Mocking A Tackle
April 2nd, 2020
Mock draft time.
Holed up in his Manhattan apartment on lockdown from the corona, NFL Network talking head and closet Bucs fan Peter Schrager decided to put his time stuck at home to good use.
He put out his first mock draft.
Schrager doesn’t believe the Bucs are going to f@rt around later next month. With Tom Brady on board, the first priority is blocking. Therefore, Schrager believes the Bucs go out and draft a tackle out of Georgia, Andrew Thomas.
The Bucs may have landed the big fish of free agency in Tom Brady, but bringing back Ndamukong Suh, Jason Pierre-Paul and Shaq Barrett could be just as important in 2020. Keeping Brady upright so he can get the ball to his two 1,000-yard receivers is, of course, a priority. Thomas can play guard or tackle for Tampa Bay and was a dominant run blocker for a host of running backs during his time at UGA.
This Thomas is interesting. He’s a three-year starter and is coming out a year early. He played right tackle as a freshman when the Bulldogs advanced to the national title before losing in overtime to Alabama. The last two seasons, Thomas has been an All-American and he sure has blocked for damn good backs.
Bob McGinn of The Athletic, based on information he received from several NFL scouts, has Thomas rated as his No. 1 offensive lineman in the draft.
Andrew Thomas, Georgia (6-5, 315): His arm length of 36 1/8 inches tied for second longest among offensive linemen. “There’s not one negative about him,” one scout said. “He’s my third-best player in the draft. The guy’s just special, and he’s big, too. There’s a big difference between him and the rest. He’s more like (Jonathan) Ogden than (Walter) Jones or (Willie) Roaf. He’s not as good an athlete as Jones or Roaf. He’s tougher than both those guys were. He doesn’t have Ogden’s height.” He ran 5.17 seconds. “In any other year you’d say, ‘5.22 at 315, that’s killer,’” another scout said. “He’s patient. He redirects. He positions easily in the run game and stays on players. Light on his feet.”
So we know he is versatile. Joe understands the fact he can play both tackle positions has the Donovan Smith haters drooling.
Joe would be good with this Thomas. Then go get a running back at No. 45!
April 2nd, 2020 at 8:14 am
I can’t believe some of these goons get paid for producing these mock drafts. I saw one yesterday where the idiot had us picking Safety Grant Delpit with #14 pick. I was like wtf? Ridiculous BS.
April 2nd, 2020 at 8:16 am
I would be shocked if he is the 4th tackle taken in the draft. As long as one of the top 4 are available at #14, then I would draft whomever is highest on the draft board.
Otherwise, maybe trade down to still get a solid Tackle and add a early 2nd or 3rd round pick to get the best RB and WR available, or maybe a QB that drops in our laps.
Or stay put and take the best defensive player still on the draft board.
April 2nd, 2020 at 8:21 am
Another “Mickey Mock” draft.
April 2nd, 2020 at 8:22 am
From the analysis and who they’re comparing Thomas to, it sure seems like he’d go higher than 14. It’d be great to get him.
April 2nd, 2020 at 8:24 am
I’d be fine with this, but I do not expect us to take a RB in the second round, no matter how much Joe wants it. Personally, I think the only RB we’ll take will be a fullback later.
April 2nd, 2020 at 8:28 am
I’d be happy with Thomas. My 3 round mock
1. Andrew Thomas
2. Jacob Eason
3. A.J. Dillon
April 2nd, 2020 at 8:28 am
I am not a move up guy but if there is a guy the Bucs think is the best in the draft or really like best….GO GET THAT PLAYER…
April 2nd, 2020 at 8:31 am
Thomas sounds pretty good but there was no mention of his pass blocking abilities. Also there are three or four other OT that would be ok with me. Also I would like OT Wilson in 3rd rd & RB in second Duggins or Akers. Just my 2 cents worth. Of course if OL Jackson or Jones is available in 2nd rd then all bets are off.
April 2nd, 2020 at 8:45 am
Under normal circumstances, there is no way we would choose a OT in round 1…..but with Brady, all bets are off.
Yes, if he’s there, but he likely won’t be…..
If all the good tackles are gone at 14 then go DT/DE…..or trade down and pick a OT in round 2……
An extra pick would be great……we need OT, RB, S, QB, DT/DE
April 2nd, 2020 at 8:55 am
Load up the Oline stable. Draft an rb 2 or 3 round and a qb to replace brady and were good2go
April 2nd, 2020 at 9:06 am
@Joe … “Joe would be good with this Thomas. Then go get a running back at No. 45!”
Yea verily! Get our OT in Rnd 1, then our RB in Rnd 2, then go with DLine in Rnd 3. Those priorities may change however if the right guys aren’t there. If the Top-4 OTs are gone but someone like DT Brown or Kinlaw are still available, Bucs would surely pick one of them, then grab one of the next best OTs in Rnd 2 and the next best RB in Rnd 3. Just have to wait and see what the other teams do.
April 2nd, 2020 at 9:16 am
Agree with you on this one Joe. I’d originally targeted safety in Rd 1 and RB in Rd 2. But that was before the Brady coup. O-line is now a priority, provided one of the Big 4 are available at pick #14.
