Regrading The 2019 Draft
May 23rd, 2022
Bucs GM Jason Licht
Since we live in a microwave, drive-through, fast-food, 24/7 news and sports, movies-on-demand society, fans just hours after the NFL draft is completed demand grades. Now!
To be fair if not responsible, it usually takes three seasons to know how most draft picks, or a draft, pan outs. But life in the 21st century has the attention span of a housefly. Folks won’t wait three minutes for a commercial break much less three years for a draft grade.
So while the football purists howl in outrage over draft grades, they are ignoring 99 percent of society. Would these same folks wait three days to have a tooth repaired? No, of course not. So why wait three years for a draft grade, even though that may be the wise move.
Prickly Pete Prisco of CBS Sports does both. He grades each team’s draft right after the draft ends, and he goes back three years later to grade a team’s draft.
When it came to the 2019 draft, Prisco wasn’t overwhelmed with the Tampa Bay draft. Three years later, he likes it much more, as he typed on CBS Sports.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2019 Grade: C+The Skinny: They took linebacker Devin White in the first round and he has proven to be a big part of their defense, although his play dropped off some last season. They had seven other picks in the draft and five are still with the team. They got starting corners Sean Murphy-Bunting (nickel) and Jamel Dean in the second and third rounds. Backup safety Mike Edwards (third), backup edge Anthony Nelson (fourth) and backup receiver Scotty Miller (fifth) came in this draft.
How I did: I loved the pick of White, who has played well, but was a bit of a disappointment last season. I liked the pick of Murphy-Bunting, and questioned taking kicker Matt Gay. He isn’t with Tampa Bay anymore, but he has become a good kicker for the Rams.
New Grade: B+
In Joe’s eyes to grade an entire draft, you have to focus on the lesser picks more than the first-round picks. And there Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht did a solid job. He got three starting defensive backs on the second and third days of the draft. That’s damn good.
And Scotty Miller? He only made one of the biggest plays in Bucs history in one of the franchise’s most important games.
That’s drafting for production.
May 23rd, 2022 at 9:21 am
The draft basically weighs on this year with the all of the picks because it seems they all are one year away from extending their NFL careers or moving on to the XFL. D White needs to show he is Luke Kuechly and not Kwon Alexander
May 23rd, 2022 at 9:28 am
Four starters and two solid backups plus another starter who was released. I’d give that an A.
May 23rd, 2022 at 9:37 am
White, SMB, Dean, Nelson, Miller
All contributors but all replaceable. B would be a reasonable grade if White turns in a good year. C+ is accurate as most of these guys could be gone after the season.
May 23rd, 2022 at 9:42 am
Anthony Nelson racked up 5 sacks last season while getting the most reps he’s gotten since being drafted. Mike Edwards getting his first shot at being a full time safety and further his reputation as a ballhawk. Scotty Miller is looking to bounce back in his 4th year to making those timely chunk plays we kind of missed in 2021.
May 23rd, 2022 at 9:59 am
We ended up cutting a Pro Bowl kicker………unbeknownst to us……he turned out to be a good pick.
May 23rd, 2022 at 10:21 am
LOL, our draft pick Matt Gay turned into a Pro Bowl Kicker who ended our season, for the Rams!
Jason Licht got a whole lot better, once Arians and his people arrived in Tampa.
He suddenly went from a below average General Manager, to one of the very best in the Game!
May 23rd, 2022 at 10:22 am
The Bucs won the Super Bowl in large part because of the play of several of those draft picks. If that is not an A+ I don’t know what is.
May 23rd, 2022 at 11:34 am
So how many Bucs draft classes had their first 6 picks
Contributing meaningfully and winning a Super Bowl
Hell how many Bucs drafts did we have first 5 or six pucks even make the team?
May 23rd, 2022 at 1:55 pm
I agree with SlyPirate.
May 23rd, 2022 at 2:59 pm
This is starting to amuse me. This team has survived the debacle of making a mistake on the #1 overall pick in the draft and all the talent that never materialized from that pick. Not just a QB failure but imagine the talent if we had traded that overall #1?
But we didn’t and yet here we sit with a team that won the SB just two years ago, was in contention and couldve beat the eventual champs…and entering a third year in a row with expectations of another SB run.
Yes Brady is HUGE…I don’t downplay him…but the team Licht built around TB has been terrific.
For those who still can’t just say it..point out that Licht’s job was made easier by the draw of Brady and SB runs. Yeah true dat.
But I’m just going to cut to the chase and simplify. Todd Licht has done a great job as GM of this franchise…better than Rich McKay. This is not to slam McKay but rather to simply and clearly give Licht the props he deserves.
Todd Licht is the best GM in the team’s history.
May 23rd, 2022 at 3:48 pm
Even the revised “B+” is too low a grade.
7 out of the Bucs 8 picks from 2019 are still playing and contributing in the NFL. Only the throwaway 7th rd pick didn’t make it.
6 out of those 7 are still with the Bucs – contributing well – and all obviously have NFL level talent. (The 5th rd kicker everyone groaned about is one of the better kickers in the league now – for the Rams! – We SHOULD have held onto Matt Gay!)
4 of those 6 still with the Bucs are starters! White, Dean, Edwards is a starter this year and SMB is the Nickel CB(considered a “starter in today’s NFL).
Reserve OLB Anthony Nelson had 5 sacks last year and the arrow is pointing up on him. 6th Rd pick Scotty Miller was injured last year – but we all saw that he has NFL talent and ‘Scooter’ absolutely helped this team win a SB in 2020.
4 starters – 2 solid back-ups and a very good kicker that we cut too early….
How is that not an “A” ????
Did any other NFL team do that well (to date) drafting in 2019? I doubt it!