Former NFL General Manager Thinks Bucs Should Reach
March 27th, 2024
Iowa DB Cooper DeJean.
Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht ought to be drug-tested if the draft falls this way and he makes a total reach of a desperation pick like this.
Former Jets and Dolphins shot-caller Mike Tannenbaum put out a mock draft this week. If this exercise is really a serious guess by Tannenbaum, then it explains why Tannenbaum is working at the four-letter and not an NFL team.
Tannenbaum, smartly, thinks the Bucs will be in the market for a cornerback, especially since the Bucs shipped off Carlton Davis to Detroit.
Not so smart: So Tannenbaum wants the Bucs to reach for a tweener defensive back like Cooper DeJean of Iowa.
Coach Todd Bowles loves versatility on the back end, and that’s exactly what DeJean brings to the table. … DeJean had seven interceptions over his final two seasons at Iowa and is an outstanding punt returner. Although I would start him at corner, he eventually could evolve into a terrific safety because of his 6-1 size, physicality and range.
Look, Joe has lots of respect for Iowa players. They are so well-coached up by Kirk Ferentz. His Hawkeyes may be criminal offensively but few coaches squeeze blood out of a turnip and develop talent quite like Ferentz does with two- and three-star players. He turns them into well-schooled NFL players.
So why does Joe think Tannenbaum’s suggestion is outrageous? Tannenbaum still has edge rusher Jared Verse and receiver Ladd McConkey on the board when the Bucs select DeJean. What the hell?
Joe has no idea how Verse, short of him pulling a Laremy Tunsil and getting caught in a bong mask right before the draft begins, would be there when the Bucs select at No. 26.
If Verse makes it into the 20s, Licht ought to be working the phones like his life depends on an organ transplant in order to pull in Verse.
Can’t lie… I absolutely love this idea of the #Vikings snagging Cooper DeJean at No. 23. pic.twitter.com/A2K1dBnjRK
— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) March 19, 2024
March 27th, 2024 at 9:08 am
Dejean looks good to me Joe. I could live with it, assuming no passrusher, OL makes it to us.
It’s BPA at position of need. And we need CBs. I’m not saying I’d be excited, but I can see a scenario where that pick makes the most sense
March 27th, 2024 at 9:09 am
Very normal to see “national” writers have the Bucs doing something stupid in their mock drafts so they can project that the best players fall to their favorite teams.
They can’t draw eyeballs unless they show the most popular teams raking it in based on the projected stupidity of teams like Tampa. Not to say that dumb draft decisions can’t/won’t occur, but it’s frustrating to watch mock drafts by “analysts” that are agenda driven.
March 27th, 2024 at 9:12 am
haha…no way
March 27th, 2024 at 9:13 am
How would this be a reach? He’s arguably the best CB in the draft, is a play maker the secondary lacks, and has versatility to play both outside in base defense and slot in nickel formations if you need him to. He’d probably be CB1 on the team by year 2 and give the Bucs flexibility to move on from Dean and his contract in 2025. The odds are the top edge rushers won’t be available by pick 26 as much as we’d all like one. So that leaves interior O-Line, WR, CB, trade down or BPA which would most likely be those positions anyways at 26.
March 27th, 2024 at 9:14 am
I can see why he’s a former gm. Apparently this guys does mock drafts without knowing other teams needs. Who reaches for a corner when they need pass rush help
March 27th, 2024 at 9:20 am
The Bucs have the #1 PLAYMAKING DB in the league in Winfield. Now add perhaps the #2 playmaker in Whitehead and the hitting and smarts make the back end of the Bucs defense formidable already with just competent CB play.
Address the trenches! Certainly if Verse falls that far you’d think the Bucs would make a play. Is he trade up material. The Bucs have two 3rd rounders this year to sweeten the pot if he drops.
FSU faithful..is Verse worth it? I honestly haven’t seen enough of him.
March 27th, 2024 at 9:24 am
Championships are won in the trenches. Not the backfield.
