Yearning To Trade Down
April 22nd, 2019
Bucs GM Jason Licht
The USA Today year-round draft guru has a soft spot for the Bucs.
Luke Easterling is well known to Tampa Bay fans and he is among the majority when it comes to how Bucs fans want to proceed with the No. 5 overall pick.
Speaking on The Rock Riley Show this morning on WWBA-AM 820, Easterling said he would like to see the Bucs trade down because, yet again, the Bucs have far more roster needs than quality picks in the draft.
Easterling speculated a trade partner likely could be there among Cincinnati (No. 11), Miami (No. 13) or Washington (No. 15).
Trading down and loading up is the smart play, Easterling maintained, for a team that has real needs on every level of its defense, as well as on the offensive line.
Joe polled Bucs fans on trading down for 24 hours starting Friday morning and the results had 44.2 percent of fans desiring to trade down from No. 5 overall. Voting against a trade down was 40 percent of fans, with about 15 percent unsure.
Last year, Vita Vea was taken after the Bucs traded down with the Bills, but the crushing fail came with the extra two second-round picks acquired. Instead of selecting cornerback Donte Jackson, Jason Licht chose M.J. Stewart, who already has been ousted from the cornerback position and is now fighting for a roster spot.
Jackson, taken two picks after Stewart, started every game for the Panthers and had four interceptions. Panthers head coach Ron Rivera has compared him to Josh Norman.
Joe will applaud any draft day move by the Bucs as long as it doesn’t represent a blatant screw up and results in contributing players.
The Bucs had three second-round picks last year and all are worth less on the market than they were a year ago.
Join Ira Kaufman and Joe at the annual NFL Draft blowout. Everything will get rolling at the South Tampa Buffalo Wild Wings around 5:30 p.m. All kinds of drink specials!! TVs inside and out. Buffet available!!!
April 22nd, 2019 at 9:07 am
If Licht is making the same boneheaded moves in this years draft with a new coach then he’s got to go. I wouldn’t mind a trade down but to 11 with a team that doesn’t have to give in return no way. He didn’t even get enough for the trade back last year. Don’t trust licht at all. The meat head scout chose mj Stewart over donte Jackson and that pure incompetence. A lot of other owners would have known that was a bad idea but the glazers don’t know football so a lot of things slide around here
April 22nd, 2019 at 9:10 am
Jameis and Licht are on their last leg this year…maybe I’m gun shy ….I don’t have anymore more confidence in either than a blind squirrel
April 22nd, 2019 at 9:11 am
Doesn’t matter the amount of picks you have when the guy making the picks is not very bright at building a roster
April 22nd, 2019 at 9:12 am
i could see trading down with cincy and selecting ed oliver….
i doubt BA will allow licht to take a player that doesn’t fit the scheme or force him to play out of position…..
#REALISTKNOWSNOTHING!!!!…GO BUCS!!!!!
April 22nd, 2019 at 9:15 am
813bucboi Says:
April 22nd, 2019 at 9:12 am
i could see trading down with cincy and selecting ed oliver….
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I’m with you on Oliver but he might not be there @ 5 and you’d be taking a HUGE gamble thinking of trading down and still getting him…if Oliver is there at 5 take him and never look back !…I’d rather him than Josh Allen
April 22nd, 2019 at 9:30 am
I thought the trade last year was brilliant.
If he had chosen Derwin James, Donte Jackson, Guice and Carlton Davis it would have been legendary.
Koetter would still be coach, Licht would have a new contract and the Bucs would be picking 28th.
April 22nd, 2019 at 9:34 am
Dunderbox makes some good chess moves w other other gms but then reverts back to playing checkers. Derwin James was the move last year and today the bucs still need a safety. This draft is loaded w DL, a good scout would have recognized that
April 22nd, 2019 at 9:36 am
“Because of Jason Gumps incompetence as GM…
We would have been more successful picking only Derwin James at 7 and just forfeit the rest of our picks than get all the draft picks of last year
JAFG (Just a fat guy) and bunch of Meh”
Kobe Faker
April 22nd, 2019 at 9:40 am
Cincy, Miami & Washington are in as bad a shape roster-wise as we are. Unless one of them is hot-to-trot for a QB who happens to be there at #5 when our turn comes around, I have trouble seeing them giving up extra picks to move up. Bucs are in a great spot to draft a difference-maker … don’t screw it up Jason. Don’t get cute; just do what BA tells you do do. And that’ll be draft Quinnen Williams or Devin White.
