down. While that may not good news for trading down, it may be great news that if true, is almost certain to push one of the top 3 defensive players to the Bucs at #5! If the Bucs pass and still opt to trade down, they will forever be second-guessed by the fan base.
After some impressive Combine O-Line, D-Line, and LB performances, they may pick at 5 anyway. If the Bucs pick at 5, they are going to get a day one starter but with no opportunity to trade down and fewer draft picks going forward, they can’t afford any misses like last year. Perhaps this is where BA makes a difference. Go Bucs!
March 4th, 2019 at 8:44 am
Then you remember the Bucs traded down and with two of their three second-round picks drafted Ronald Jones and M.J. Stewart and to think the Bucs would pass on a once-in-a-generation player at No. 5 to draft two total stiffs that “appealing” thought quickly turns to appalling.
March 4th, 2019 at 8:47 am
I’d take that pick any day.
March 4th, 2019 at 8:50 am
@Joe imagine if the Bucs didn’t trade down last year they would’ve ended up with Vea and Ronald Jones.
March 4th, 2019 at 8:52 am
I would be happy with Sweat. Pass rushers are premium positions. Hopefully, the Bucs do not pick this high again so get Sweat or Allen at number five and focus on Oline amd linebacker the rest of the way.
March 4th, 2019 at 8:57 am
If Sweat is on the board when we draft, they better be stumbling from trying to race that card in!!
March 4th, 2019 at 9:19 am
#Repost
January 25th, 2019 at 11:55 am
Potential Upgrades (Senior Bowl): Defense
0-1 Technique
• NT Daylon Mack – | Height: 6-2, Weight: 320 | Texas A&M ←
3-5 Technique (3-4 DE)
• DE Charles Omenihu – | Height: 6-6, Weight: 275 | Texas ←
• DE Renell Wren – | Height: 6-6, Weight: 297 | ASU ←
• DE Isaiah Buggs – | Height: 6-2, Weight: 286 | Texas A&M ←
6-9 Technique (RUSH/JACK)
• DE/OLB Montez Sweat – | Height: 6-6, Weight: 245 | Miss. St.←
• DE/OLB L.J. Collier- | Height: 6-4, Weight: 276 | TCU ←
• DE/OLB Jaylon Ferguson -| Height: 6-5, Weight: 262 | La. Tech
• DE/OLB Jalen Jelks – | Height: 6-6, Weight: 245 | Oregon ←
• DE/OLB Carl Granderson – | Height: 6-6, Weight: 261 | Wyoming ←
March 4th, 2019 at 9:19 am
In Bowles system I’d take Sweat in a heartbeat…..even if Allen is there. I’d prefer to pick up some draft picks by trading down and still getting Brian Burns at the Edge, who is a more refined pass-rusher now! But Sweats length is hard to pass up!!! Remember Aldon Smith as a rookie and the 15 sacks he got as a rookie? Length!!
March 4th, 2019 at 9:26 am
Pick either one and call it a day for round one. That would be awesome!!!!
March 4th, 2019 at 9:30 am
Yes trading down means nothing if you end up with MJ Stewart and Ronald Jones. It was almost irrelevant.
March 4th, 2019 at 9:33 am
Either Devin White or Sweat. 1 of them will likely be taken. No defensive tackles.
March 4th, 2019 at 9:33 am
“Waterboy Says:
March 4th, 2019 at 8:50 am
@Joe imagine if the Bucs didn’t trade down last year they would’ve ended up with Vea and Ronald Jones.”
Great point. Licht said he was ready to take Vea at 7 last year.
@Kobe
Thoughts on Brian Burns? He’s even skinnier but he seemed to hold up well in the run. Old man strength.
I watched some tape on Sweat today because of that 40 and do see things that worry me. He got most his sacks on speed rushes around the outside but he barely has much bend. Doesn’t get off blocks easy. He’s no longer in my “happy to take one of these” list.. as of now:
1. Joey Bosa – safest pick to be an instant pro bowl DE
2. Quennen Williams – beast. There is a YT by Brett Kollman explaining why he thinks this is the first Aaron Donald type he’s seen since Donald.
3. Josh Allen – explodes on his tape all over the field.
4. Ed Oliver – even with his sack #’s low, his tape shows a guy that f*cks sh1t up constantly in the trenches and explodes like a psycho off the snap. If used in a different role he could be a sack monster that also destroys the run game and also has the Aaron Donald upside
5. Devin White – next Keuckly/Lewis/etc per everyone
If only 1 of these 5 is on the board at 5 I don’t think I want to move down. Sure there are other guys who should be solid players at positions of need but this seems like the cream of the crop. At least as of 3-4-19 lol
March 4th, 2019 at 9:54 am
Meant Nick Bosa. But whatever lol
March 4th, 2019 at 10:13 am
I do believe that the Bucs should trade down & would still get a very good player. Sweat has defintely moved up on my list. Top ten.
March 4th, 2019 at 10:27 am
im in the draft Ed Oliver camp and have been for a while now….kills several birds with 1 stone….he provides depth if GMC stays, allows him to develop, and can play DT or DE in bowles system….
#REALISTKNOWSNOTHING!!!!…GO BUCS!!!!
March 4th, 2019 at 10:32 am
813
I’m hoping Oliver kills his pro day. A 36″ Vert at almost 290 lbs is already insane and I have a feeling his 10 yard split / 40 time will cement him hopefully as part of a new consensus top 4.
Then if AZ takes Murray as predicted we should get one of the blue chips of this class vs missing out on Nelson/Chubb last year.
I really wanted a trade back initially in this draft but I don’t want to miss out on an elite DL player they are too impactful/important
March 4th, 2019 at 10:44 am
Love the draft hype but in reality if you are lucky you get a decent player. If you are not lucky you get a bust or backup that you end up releasing. The Bucs throughout their history have struggled with these picks. Luck has a lot to do with it so I’ll say we are very unlucky.
March 4th, 2019 at 10:48 am
Gotta draft D. White and find a way to keep Kwon at this point. It’s time to get younger. We need to get some deals done for more draft capital. Nothing against Sweat and he wouldn’t be a bad pick but we top 5 this season and we need a gamer and I’m liking D. White a lot more than the rest right now
March 4th, 2019 at 10:51 am
Loyaltotheend Says:
“Combine ….. blah blah blah”
((((((
Loyaltotheend, you have no credibility.
March 4th, 2019 at 11:10 am
“LC
Kobe is scared to death
I think the Teflon Gump is dreaming of chicken wings
Sweat and his chicken legs is going to continue the Bucs curse
*Always remember the wise proverb: Fast leg not mean Strong Leg”
Kobe Faker
March 4th, 2019 at 12:33 pm
Don’t forget, Sweat looked great at the Senior Bowl… against the top Seniors in the nation he put on a show. His production, combined with his freakish athletic ability, suddenly I’m thinking we CAN’T trade down to 11-14 and trust that he will be there.
March 4th, 2019 at 12:44 pm
LC
i agree…
i was all for trading down but idk now….we have to come away with an elite defensive play….and theres a number of guys that fit that bill….
#REALISTKNOWSNOTHING!!!!…GO BUCS!!!!
March 4th, 2019 at 12:51 pm
Sweat or White should be our first pick.
March 4th, 2019 at 1:27 pm
I say draft him. But if he gets a sack, the PA needs to play “Make You Sweat” by Keith Sweat.
March 4th, 2019 at 2:03 pm
@KOBEFAKER
???? LOL