Arnold Ebiketie And The Bucs
April 16th, 2022
Penn State edge rusher Arnold Ebiketie.
It seems Charles Davis is pretty confident the Bucs will draft another edge rusher later this month. As in the first round.
The savvy and polished CBS and NFL Network analyst was on “Path to the Draft” this week and just like last week where Davis predicted the Bucs would draft Michigan edge rusher David Ojabo, Davis once again predicted a Big Ten edge rusher would fall in the Bucs’ lap at No. 27. And that would be Arnold Ebiketie of Penn State.
Davis raved about Ebiketie’s speed off the edge.
“He’s knocking on the door of being a first round pick,” Davis said. “When there is a run of pass rushers in the first round, as we expect, some people don’t want to be left out. So when we get from 25 on, Ebiketie will be running in that range.
“You see his ability to get upfield. You see his ability to be explosive and cause havoc in the pocket. With that speed off the edge, Tampa Bay may take a good hard look there.”
NFL Network draft analyst Lance Zierlein then chimed in and confessed he found Ebiketie by accident. And loved him.
“Charles, I was looking at an offensive tackle during my draft preparation and I was like, ‘Who is this 17, man? Seventeen is just wrecking this guy. And this is supposed to be a pretty good tackle. And that is what the tape just looked like.”
Yes, No. 17 for Penn State on defense is Ebiketie.
On the down side, Zierlein is iffy about Ebiketie’s ability to defend the run.
Well, there you have it. Joe doesn’t think Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht will draft a second edge rusher in as many years in the first round who struggles against the run. Not with Todd Bowles as the head coach.
Here is Dane Brugler’s summary of Ebiketie, who he listed in his “The Beast” draft guide at The Athletic as the sixth-best pass rusher in the draft.
SUMMARY: A one-year starter at Penn State, Ebiketie lined up at right defensive end in former defensive coordinator Brent Pry’s multiple scheme. The Cameroon native has a soccer and basketball background and was late to football, but produced when he became a starter in college, leading the team in tackles for loss and sacks as a junior (at Temple) and senior (at Penn State). Ebiketie explodes off the edge and stresses blockers with his arc acceleration, active hands and relentless play personality (registered at least one tackle for loss in 11 of 12 games in 2021). While he uses his length well as a pass rusher, he struggles to consistently anchor, lock out and free himself to contain the run. Overall, Ebiketie needs to improve his s refinement as a rusher and reliability vs. the run, but he is a long, twitched-up athlete with the motor and mentality to develop into a starting NFL pass rusher.
And here is Emory Hunt of CBS, the czar of the playbook, and his breakdown of Ebiketie, who he has as the fourth-best pass rusher in the draft:
Strengths:
– Quick accelerant off the ball, showing an ability to be a disruptive presence in that regard. Puts OL in a bind w/his ability to take an explosive inside track to the backfield.
– Hand usage when rushing the QB is solid. He keeps them quick & concise, just enough to when he’s bending the edge to get to the QB.
– Very good agility/COD skills, he’s able to read, react & pursue the ball.
– High energy player who doesn’t take plays off.
Joe has no issue with loading up on pass rushers. Ever. Well, except for this year.
For the Bucs, it is Super Bowl or bust. They need to draft a guy who can get on the field and make an impact this year. Rarely do rookie edge rushers not named “Bosa” have a big impact as rookies. The four edge rushers selected before Tryon-Shoyinka last year combined for just 14 sacks.
April 16th, 2022 at 12:33 am
I sure HOPE we draft a pass rusher, so we can start getting pressure w/o blitzing all the time.
The loss to the Rams is a prime example of what happens when a blitz does not work.
April 16th, 2022 at 1:04 am
Let JTS and Anthony earn their pay this year and save our premium pick on OL depth or another position of need
April 16th, 2022 at 1:14 am
DeMarvin Leal out of Texas A&M DT. Good against the run, good against the pass. Can line up inside and outside. I would love to see him and/or Logan Hall in a Buccaneer uniform.
April 16th, 2022 at 1:31 am
Bowles will have his pick for sure either 1 or 2 round.
April 16th, 2022 at 1:44 am
Boye Mafe 2nd round Minn.DE
April 16th, 2022 at 2:06 am
This is one of my favorites in this draft. Low first round. “Shaq Barrett 2.0”.
Also look at David Ojabo, Logan Hall, MyJai Sanders, Sam Williams.
April 16th, 2022 at 2:14 am
I agree. Edge rushers rarely do well in their first year. A big defensive tackle or DB can go right in and get a lot of playing time
April 16th, 2022 at 2:29 am
I’m with Joe. We don’t need to pick a first round pass rusher two years in a row. Let’s see what JTS does. Ebiketie would be a trade down option.
Ebiketie is not a player who’ll make an immediate impact maybe he’d work in a year we’re not trying to win a Superbowl.
I want an immediate impact player and would give up picks to move up to get one.
Moving down doesn’t make sense on a Superbowl team for players that won’t contribute for 2 years.
April 16th, 2022 at 2:30 am
Most years we can mostly figure out at least the first half of the draft pretty closely.
This year even the most celebrated draft experts have no clue whatsoever.
As Ozzy once said: “Don’t ask me; I don’t know.”
Nobody even has a clue.
April 16th, 2022 at 2:31 am
Anybody got Ouija board o can borrow?
April 16th, 2022 at 3:20 am
Is there a player the Bucs will not draft with their 1st pick?