And oh ya, listen to him in Round 2-3-4 also. You can play your usual games in Rounds 5-6-7 if you want.
April 22nd, 2019 at 9:41 am
We could have had legendary picks the last three years and koetter still would have gone 5-11. I mean any other coach would have had oj Howard in the probowl every year even with the injuries. Licht just can’t make up joe mind and doesn’t know what to do, he went looking for tough hard nosed players last year and forgot to add talent and smarts to the evaluation. We will find out his fate soon and it won’t be based on this years draft. If last years guys can’t make the cut or are still on the bench he can say goodbye
April 22nd, 2019 at 9:42 am
A bounce back season from the Bucs and they will all be worth way more next year …Just Win!!!
April 22nd, 2019 at 9:42 am
Kobe Faker Says:
April 22nd, 2019 at 9:36 am
“Because of Jason Gumps incompetence as GM…
We would have been more successful picking only Derwin James at 7 and just forfeit the rest of our picks than get all the draft picks of last year
JAFG (Just a fat guy) and bunch of Meh”
Kobe Faker
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.
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so Kobe are you saying the Bucs trade all picks in 2019 for corresponding picks in 2020…so in the rebuild beginning in 2020 the Buc’s will have 2 picks in each round ? 🙂
April 22nd, 2019 at 9:48 am
I’m the Buc’s GM. WE are picking #5 and need the top pick, Bo Callahan, very badly. Or at least The Glazers told me to make a big “splash.” BA wants Ray Jennings, the RB from FSU. I want Vontea Mack, the bad-ass LB from Ohio State, and believe in my QB Brian Drew.
So here is what I’d do:
1) Trade this year’s #5 to Arizona’s #1, and include the next two years #1’s. Yes, expensive, but Callahan is the splash the Glazer’s want. Unfortunately, the AZ fans and media are highly pi$$ed off and want Keim’s head on a platter. They were counting on Callahan.
2) With the #1 pick, I take LB Vontae Mack out of Ohio State. Yeah, the Glazers will be pissed I didn’t take Callahan and require a quick and serious reckoning when they get back to Tampa.
3) Because I pass on Callahan, the league is flummoxed and Callahan falls quickly. The rumors say he’s flawed.
3) Jacksonville is on the clock. My move and Callahan dropping has totally screwed their draft. The Jags GM is panicking. So I take advantage and trade three #2’s for their #4 pick. Gets them off the hook.
4) AZ is panicking. They still think I need a splash QB and think I’ll take Callahan with the Jag pick. So I trade that #4 pick for all my #1’s I traded earlier. AND I get David Pickney, their fine kick returner. They get Callahan at a lower price and their fans are happy.
5) Then with my original #5 pick, I pick Ray Jennings.
My coach is overjoyed with Jennings, I got the guy I wanted in the first place, Vontea Mack, I get a kick returner, I didn’t mortgage the future, and the Glazers think I’m a genius, but only because I am.
And Mom CB is happy.
See?
Easy!
🙂
April 22nd, 2019 at 9:54 am
welcome to revisionist Buc fan dot com. Last season Licht was praised around these parts for trading down.
Don’t let the facts get in the way. If Licht doesn’t trade down, the Bucs still take Vita Vea with the 7 and RoJo with the 38th. The only possible player the Bucs “missed” on by trading down was Minkah. Roquin Smith, the ILB drafted 8th, wasn’t on their board, neither was McGlinchey. If James was “the pick” Licht could’ve still chosen him.
I went on here and have beat the drum regarding the quality of picks. I wanted the picks packaged, move back into the first and draft Nick Chubb. But staying put….Stewart over Oliver was a travesty. Rojo over Guice was the same. However, I will not entertain an argument that Davis wasn’t a good value at his pick.