April 2nd, 2020 at 9:23 am
Agreed Joe’s, but premium tackles almost always go early. We’d be damn lucky to land this dude.
April 2nd, 2020 at 9:32 am
Round one – OT Willis
Round two – RB Dobbins
Round three – WR Michael Pittman Jr.
Round four – FS Wallace
Round four – OG Simpson
April 2nd, 2020 at 9:33 am
Current projected Bucs starters according to Buccaneers website:
Offense
• 2 first-round picks: WR Mike Evans, TE O.J. Howard
• 3 second-round picks: RB Ronald Jones, LG Ali Marpet, LT Donovan Smith
• 2 third-round picks: RG Alex Cappa, WR Chris Godwin
• 1 fifth-round pick: RT Joe Haeg
• 2 sixth-round picks: QB Tom Brady, C Ryan Jensen, WR Scotty Miller
• 1 undrafted free agents: TE Cameron Brate
Defense
• 4 first-round picks: OLB Jason Pierre-Paul, DL Ndamukong Suh, DL Vita Vea, LB Devin White
• 3 second-round picks: LB Lavonte David, CB Carlton Davis, CB Sean Murphy-Bunting
• 1 third-round pick: CB Jamel Dean
• 2 fourth-round picks: DL Will Gholston, S Jordan Whitehead
• 2 undrafted free agents: S Andrew Adams, OLB Shaq Barrett
April 2nd, 2020 at 9:33 am
With Brady under center, that would be my choice. Tackle in Rd 1, RB in Rd 2 and either a S or DL in Rd 3. We need 3 good starters!!! As Brady might echo Belicheat, “Do your JOB Mr Licht!!”
April 2nd, 2020 at 9:37 am
I changed my mind…hold that “Vikings card”…trade down
April 2nd, 2020 at 9:43 am
The seemingly lock for the top 14 that will help us are the 3 QBs and 3 elite players in Simmons/Young/Okudah.
We need at least 4 other positions drafted besides OT for one of those 4 to fall.
Jordan Love
Jerry Jeudy
Ceedee Lamb
Derrick Brown
Javon Kinlaw
That’s 5 realistic options that would all be thought of as great value at 14 or higher.
Guessing those are our best chances with a maybe Henry Ruggs / CJ Henderson or something thrown in as there is always some surprise.
The worst case would be if Brown/Kinlaw are not options along with the top OTs if no one goes WR/Jordan Love early
April 2nd, 2020 at 9:44 am
Love your Mock Marine Buc. That’s about the best we can hope for. I’m not sure Dobbins will be there though, and I think Swift goes to like the Chiefs or somethin end of round 1, I think Cam Akers could be there though which would be just fine by me. Starter quality depth at Safety and guard I like too.
April 2nd, 2020 at 9:47 am
I think we may trade back…still snag a linemen but pick up an extra 2nd or 3rd to get our RB and QB.
April 2nd, 2020 at 9:52 am
It will be nice if we can draft Andrew Thomas, but he may be long gone, when we pick.
April 2nd, 2020 at 10:06 am
I want any of the top 4 tackles in the draft. However, most experts agree that Wills, not Thomas, is far and away the best of the group.
Lord, I think Kinlaw and Brown will be taken top 13, as will at least one if not two of the Alabama recievers. Like most years, I assume there is one sleeper that most aren’t expecting yet that will go higher than expected. Maybe Henderson will be that guy. I doubt GMs will mortgage their future by reaching for Love. We shall see. Even if the worst case scenario happens, they could trade down hopefully and get good value with either Jones, Jackson or Swift with a pick in the 20s.
April 2nd, 2020 at 10:35 am
The one tackle I hope the Bucs do not get is Wirfs from Iowa. Luckily I think he will be gone before the Bucs pick. I do not understand the hype on him. He is constantly on the ground. If you are a draft fan please watch Iowa’s game against Michigan. It’s just one game, but after watching it you’ll think the guy should not even be drafted.
The order of my realistic wish list for the Bucs in the first round(hopefully one or two of these young men will be on the board when the Bucs pick at 14):
1) Mekhi Becton OT Louisville
2) Jedrick Willis OT Alabama
3) Andrew Thomas OT Georgia
4) Javon Kinlaw DT South Carolina
April 2nd, 2020 at 10:42 am
I think you pick the highest rated OT, DE, or RB left at 14. The old Best player available approach. Those are 3 equal positions of Need, so get the best available. Repeat same approach in RD2 and RD3 until we fill the three positions mentioned above. Use 4 final picks to move up if necessary or secure back-up rotational players. I also saw a draft yesterday that had a tackle in the first and a guard in the second which would provide additional protection for Brady.
April 2nd, 2020 at 10:45 am
@ gofortheface30
Thanks. I agree Dobbins may go in the late first or early second. I would be fine with Helaire or Ackers. We could also go WR earlier if all the better RBs are gone. We need a WR3 after losing Perriman and there are a ton of solid WRs in this draft.
