Cornerback In Round 1 Is Not Crazy Thinking
April 24th, 2022
Clemson cornerback Andrew Booth.
Folks at One Buc Palace read this here site. You should see the, um, reviews Joe gets from them.
Lots of loyal readers there, but not all are fans.
Now Joe has banged the drum for selecting a cornerback with the No. 27 overall pick on Thursday, (though Joe is now leaning receiver given recent comments about Chris Godwin’s recovery). So it was satisfying to read in Scott Smith’s Buccaneers.com mailbag that he made the same arguments for a corner that Joe has been beating into his keyboard.
A fan asked Smith if he could see the Bucs drafting a receiver or a corner in the first round. Smith said he very easily could.
One, you can never have enough good cornerback depth. Never. That is something that is difficult to cultivate and to keep. There’s a chance Davis might have moved on in free agency if Brady hadn’t returned and amped the team’s urgency back up in a big way. A team should never pass up the chance to beef up its cornerback room. Two, it’s a little naïve to expect the Davis-Dean-SMB trio – or any set of three cornerbacks – to be fully intact for 17 games. Last year was a good example, as injuries knocked Murphy-Bunting out for eight games, Davis out for seven and Dean out for two. If you draft a cornerback in the first round and consider him the fourth man on your depth chart, he’s going to get in the game at some point as a rookie. And three, both Dean and Murphy-Bunting have just one season left on their rookie contracts. The Bucs were able to keep Davis but there’s no guarantee they’ll be able to do the same with Dean and/or Murphy-Bunting. Having a replacement ready to step into a larger role would make for an easier transition if one or both departs.
The last two items Smith noted is exactly why Joe has been pining for a corner. If the rookie corner is any good, he will have an impact very soon if not immediately. New Bucs coach Todd Bowles isn’t shy about starting rookies.
So what did Smith say about drafting a receiver on Thursday night? If a receiver is on top of Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht’s board when the Bucs are on the clock, why not?
April 24th, 2022 at 8:24 am
I could buy drafting a CB over a receiver……I think our receiver depth is very good…& I believe you can get a good receiver in a later round (Chris Godwin)….
I think this will depend greatly on who is there when we pick….if a top corner is there…..pick him….if a top DT is there….pick him…..perhaps even an OG…
Such is the beauty & luxury of having no glaring need & picking 27.
April 24th, 2022 at 8:57 am
A DB is a much higher probability than a WR, unless Burks is there, IMO..
April 24th, 2022 at 9:02 am
CB or DLine in Rd 1
Defense must be bolstered this draft. All 3 levels…..
Bucs are already committed to paying $47M for top 3 receivers the next 2-3 years…..
April 24th, 2022 at 9:10 am
AB is a receiver.
April 24th, 2022 at 10:09 am
Trade down get an extra pick Booth is not a round one pick mid to low second at best.
April 24th, 2022 at 10:12 am
@HC Grover
It’s never going to happen so give it up. He burned that bridge to ash all the way across the board.
April 24th, 2022 at 10:24 am
My first pick board:
1. Treylon Burks (assuming other 1st round WR’s taken already)
2. Andrew Booth
3. Trade down
4. Jaquan Brisker
5. Kyler Gordon
6. Roger McReary
Bucs using so many 3WR sets (and with Godwin recovering and Gronk possibly not returning), it is definitely worth it to have a potentially elite WR4. Also, Evans, Godwin, and Gage all missed time last year. We always want three weapons on the field to maximize Brady and the offense. Improving the secondary is the next most important factor. Zion Johnson could be available at 27, and I’ve thought about that pick as well, but I don’t think upgrading LG improves the team this year as much (and no guarantees that Zion overtakes a vet in year 1).
I think it is likely Licht and the Bucs are thinking the same. LFG!!
April 24th, 2022 at 10:28 am
Drafting a CB late in 1st round is 50/50 they’ll be a bust- and Bucs have an even worse track record.
The best odds on success by position for late 1st round are interior OLine, inside LB and Safety.
April 24th, 2022 at 10:43 am
Yup. Gotta go defense for a ton of picks
April 24th, 2022 at 10:48 am
A first round corner will have to be rookie of the year good if we can’t get any pressure with our front 3. Maybe a DT is a safer pick. Can always get a DB that rotates in the 3rd.