What I’m hearing now is that the team would be better off with just Vea and Jones. That one of our starting outside corners shouldn’t be on the team. Whatever.
The thing to do is sit tight until draft night. If Williams or Allen falls, draft that player. If not, there very well will be a team thinking the Giants might take “their” QB. If Licht gets a similar offer draft night with Bosa, Williams and Allen off the board , he 100% should take it.
April 22nd, 2019 at 9:56 am
Yeah, trading down has worked out so well for us in the past. How about we start trying to get some quality players, instead of taking larger quantities and hoping they pan out? If someone is there at 5 that you believe will be a great player, take him. If you have to trade up to get him, do it. We simply aren’t good enough at scouting players to trade down.
April 22nd, 2019 at 9:59 am
It is very hard to judge that last several drafts based on some of the worst coaching, particularly on defense, seen in NFL history.
April 22nd, 2019 at 10:04 am
alter
i agree….
it would be a huge gamble…..and your right…..if he’s there @5 take him and dont look back….
#REALISTKNOWSNOTHING!!!!…GO BUCS!!!!!
April 22nd, 2019 at 10:06 am
If we want Oliver (I definitely do) then we need to stay put and get our guy.
April 22nd, 2019 at 10:09 am
And to think, next year at this time, Licht and Jameis will be sitting on a beach in Mexico chasing tequila with Corona and spending their Glazer loot.
April 22nd, 2019 at 10:20 am
Everything will be fine if BA can find a way to keep Licht out of the draft room.
April 22nd, 2019 at 10:23 am
@Cobraboy,
I’m not doubting the coaching was horrible. However, I don’t care how bad the coaching, some of these guys we’ve drafted have just been straight up trash. Aguayo, Jones, Stewart, just to name a few. I’d love to be wrong and those guys end up becoming great players, but you and I both know that has about as much chance of happening as you or I getting drafted on Thursday. We just aren’t very good at scouting and/or drafting. Coaching has been a whole other issue.
April 22nd, 2019 at 10:33 am
@Hawaiian … “I’m not doubting the coaching was horrible. However, I don’t care how bad the coaching, some of these guys we’ve drafted have just been straight up trash.”
Worth re-stating Hawaiian because you’re spot on. It’s hard to judge how bad … or good … coaching is (or was) when working with a roster like we’ve had for several years now. And it’s not JUST some of the draft picks; it’s also some of the FAs who’ve been brought in. Sorry, but these past rosters do not scream playoffs and Super Bowl. They do spell ‘cellar-dweller’. I’m really hoping that this year can be the start of a new era in Buc football.
April 22nd, 2019 at 10:44 am
My dream scenario is to trade down 3 times…..pick up 6 extra picks (round 2 & 3) and have a dart throwing contest at the remaining consensus picks….
April 22nd, 2019 at 10:44 am
The Stewart pick was crushing failure after one season because some dude on Carolina had a pick every four weeks? That is really ridiculous. Ronde Barber covered punts his first year here. I’m sure there was someone that year with a better first season picked lower. It worked out.
April 22nd, 2019 at 10:49 am
“Don’t let the facts get in the way. If Licht doesn’t trade down, the Bucs still take Vita Vea with the 7 and RoJo with the 38th.”
This X 10000000.
They were always going to take Vea over James.
@KOBE
Want to know why I think James wouldn’t have done as well here as he did for the Chargers (beyond going to an already talented defense where he was the last missing piece)?
Here’s his snaps last year:
Free safety-213 snaps
Strong safety-40 snaps
Linebacker-287 snaps
Edge rusher-149 snaps
Slot corner-140 snaps
Corner-17 snaps
Does ANYONE here think Mike Smith would have had the vision to use this player this way?
With the current staff the answer is yes. I can definitely see them going after a hybrid S/CB to use in the slot / LB / etc like this.