March 27th, 2024 at 9:26 am
From a Gator fan, Vearse is very good. IF hes there we should probably take him. However, Cooper Dejean is an absolute freak and our dbacks would be so tough
March 27th, 2024 at 9:41 am
Not much clue on apecific names out there. If Tampa can get an Edge, G/C, CB, and iLB I’d be pretty happy. That said if there is any Tunsil or Sapp type draft day superstar draft day freefall we should grab the. BPA is a solid backup plan. If Licht can continue to pick NFL players from the draft the team can improve significantly this year. If a rookie shows up their contribution will produce exponentially more than during the lost decade. Front office don’t have to draft 5 starters like old rockstar Dominick had to. Dare to dream of drafting a starter and 2-3 steady players? Maybe even an AllPro/Probowl!? Not a crazy goal. Would help fill holes where the most frequent breakdowns occured, on either side of TB team.
March 27th, 2024 at 9:47 am
I would rather see Licht reaching for pass rushers…OLB-Edge / 3-4 DE-Edge types than DB.
A good pass rush can make average DB’s look great, but a bad pass rush can make great DB’s look terrible.
March 27th, 2024 at 9:49 am
So we draft a CB in round 1?
That’s the plan?
Just ignore the facts that our center is atrocious, our LG being almost as bad as our center, our edge rush non existent, an aging legend at LB, no depth at LB, an RB1 who is a good receiver and an okay runner with mediocre speed, CG12 at WR2 is a free agent after this year, a legend at WR1 who is aging, and oh yeah, the smart thing to do with all of those needs is to draft a CB?
SMDH
Can we please not take the advice of a former GM in Mike Tannenbaum who has never built a Super Bowl Championship team.
March 27th, 2024 at 9:51 am
Analysts that cover all 32 teams don’t commonly understand the intricacies of every team. Hence, the reason the NFL thought the Bucs would be terrible last year. So, it’s unsurprising he sees CDIII go out and doesn’t realize Zyon is ready to come in.
March 27th, 2024 at 9:56 am
We have bigger areas of need than CB. But who knows if Licht is considering a trade for an edge guy? Maybe Licht picks DeJean to start over Dean, he trades Dean away for a proven edge rusher !
Pass rush: need upgrades for JTS and Hall.
Run game: a better IOL and RB (White a 3rd down back)
March 27th, 2024 at 10:00 am
I don’t see corner as a pressing need, at least not in the 1st round. I expect McCollum to make the jump and be a quality starter. We need to address the offensive line, d-line, and get a running back.
March 27th, 2024 at 10:15 am
Content providers get paid to make things up! Or at least stretch reality. That’s something you know a great deal about Joe.
Misrepresenting Joe and lying about Joe are not acceptable. –Joe
March 27th, 2024 at 10:21 am
Exactly. Instead of taking a “versatile” dude in Round 1, how about a dominant guy who focuses on one position?
March 27th, 2024 at 10:21 am
Joe, I rarely say this, but I 100% agree with everything in this article.
March 27th, 2024 at 10:40 am
If Bill Parcels isn’t coaching then this guy doesn’t have a job in the NFL. He’s a joke that runs teams into the ground. 33 Team is a group of C listers anyway, nothing to see here.
March 27th, 2024 at 10:47 am
yeah take a white corner who they’ll realize later on “can’t flip his hips” well in the nfl….then experiment with him at safety a couple years later to make it loo like they didn’t mess up on the pick…
yeah, hell no…
white men can’t jump…and they can’t dance…and they can’t flip their hips either…lol
(and i’m a white man saying this 🙂 )
March 27th, 2024 at 10:48 am
Do we need a cb…hell yes
Do we need to draft one in the 1st round…absolutely not
March 27th, 2024 at 10:50 am
Tweener. Thats my problem with DeJean.
I think hes gonna be a Safety in the NFL. We are set at Safety.
Yeah, more clickbait aimed at lager Markets. No research on what Buc needs really are.
Lazy.