April 2nd, 2020 at 10:54 am
@Lord,
I somewhat disagree. The Bucs are focused on “TODAY”; getting into the playoffs, winning some playoff games and hopefully having a shot at advancing to the SB (thats the goal, right? however much luck as it may take…). So if the Bucs need a T, or RB or DL TODAY more than they need a QB for tomorrow, why would you spend a Rd 1 pick on a hope and a prayer QB?
April 2nd, 2020 at 10:54 am
Highly drafted O-line guys hardly ever pay off. I would rather see Licht pull a Marpet or Cappa out of his hat in the second round.
Safety is still my preference because there are only a few really good ones in this draft
April 2nd, 2020 at 11:03 am
@ Joe
Did you notice the new salary cap number on Sportrac? It finally includes the Suh, Adams and Nunez-Roches signings. After draft pick signings we have $7 million left. This number does not include the Smith signing.
So we currently have @ $6.5 million of cap space to spend on any additional free agents.
April 2nd, 2020 at 11:13 am
Marine
Also love your draft with one exception. We disagree about the need for a WR.
I’d stick Dillon in that 3rd spot..pass pro fullback…mauling runner with soft hands…a poor mans Mike Alstott.
I get that Scottie Miller doesn’t excite people…but as you suggest there are tons of WR’s out there this year. One Licht has excelled is UDFA’s…Hump and Brate being the obvious results.
I also do not think replacing Perriman’s production is going to be that difficult.
He had some invisible games and only blew up when ME and CG BOTH went down. Perriman had a whopping 3 receptions his first five games for a whopping 8 yards total..he only added 8 receptions over the next four….4 catches in Seattle for a good game and in fairness he was catching deep balls.
I do not dispute his talent…just that there is only ONE football. Guys with incredible speed are all over the draft if we don’t trust Scottie. Brady will be using his TE’s even more…if we get a Dillon type or a back who catches out of the backfield how does Brady feed EVERYBODY?
I like that you worked in a safety and another OL.
April 2nd, 2020 at 12:02 pm
If the Bucs really want to fortify the OL, they will trade for a proven RT instead of drafting one. Schrager must be drunk. No shame in that, nothing else to do.
April 2nd, 2020 at 12:16 pm
Swampbuc, With what cap room? Also look what happened with Laremy Tunsil. Teams do not give up proven tackles for a reason. we need to draft one and spin the wheel to get one.
April 2nd, 2020 at 12:32 pm
Good post by StPeteBucsfan. We definitely need Dillon in the third. Imagine trying to depend on Akers to protect Brady on third down with blitzes and twists going on. Brady would be on IR in about two games. Even the top OTs from college will take some time before they adapt to NFL DEs. I know BA has failed to adapt to a FB in his Offense but Brady depends on a FB and BA better let him have Dillon. It is a MUST HAVE! Dillon will also solve the lousy stats from last year on third and one. You are not going to risk Brady’s health at his age on a QB sneak. Who is going to stop Dillon in the red zone running behind Vea? Nobody! We have been terrible ever since we lost Alstott and did not replace him. We can turn it all around this year with Dillon!
April 2nd, 2020 at 3:08 pm
I saw a mock where we trade up, swapped with the panthers and gave them our 2nd so we could draft Wirfs. I dont think he’ll last past the top 5. I wouldnt hate us doing that, but i think we just need to stay put and hopefully OT Thomas makes it to us.
Then they had us going WR in the 3rd with Van Jefferson. So i started researching the kid and yeah, he’s probably the 2nd best route runner in the draft. Him or Claypool in the 3rd will be great with me.
Thomas (or one of the other big 3)
Clyde/Dobbins
Claypool/Jefferson
Dugger/Davis (trade back into the bottom 3rd)
DT/DE Lynch (we’ll have to trade back into the 4th if he makes it)
And there’s MadMax’s mock! OT, RB, WR, FS, DT….That would be a great draft if it plays out that way.
April 2nd, 2020 at 3:10 pm
A 4th on Dillon would be fine with me too, but we still have Auclair.
April 2nd, 2020 at 5:13 pm
@ spbf
I like Scotty Miller but he is injury prone. I don’t believe he is capable of playing the entire season as our WR3. I would rather add depth and a possible starter at that position if possible.
April 2nd, 2020 at 5:47 pm
Marine
Agree about Scotty’s durability and I concede depth will be a concern.
Hopefully Licht can work his UDFA magic and find us another Hump.
April 2nd, 2020 at 5:47 pm
If we take a glorified FB in the third, we will all know definitively that Licht smokes the crack rock.
April 2nd, 2020 at 9:04 pm
If all of the big 4 OTs are gone at 14, trade back for an extra 2nd round pick and get the #5 OT Josh Jones. Then select a DT and maybe an RB (CEH if you’re convinced). Then a Safety in the 3rd and WR/RB in the 4th with both of those picks.
April 2nd, 2020 at 11:44 pm
No if Licht takes Dillon we will know BA is deferring to Brady’s use of a FB and aware it is necessary to keep Brady injury free for the season if BA really wants to get another ring for himself, which he and Brady both want!