But with Mike Smith Derwin James is likely 50 yards off the LOS most plays
THat’s my only point with all of that. In addition to the rest of the Bucs defense sucking compared to the rest of the Chargers defense around James
April 22nd, 2019 at 10:50 am
This draft is deep. Dropping back 5-7 spots would still yield a quality 1st rounder, and probably gain is an extra 2 and a 3.
The only way I wouldn’t trade back is if Williams or Allen is there at 5. Otherwise, I’d have Denver, Cindy and Miami on speed dial.
April 22nd, 2019 at 10:55 am
As of this week my big board / strategy
1-Q Williams DT (best player in the draft)
2-N Bosa DE (safest player in the draft)
3-J Allen OLB/DE (possibly most upside of draft at edge – safest 3-4 OLB fit)
4-E Oliver (most upside after Q Williams to be big time disrupter)
5-D White (instant pro bowl capable MLB with upside)
6-J Williams (instant pro bowl capable OG/OT)
7-B Burns (instant contributor with double digit sack perrenial pro bowl upside)
8-M Sweat (see above)
9-D Bush (isntant pro bowl capable MLB)
I am higher on Brian Burns than most but he reminds of me Godwin. The more I keep studying the more I don’t understand why the ranking isn’t higher. Godwin checked every box and Burns is doing that for me at this point.
He led the nation in QB pressures while on a sh1t defense that was actually down in most games; meaning he probably didn’t even have as many pure obvious pass rushing snaps vs teams killing leads /etc.
April 22nd, 2019 at 11:05 am
Glad licht went out and got th yeldon
April 22nd, 2019 at 11:24 am
“This draft is deep. Dropping back 5-7 spots would still yield a quality 1st rounder, and probably gain is an extra 2 and a 3.”
————-
That’s what they say, but in the end, it might not be. How many times have we heard “this is a deep draft at X position”, then when it’s all said and done most of those guys end up being busts?
I look at it like this: if you can draft your #2 guy on your board at #5, then why would you trade down 8 spots and get your #6 guy? Clearly you liked the guy at #5 better, so take him. This is how you end up with marginal talent, unless of course you scout well (which we don’t).
April 22nd, 2019 at 12:00 pm
@ Hawaiian:
With the exception of Aguayo, I don’t agree.
Yet.
For some reason, fans think a rookie should come in and be productive in Year One.
That is not how it usually works in the NFL. If a rook comes in and explodes, that is the anomaly, not the rule.
Too early to tell for many of these guys, and yes, IMO coaching makes a HUGE difference in player development.
April 22nd, 2019 at 12:04 pm
@Cobraboy,
I agree it is too early to truly judge. However, you would expect to see flashes of talent in year one. I can’t think of one productive play from those guys. Not one. If you can think of one, enlighten me. Again, I’m not expecting the guy to come in and be a high impact starter. However, those guys did as good as you or I did on the field.
April 22nd, 2019 at 12:07 pm
The Curse of the Casual Bucs Fan is believing the draft will fix the team immediately.
No matter how sofis…sophos…sophisticated scouting analysis becomes one fact remains: the NFL draft is a crap shoot, even in the first two rounds, the later rounds are pure dart-throwing, and a draft cannot be properly judged for at least 3 years.
The NFL Draft has become a business entertainment unit of the NFL and not a predictor of any team’s success.
April 22nd, 2019 at 12:16 pm
@Hawaiian:
Stewart: never put in a position to succeed by the worst DC in the NFL. He was a press guy in college, and Smith neutered him. No surprises he didn’t flash. That’s Coaching.
Jones: Koetter has never liked rookie RB’s. Is he NFL-worthy? Hard to tell, because we only saw him with future valet parkers and UPS drivers in PS, and during the regular season whenever he was in a game the entire NFL knew he was getting the ball.
I went back and watched film not long ago. In what % of his carries was first contact with a defender at least one yard behind the LoS? Let me help you: 100%.
So I will wait to see what happens in his second season before passing judgement. Could he be a bust? Of course. Could he break out? Maybe. But the smoke from One Buc Palace says he’s a different guy today than a year ago, and many are pumped.