March 27th, 2024 at 10:54 am
Build the trenches we need a Center or DE with the top pick.
March 27th, 2024 at 11:08 am
I’m honestly not hoping we draft a white receiver or corner…or running back ever. Our fans are so biased towards white players it’s ridiculous. Yes, Lynch was great but the love given to average to above average white players is obscene. It means that no matternjow poorly they play, they’ll always have a following and demand for them to be on the field. DeJean is okay but if we got him the fan base would go nuts. Just draft the best player available… at edge, maybe interior line, maybe TE. If any of those players are white… cool. But no CBs or RBs please.
March 27th, 2024 at 11:08 am
The Bucs could surprise us like they did last year when they took Kancey. I didn’t see that coming. I’d rather see the Bucs draft this guy than a QB.
March 27th, 2024 at 11:10 am
Better to trade down if there is no edge rusher there at that pick; that DB is going to be a stud in the NFL but the bucs do not need that this year
March 27th, 2024 at 11:12 am
I like everything I’ve seen about this kid & would love to have him. BUT, there are much more valuable, pressing needs… And, we only have just ‘one’ first-round pick. We need a ‘Day-1 STARTER’ on that OL. Our running game and ‘offense’ REALLY struggled last season… Hopefully, it could help Baker from getting so many passes batted away, too!!!!
March 27th, 2024 at 11:13 am
cooper blojean will not be a stud in the nfl
March 27th, 2024 at 11:15 am
I saw this too, and had the same reaction. I can’t imagine Jared Verse STILL being on the board when we pick…but if he IS…there’s no way we’d pass on him!
I like Dejean as much as anyone, but NOT over Jared Verse!
March 27th, 2024 at 11:32 am
Oh yeah, I saw that Mock yesterday morning & he had all kinds of weird things on there, like J.J. McCarthy going #4 to the Cards… I don’t know about that one!? I could (I guess) see him possibly going #4 but not to the Cards. Unless, he has some kind of crazy ‘inside’ information… Tho, he’s prob being played as a fool LoL. Idk, he had a BUNCH of strange odd-balls on there. I noticed the Verse right off the bat, too!!!! Also, he had Marvin Harrison Jr going #9 to the Bears, Penix at #19 & Brock Bowers at #22. Guess it’s possible, but seems kind of out there, to me… Idk!? I think he was just trying to be ‘different’ than everyone else’s, so that his could maybe, stand out a little!? Possibly, some ‘click-bait’ just as a way of starting a discussion!? He should’ve included ‘trades’ tho, since that would’ve been the only thing that’d made ANY sense of it all.
March 27th, 2024 at 11:32 am
Im a huge fan of him but yes we have bigger needs. He would be a heck of a returner and safety for us. When you watch vids of him he usually dominated every sport he played in school. If he’s bpa at 26 and the other big names have been taken, then I’d be ok with it.
March 27th, 2024 at 11:34 am
With the amount of QBs and WRs going early, there is no way a trench player doesn’t get to us. I’ve seen so many mocks now that I am convinced. The mocks where all the edge and IOL guys like JPJ and Barton are gone… an OT has slid and this is a deep OL draft. Now I am not one who likes to move players around the line a bunch but surely a falling OT can play LG for us well.
March 27th, 2024 at 11:44 am
A good pass rush can make mediocre DB’s and safeties look a lot better. If he is still available at 26, have to take Latu (UCLA) EDGE.
March 27th, 2024 at 11:59 am
@Gipper
Latu has a ton of injury issues.
He transferred to UCLA after a neck injury kept him from playing for 2 years and the Huskies would not keep him on their roster because of that.
If he didn’t have those major red flag medical issues he’d be a lock as a top 5 pick as he is a elite talent, but because he has a neck injury that kept him off the field for 3 years, and thus making him 24 in this draft, I don’t want the Bucs to draft him.
Neck injuries and back injuries are major red flags.