April 16th, 2022 at 6:33 am
We absolutely must be successful with our 1st round pick….and I agree, a player that makes an impact is required…..
You can’t go wrong picking an OG……a first round OG would start at LG……and it would leave us with a deep Oline bench.
Another impact position would be CB……a top CB would be mixed into the rotation with SMB, Dean & Davis….give us insurance against losing one of them next year…..and would likely bump Delaney or Cockrel to the practice squad.
The last impact position is DT…….a top DT would immediately start if Suh doesn’t return.
I agree…Todd Bowles will get his pick in round 1 or 2….whoever he wants.
April 16th, 2022 at 8:03 am
Travis Jones.
April 16th, 2022 at 8:11 am
Man this is trickery. Can’t have to many pass rushers n usually rookies like joe says rarely have that big impacted. Is it smart to bank on JTS to make the leap ? We need corner depth bad n honestly we need some guys to push or beat out SMB n DEAN. gotta draft a corner or pass rusher with our 1st pick. I’m always for building the trenches at least our defense trench is getting long in the tooth. I trust Jason will take the best player possible n make our team better
April 16th, 2022 at 8:22 am
You can never have too many edge rushers. The front of the defense makes everyone better. Also keep in mind it takes a couple of years for edge guys to be really effective.
April 16th, 2022 at 9:19 am
yeah i like him…if we cant get Olave or Dotson, im all for it
April 16th, 2022 at 9:44 am
Depending on who is available (BPA), I like a CB in the 1st Rd, DT in 2nd and OG 3rd. But a top flight WR would be tempting, not a position of need, but would make us very hard to defend. And in the first many games, one could argue it IS a position of need due to Godwin’s situation.
April 16th, 2022 at 10:32 am
We can get the best or 2nd best OG in the country!
Guards and Centers are rarely drafted in the first round.
Let’s protect Tommy! That’s the most important thing for our offense!
Get a CB and DT in the 2nd round!
Trade our 7th and 4th to get back in the 2nd.
Use our 3rd round pick on an OLB project.
April 16th, 2022 at 11:19 am
This is my favorite pass rusher that the bucs have a chance at. They could even trade back and get him. He’s a Shaq Barrett type with the arm length of a 6’6″ offensive tackle. He’s good enough at stopping the run but would be a primary pass rush rotation guy immediately. There are videos on YouTube that show every defensive snap he played against Auburn and a couple other games. He is a 1 man wrecking crew against Auburn.
P.S. I’m so tired of people’s opinions in the comments that haven’t watched a second of tape. If you haven’t done your homework, I don’t care for your opinion.
April 16th, 2022 at 11:29 am
Steele, I hadn’t read your comment yet but looks like we are on the same page. Also Sam Williams is probably the second or third best pass rusher in the whole draft in my opinion. I know he has character concerns but he destroyed Charles Cross who many say is the best pass blocking OT. If Williams doesn’t flunk out of the league for off field stuff, he will be a star.
April 16th, 2022 at 12:33 pm
Arnold AK Ebiketie makes so much sense. Penn State pass rushers have been studs lately. Micah Parson and Oweh have been outstanding.
April 16th, 2022 at 1:12 pm
This is exactly the type of prospect we should be drafting. The best coaching he’s received is in highschool, then Temple, then 1 year as a transfer to PSU. You can teach run defending techniques, and we have great DL coaches to do it. Same goes for letting Shaq be a mentor for him as well. This about his lack of physical development at the programs he was at. One season at PSU with the strength and conditioning coaches, then nothing before that. What do you think the Bucs S&C coaches can do for this guy.
April 16th, 2022 at 2:35 pm
Love this guy, very underrated! He is definitely way better than the over-hyped Boye Mafe for sure. Devante Wyatt should be our first choice for sure but if he is gone at 27 I would be happy with Ebiketie! We must get more pressure on the QB and adding Ebiketie to the rotation would definitely do that. Interior DL is a bigger need,. But after Wyatt there is a big drop off at interior DL. Travis Jones is just a second round run stopper who will not add much in pass rush. We didn’t lose to the Rams because we lacked in run stoppage. Yes, we already have Shaq, JTS, & Nelson but adding Ebiketie would give them a strong rotation with no drop off in talent and keeps them fresh to maintain a relentless pass rush.
April 17th, 2022 at 7:52 am
We NEED a DT. Either the Bucs have found a Diamond in the Rough nobody is talking about in the later rounds or they trade UP to get one of two or three available.
April 18th, 2022 at 10:56 am
2021 Rookie Pass Rushers Sack Totals: *34.5 (Picks Before Tryon)
#12 – Micah Parsons – | Sacks: *13.0 |Percentage of Defensive Snaps: 84%
#18 – Jaelan Phillips – | Sacks: *8.5 |Percentage of Defensive Snaps: 54%
#31 – Odafe Oweh – | Sacks: *5.0 |Percentage of Defensive Snaps: 65%
#30 – Gregory Rousseau -|Sacks: *4.0| Percentage of Defensive Snaps: 49%
#21 – Kwity Paye – | Sacks: *4.0 | Percentage of Defensive Snaps: 49%
Remove Parsons: 21.5
#32 – Joe Tyron – | Sacks: *4.0 | Percentage of Defensive Snaps: 49%
Side Note: #50 Azeez Ojulari had *8 sacks last year
His Percentage of Defensive Snaps: 67%