I’ll use this criterion to determine what the coaching staff thinks of Jones: if they draft a RB by Round 3, they are not that positive. If they draft a RB in 4-7, they have a more positive vibe about him.
Fair enough?
April 22nd, 2019 at 12:55 pm
This was depressing to read–I was so upbeat for the draft but thanks to this Joe’s article, reality sets in. We are stuck with a GM who is unable to scout the players properly. Man JL needs to get up and explain why he drafted MJ Stewart and all the other epic fails. He will just fock it up–what is the point of trading down, take the best player available at #5–JL cannot be trusted to turn additional draft piks into productive starters.
April 22nd, 2019 at 1:02 pm
Calling a 2nd round player a bust after his rookie season is proof that you you do not understand how the league works……While I do agree with the guy above who said we saw no flashes(which is a bad sign) calling these players busts is a simple kneejerk reaction.
RoJo is a bit different because of his position. Rarely do RBs pan out without showing any flash whatsoever in year one…..But I bet its just as rare they get so few touches in year 1 as a 2nd rounder barring injury.
I get it. It been decades of losing and our patience is gone…….But yall gotta keep your cool. Otherwise you get made the fool when VitaV shows you how stupid your kneejerk opinion is.
I guess some dont care if they are proven to be a fool though. Reading the comments some think Vita was the wrong pick. I watched some of an old game yesterday and it prooves you to be a fool. He was drafted for a career not a year.
April 22nd, 2019 at 1:04 pm
When Vita plays at his potential he will be a ProVowler next year.
If Derwin James pla u s like he did in the playoff game he will be a aftertought……only game I saw from him. And I bet most who second guess the pick barely saw him play either……..Empty opinions.
April 22nd, 2019 at 1:12 pm
Firethecannons…….. The site has already set up the premise to hate the draft pick if it White……..We can look forward to that?
I do appreciate Joe sharing his no holds bars opinions but Ill call foul if the platform is set to be agaist a Top 5 choice before the man plays a single down in the league.
Let the man proove his worth. If he dont then its fairgame.
April 22nd, 2019 at 1:23 pm
@Cobraboy,
Again, it’s not that I’m disagreeing with you in theory. However, you would have to see something, wouldn’t you? Stewart looked slow, really really slow. He looked lost. Maybe that’s a rookie thing, but the slow really worries me. Besides, neither were really considered great picks. Both were expected to go later. The same applies for Aguayo. It’s great when it works out, but in our case it hasn’t.
I’m sorry, but I don’t see an abundance of talent on this team. Even if you do think our starters are talented, we have absolutely zero depth pretty much across the board. We have only a couple elite players, a few really good players, and a bunch of average players. I don’t care who the coach is, that’s on the GM. Hopefully I’ll look like an idiot in 6 months, but I just don’t see it.
April 22nd, 2019 at 2:54 pm
Please, fix the D@#* Trenches.
NOT a sheep.
April 22nd, 2019 at 3:20 pm
Doesn’t matter whether we trade up or down, Jason Gump will find a way to screw up the draft. The guy has a knack for picking up bad or injured talent.
April 22nd, 2019 at 3:23 pm
Hawaiian Buc…….Why are you worried about depth in April?
Our roster isnt even close to set. You do realize they are going to add a ton of players to our team to compete in TC dont you? We will have depth players that are not currently on any roster lists you can find cause they arent Buccaneers yet.
Be patient. Lets see who they bring in and how they train them and lets swe what we got once they play in August…….til then youre just criticising players that may or may not even be on the team…….like Benechot…..from what hes shown he could easily get beaten out for a roster spot.
April 22nd, 2019 at 8:00 pm
I am good with White or even Oliver but truth is JL cannot be trusted to pick in the second round
April 22nd, 2019 at 9:50 pm
As fire the cannons stated: JL can not be trusted to make a good pick in the second round. That is the truth! We have to go all the way back to 2015 to see a 2nd round pick that is actually somewhat productive in Marpet and donovan smith…… The guy simply can not be trusted to make an educated smart selection in the 2nd round so why trade down from #5 to give him an opportunity to repeat his failure; isn’t that thee definition of insanity??????