March 27th, 2024 at 12:00 pm
Gipper: Probably depends on Latu’s medicals. If he falls to the Bucs, it might be because he’s too much of an injury risk.
March 27th, 2024 at 12:10 pm
@Joe in Michigan
Latu, minus the neck injury and neck fusion surgery that kept him from playing football for 2 years, is an elite pass rushing talent who would be a lock to be picked in the top 5 of this years draft.
But the reality is that he has had neck fusion surgery.
Because of that he is WAY TO much of a risk in my opinion for the Bucs.
I agree with you and Gipper that the Bucs biggest need on defense is a pass rush, but just not Latu.
March 27th, 2024 at 12:11 pm
@Michigan
Latu, minus the neck injury and neck fusion surgery that kept him from playing football for 2 years, is an elite pass rushing talent who would be a lock to be picked in the top 5 of this years draft.
But the reality is that he has had neck fusion surgery.
Because of that he is WAY TO much of a risk in my opinion for the Bucs.
I agree with you and Gipper that the Bucs biggest need on defense is a pass rush, but just not Latu.
March 27th, 2024 at 12:11 pm
Draft the BPA guy who will be the best long term football player at any of our positions of need and we will get maximum value for the first round pick.
March 27th, 2024 at 12:18 pm
Find Super Ya Ya
March 27th, 2024 at 12:20 pm
i prefer asian-fusion over neck-fusion…
so gotta pass on Latu…
let him go to canales’ team and cause con-fusion
March 27th, 2024 at 12:30 pm
I would be fine with this pick. It’s not much if a reach. His average scout ranking is 24.7. Others have him at 29 overall. PFF has him much higher. He seems like a solid pick. He’d probably starts in 2 rolls. Started on outside cb and returner on special teams. I don’t think this article is gonna age well.
March 27th, 2024 at 12:39 pm
We better not waste a 1st round draft pick on a CB if Bowles is just goin to deploy his soft cover 3 zone scheme where all the DBs play 15 yards off the line and have no chance at making plays. Might as well put an UDFA in that role and get the same results.
March 27th, 2024 at 12:57 pm
As long as Todd insists on remaining both defensive coordinator and head coach, we could put clones of Deion Sanders back there, or a one legged donkey back there and get the same results.
Hire a real defensive coordinator and then let Todd have all the chats about life with the players that he can possibly have. If I have to watch one more game of zone bust coverage giving up yards like Halloween candy, I’ll go insane.
March 27th, 2024 at 1:03 pm
Dave Pear: If Todd Bowles was really that bad of a coach, how did the Bucs give up less than 20 points a game last year, 5th best in the NFL? You’d think they’d be giving up 30 to 40 points a game if half the stuff you say was true.
March 27th, 2024 at 1:10 pm
That’s why they call it the silly season. Licht is gonna draft a stud edge rusher and O–lineman R1/R2. Only time he deviated from that past 5 years was Winfield and White, both blue chip talents. If Verse or Chop is there R1 it’s a lock. (Not sure about Latu, health concerns)
March 27th, 2024 at 1:46 pm
DeJean is a play maker, for sure, but if Latu is there…that should be the pick!
March 27th, 2024 at 2:15 pm
Trenches
March 27th, 2024 at 2:23 pm
Brandon you are a fool. Color has nothing to do with talent. And now you are saying Lynch wasn’t a stud and everybody loved him because of the melanin count or lack thereof in his skin?!?! I guess you believe the Denver broncos and the hall of fame is racist too. You people who see color first and foremost are the most disgusting to me.
March 27th, 2024 at 2:24 pm
Bowels record with the Bucs is 18-19. Last year he had a bottom 5 pass defense. Previously, he managed to craft a losing season even with Tom Brady, the only losing season of Brady’s life. Bowels famously ruined the greatest comeback in Buc history against the Rams, and was rewarded for,it. He managed to oversee great defensive chokes against Desmond Ridder (twice, the second was three yards from the goal line), the Colts with some scrub, the 500 yards for a rookie in the mighty collapse in Houston, and the now predictable 4th quarter disappearance of the defense against the Lions.