April 24th, 2022 at 10:50 am
Trade #27 for the Jets #35 and #38. Gives them 3 #1’s. Pick up CB, Edge and TE in Round 2.
April 24th, 2022 at 11:35 am
Same goes for pass rushers. One of the joes is pinning for a WR yea if you don’t have any other needs which we do. But Joe look at what Brady does with no names his whole time I’m NE. Way bigger needs then WR. Defense needs a lot of help n just adding aging login and heavy hitter Neal isn’t enough. Not a lot of depth on the defense. We have good starters but injuries are a thing as we say last year but hopefully we can get a healthy year like 2020
April 24th, 2022 at 12:25 pm
‘though Joe is now leaning receiver given recent comments about Chris Godwin’s recovery’.
In our 4 playoff games in 2020, Bucs had 10 sacks, 26 QB Hits, 16 TFLs and created 9 turnovers. Just about all of that came from the Front-7. Excellent pressure, and we won it all.
In our 2 playoff games in 2021, Bucs had 4 sacks, 18 QB Hits, 12 TFLs and created 7 turnovers. Bucs Front-7 again had decent pressure, but it was more sporadic (inconsistent?). Even still, we came close to making it back to the SB.
For both of those playoff series we had Suh healthy. Thus far in 2022, no Suh. We had a healthy JPP in 2020, but a not-so-healthy JPP in 2021. Thus far in 2022, no JPP. We had a healthy LVD in 2020, but a not-so-healthy LVD in 2021. Thus far in 2022, LVD says that he’s at 60%. And oh ya, we’ve lost McLendon, with no replacement yet.
Our current Front-7 isn’t anywhere close to being as capable as they were in 2020 or even in 2021. We’ve got holes galore, which is sure to impact our pass rush and leave our Secondary hung out to dry. So how do we fix it? Seems to me that focusing our draft on DEFENSE, with an emphasis on improving our Front-7 (DT, DE/OLB, ILB) would be a good place to start.
Or we could just throw that all out the window and draft yet another WR with our top pick.
April 24th, 2022 at 12:26 pm
Mike28277 Says: April 24th, 2022 at 10:50 am
Trade #27 for the Jets #35 and #38.
That would be a steal for the Bucs. I see no reason why the jets would want the trade.
Don’t you think the Jets could trade their 35th and a 4th rounder to move up to 28, 29, 30, 31 or 32 if they just for some reason wanted a 3rd 1st rounder?
April 24th, 2022 at 1:34 pm
Interestingly, after this incident, will they guess something to redo in their tactics, or will everything remain the same as before?
April 24th, 2022 at 1:46 pm
Booth hasn’t participated at the combine or Clemsons’ pro day this entire draft cycle
April 24th, 2022 at 1:50 pm
Im looking for DL/Edge but if they take a DB instead I would not be dissapointed because of the track record Bowles has developing them……..especially Safety, not sure why that position is left out of the conversation.
Drafting a safety is drafting to a strength of this staff. They have done good with CBs too but Safety has been spectacular.
April 24th, 2022 at 3:19 pm
Say it is so, Joe. Say it is so.
Banged the trash can lids together last year, shouting for a second round CB pick. It was a painful need last season, and for the record a developmental OT as an emergency starter, which also would have helped.
April 24th, 2022 at 5:48 pm
Mike28277 Says:
April 24th, 2022 at 10:50 am
Trade #27 for the Jets #35 and #38. Gives them 3 #1’s. Pick up CB, Edge and TE in Round 2.
^^^^^^^
If you look at the NFL Draft pick trade value chart, the Bucs would have to give up most of their picks in this year’s draft to do this.
April 24th, 2022 at 7:05 pm
Smith was just being a good sport, answering a question, but Joe is stoking this towards irrationality. Logan Ryan is that 4th CB. He’s already on the roster! When he’s not the 4th CB he’s the 3rd/4th safety. Depth is there, stop the madness.
This is as silly as the calls for drafting a 5th rb last year in the 1st round Bc only an unproven rookie was under contract for 2022 at the time. How did that turn out?
April 25th, 2022 at 12:33 pm
Dax Hill.
No brainer.