“He’s Got To Have More Natural Hands”
August 2nd, 2024
Joe loves when coaches give what sounds like a candid assessment of a player.
The Bucs have a rookie tight end on the roster named Devin Culp, their 2024 seventh-round draft pick. He’s flashed in training camp, including today, but based on Bowles’ post-practice comments, Culp is a work in progress.
“He’s feisy in the blocking game; we got to work on his hand a little more,” Bowles said of Culp. “He can catch the basket ones in his chest. He’s got to have more natural hands. He’s been working on that. He’s been coming down with some lately.”
Since the Bucs are so thin at tight end, Joe suspects Culp has a great shot at making the roster. He’s clearly one of those guys for whom preseason will be everything.
There’s no way the Bucs will play Cade Otton much in preseason, and the Bucs are well aware of Ko Kieft’s limitations. If Culp can squeeze footballs and prove he has a strong catch radius, he should be a rare seventh-round pick to stick on the Bucs’ roster.
August 2nd, 2024 at 1:28 pm
This is the skinny guy? Feisty on blocking? Excellent. Give him some steak and weights and match him up with Julian Edelman.
August 2nd, 2024 at 1:33 pm
I’m not surprised he’s doing well blocking. There’s this narrative that has popped up about Culp that he is a receiver first, quite possibly because of his 40 time.
He wasn’t. He graded out better in blocking coming out of college than receiving. He wasn’t even Washington’s main TE receiver. That was Jack Westover.
He’s got tons of potential as a receiver, specifically due to his speed, but he’s always been a better blocker.
August 2nd, 2024 at 2:18 pm
From the draft evaluations I saw, Dev made the flash catches but sometimes lost his concentration on the easy catches. I haven’t noticed drops in Joe’s reports, and it seems that Palmer is leading the team in drops this camp?
August 2nd, 2024 at 2:49 pm
“…preseason will be everything” Lt Dan has always loved preseason games for guys just like Culp. Those games are extremely important – not useless as a certain Joe maintains.
August 2nd, 2024 at 2:52 pm
Got to be able to catch with your hands. Hoping he improves in that area but not overly optimistic. Hard to teach that after a certain point.
I think Durham has been looking decent, possibly improved from last year?
Ottan is being slept on (RW said it 1st). He came on at the end of the season, made some clutch catches as I recall. Sounds like he’s been looking good this camp.
With the addition of Jmac, Trey (hopefully) ascending, another running back who can catch the ball out of the backfield, the tight ends should get some very favorable looks but Cade is the only one I’d trust to catch the ball at this point.
August 2nd, 2024 at 3:03 pm
Culp skinny 😂
August 2nd, 2024 at 3:05 pm
Exactly what his tape shows . OJ Howard hands , ok but just not natural
August 2nd, 2024 at 3:07 pm
That was one of the knocks on Culp. His catching of the football was inconsistent. His speed is going to be worthless if he can’t catch.
August 2nd, 2024 at 3:26 pm
i’m not sure you can learn ‘natural hands’
August 2nd, 2024 at 3:38 pm
@GoneGator
Been reporting Durham has the best hands of the TEs…
August 2nd, 2024 at 3:39 pm
*reported
August 2nd, 2024 at 3:55 pm
@BigBoi
If Durham produces, and gains the trust of Coen and Baker, that just add another dimension and playmaker to our offense.
Sheez…. The weapons we have.
A lot of newness and moving parts but the offensive potential we have is thru the roof.
August 2nd, 2024 at 5:14 pm
Jeffery, you can learn natural hands. Here’s how. Catch balls one handed from the jugs machine. Start off with a manageable velocity and gradually increase it. It won’t take long to develop “soft hands” that do not “fight the ball.”
August 2nd, 2024 at 5:24 pm
Lt. Dan Says:
August 2nd, 2024 at 2:49 pm
“…preseason will be everything” Lt Dan has always loved preseason games for guys just like Culp. Those games are extremely important – not useless as a certain Joe maintains.
I echo your sentiments exactly. I have always felt it absurd to describe the preseason as worthless. It has it’s value in particular with late round picks and UDFA roster spots.
This year it will give taams an opportunity to test the new kickoff rules.
August 2nd, 2024 at 6:17 pm
Otton did a respectable job last season but he needed some help.
Durham and Culp have a great opportunity to play tight now!
I didn’t know about Durham having good hands!
August 2nd, 2024 at 6:31 pm
Fantastic speed and quickness at TE, but yeah, lack of hands will get you cut. He’s very much a lottery ticket with a very high upside, but also very long odds. I hope it works out, nothing is better in Madden than having a TE with 92 speed running seam routes up the middle as LBs can’t keep up, and that can even translate to real football as well.
August 3rd, 2024 at 12:44 am
Lotsa potential, lotsa speed, he’s big, and he’s part of that star studies Husky lineup… but anytime I’ve seen game videos of him, he doesn’t really show his speed, and he sissy seem to break a lot of tackles. He finds a seam, can catch in the run, and hes a big target in the red zone.
Hope a lot of that is just bad habits that will be corrected, I just don’t hold a lot of hope that he’ll make an impact this season, but he does have some special talents that can’t be taught… so I do think he makes the team, just not sure it will be active roster this season.
August 3rd, 2024 at 12:47 am
bosch, i know he can improve the actual last step of catching a ball. the rest of it though, the natural part of being instinctive and comfortable while leaving failures in the past immediately, that’s all part of a drop
August 3rd, 2024 at 10:07 am
“Pre-season will be everything to him” – Is that the “worthless pre-season games” Joe?
August 3rd, 2024 at 10:48 am
Steak and weights in a great Rx, ModhairKen… that’s funny. The fitness routine of 1975 is still the way.