He’s a great guy. As a head coach he’s a loser and now that he does both, his defenses are regression every year. These are facts, based on data.
March 27th, 2024 at 2:38 pm
Verse will not be there! DeJean is an excellent player and worthy of pick 26. Do we have more important needs? Yes we do. But depending on how things fall DeJean could be the best player available at a position we do need. I for one would be excited to have him in a Bucs uniform. We could do a lot worse.
March 27th, 2024 at 2:40 pm
Joe, DeJean is not a reach. He is one of the most talented players in the draft and definitely a first round pick.
March 27th, 2024 at 3:15 pm
I am with you BUCman.
Not sure how you call Cooper DeJean is a reach.
Pretty much every mock has him going in the first round. Now that the NFL kickoff rules changed and he was the best return guy in college last year, he may actually be more valued.
His size does not make him a tweener. His speed does not make him a tweener.
It is interesting. The only thing moving Verse down the list is his weight and wingspan. Some GM’s do not like that Verse has a shorter wingspan for a rusher than most of the elite guys in the league.
Comparisons for position.
Cooper DeJean
Height 63%
Weight 87%
Hands 73%
Arms 43%
Wingspan not measured
Jared Verse
Height 54%
Weight 18%
Hands 50%
Arms 49%
Wingspan 31%
March 27th, 2024 at 3:17 pm
Please, let’s stop with the racist stuff
are there white fans who like average white players just because they’re white. Yes.
are there black fans who like average black players just because they’re black. Yes.
so what.
we should all learn from this little story
Hall of Famer (white NBA player) Larry Bird once jokingly complained to the opposing team:
“You guys are not showing me respect!!! you’ve put a white guy to cover me”
we are ALL Americans. once we start realizing that, nothing can stop us…. and the Bucs win the SB.
March 27th, 2024 at 3:20 pm
Who do you think effects the game more for the Dallas Cowboys on defense:
Micah Parsons or Daron Bland?
Both are Pro Bowlers.
If Micah Parsons is injured does Bland impact the game as much?
If Bland was injured, would it affect Micah Parsons’s impact on the game the same?
We all know the captain obvious answers to that question.
The Bucs need a pass rusher.
Deion Sanders, Hall of Famer and one of the greatest cornerbacks of all time, was an All Pro Bowl CB on one of the league’s worst defenses when he was with the Falcons who lost a ton of games with Neon on their team.
THE BUCS NEED A PASS RUSH!!!!
Otherwise, Jared Goff and his awesome offensive line that was just made better in FA will be able to sit back and pick us apart like he did in the playoff game where we gave him all day to throw, and because we were week against the pass they also ran the ball down our throats.
The Bucs gave up 31 points, 280 passing yards and 107 rushing yards to the Lions.
That’s getting dominated.
We lost the game because of our defense, and anyone blaming the offense didn’t watch hat game.
The Lions offensive line owned the Bucs front 7 and curb stomped them.
You can’t win playoff games when that happens.
A great pass rush effects both the passing and running game.
THE BUCS NEED A PASS RUSH!!!!
Stop this crazy talk about drafting a cornerback with our first round pick!
March 27th, 2024 at 3:31 pm
soup de jour
or
coop de jean
March 27th, 2024 at 3:56 pm
Some DBs are game changers. Bowles uses multiple alignments to get pressure and a solid back end allows the pass rush more time to get home. That guy DeJean is gonna be a stud in the right system, I trust the brain trust to make the right decision. My philosophy has always been get the best players and figure our how to use em.I remember wanting Micah Parsons and joes were like I we don’t need a LB. He was off the board before we went but he would be a beast with virtually any D and is a potential MVP. Brian Urlacher was a safety in college and became Junior Dick Butkus with Chicago. Somebody figured out where to put him. Yes we need a edge rusher but rather not get a mediocre one if we can figure out how apply pressure with great players elsewhere.
March 27th, 2024 at 4:19 pm
Deon was a game changer, Hall of Famer and one of the greatest cornerbacks and return man ever.
Cooper DeJean is no Neon Deon Sanders.
Deon didn’t win anything as he was on a losing Falcons team with one of the worst defenses in the league with no pass rush until he went to the 49ers who had 2 Hall of Famers in Young and Jackson on the front 4 along with Pro Bowler Stubbafield.
The lesson to be learned is that Neon Deon was a loser until he got a dominant front 4.
The Bucs need a Pass Rusher, Center, Guard, LB, WR and RB before they need a corner.
March 27th, 2024 at 4:42 pm
has to be o line d end or mckonkey. really its powers or verse. if they are gone then go mckonkey. every db struggled vs him
March 27th, 2024 at 7:09 pm
BelleGlade,
Yes, aware of Latu neck issues but think he is a worth a shot. As you point out he is a top 5 talent but because of injury has become suspect. He played very fast this year and neck wasn’t an issue. This guy is sort of a TJ Watt style talent. If Bucs draft this guy, they will have certainly reviewed all medical data. I am just going by what I have seen on tape in 2023 and Latu really looked good. Fully get your point. Some will move on, but he will be drafted by some team in 1st round.
March 27th, 2024 at 8:17 pm
Never even heard of this Iowa kid. I wish him the very best, but if the Bucs don’t get the best IOL or Edge rusher available at 26, I’ll be angry.
March 27th, 2024 at 8:30 pm
I have become more and more against drafting the ‘tweener types… because for every 1 that works out and has their freak athleticness translate to the NFL, there are 10 more that don’t. Though it’s slightly less of a concern for me with a DB, versus say a D-lineman / OLB (looking at you Logan Hall, JTS)
March 27th, 2024 at 8:30 pm
This Iowa kid produced. So, if the question is whether to take the edge rusher Chop Robinson who never produced or Cooper DeJean, it is an easy answer for me. Take the kid who produced.
March 27th, 2024 at 8:31 pm
Not sure how DeJean is a tweener type.
March 27th, 2024 at 8:44 pm
If you don’t know who DeJean is then watch his tape. You will be impressed! And he is not a tweener. Would be a very solid first round pick if the right people don’t fall to us at 26.
March 27th, 2024 at 8:47 pm
A good running game is a tremendous help for a defense.
IOL . Barton or Johnson would be great . Can’t fix all your holes in one draft . Finish the offense because your close . Work on defense next season. Plus you give your new O-line a year working together which will give them a chance to be dominant while Your new D-lineman start their journey.
As always Go BUCS
March 27th, 2024 at 9:45 pm
I don’t know which Joe wrote this article but I have to agree on one thing and disagree on another thing, BUCS really need a pass rusher about as bad as Ira needs to lose some weight, and a center and left guard, but this Iowa guy Cooper is PHENOMENAL, I watch this guy play and it’s like I’m watching Troy polamalu or Ed Reed playing, THIS GUY HAS JUST THAT MUCH ABILITY, who can’t use a player like that!
March 28th, 2024 at 12:47 am
Dave Pear: You didn’t answer my question about how the Bucs averaged giving less than 20 points if Todd Bowles coaching and defense are so bad. Points/points given up are more important than yards/yards given up.
March 28th, 2024 at 2:07 am
Todd Bowles – loser. The other teams were conservative because they knew 21 would beat ground and pound zone bust Todd.
19 losses against 18 wins. Progressive decline in defensive performance, particularly pass defense, in a passing league.
Don’t know what else to say. The results speak for themselves. Todd starts slow but at least his defense finishes weak.
March 28th, 2024 at 3:38 am
Are you the same Dave Pear that played on the early Bucs teams?
March 28th, 2024 at 5:30 am
ok guys can you please create a short list of your 10 best white corners in nfl history…?
oh wait……………………………there are none…
okay ——————–> never mind
#ForgetTheUnicorn
90% bust rate on the kid