Jordan Burch And The Bucs
March 24th, 2025
Yes, Joe does read the comments on this here corner of the interwebs.
Joe has noticed a lot of folks, despite the Bucs signing Haason Reddick and despite YaYa Diaby growing into a solid edge rusher — and despite Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht vowing that Chris Braswell will “shock” Bucs fans — still want an edge rusher.
Joe cannot exactly argue against it. There is no such thing as too many edge rushers. But too many can mean a team is ignoring another area of need, like corner or inside linebacker?
Joe noticed on Twitter that prickly Pete Prisco of CBS was studying Oregon tape. The defensive lineman that jumped out at Prisco is edge rusher Jordan Burch, who is 6-4, 279 pounds. He played end for Oregon but Joe noticed that Charlie Campbell of Walter Football typed, per NFL sources, that his best comp is Mario Williams or Leonard Williams.
The Leonard Williams comp got Joe thinking: Hey, he was drafted sixth overall by the Jets. The Todd Bowles-led Jets.
So it’s obvious Bowles likes guys who are big and athletic.
But after researching Burch, Joe noticed that it seems Burch is a tweener. Maybe not fast enough to be an edge rusher in the NFL but certainly big and strong enough to be an inside defender.
Vita Vea just turned 30. So it wouldn’t be dumb to be thinking ahead here. Perhaps Burch could be nimble enough to play multiple positions? That could get Bowles’ juices flowing.
Joe has seen projections for Burch vary wildly, as high as a first-round pick and as low as a third-round pick.
Joe also knows Logan Hall was believed to be a tweener and it seems he has finally worked out as a solid tackle.
Would adding a guy like Burch say, in the second round, be a turnoff?
March 24th, 2025 at 10:37 am
Diaby and Braswell didn’t do squat last year… their only value is if they can do more because of Reddick opposite them. So it all rests on Reddick, who is a 31-yo who did not play well last year (was it because of where he was, or because of how old he is, we shall see).
March 24th, 2025 at 10:38 am
I wouldn’t be sad about getting another rusher somewhere between rds 1-3
March 24th, 2025 at 10:40 am
Nope….CB, LB, S in first 3
March 24th, 2025 at 10:54 am
TYLER WARREN!!!
March 24th, 2025 at 10:57 am
Birch is 6’4″ & 279 lbs. Vea is 6’4″ & 347 lbs. I’ll give ya that they’re both the same height. But after that we’re talking about a mountain versus a molehill.
Vea has averaged 560 def snaps in his 7-year career. In the past 7 years, the Bucs have allowed opposing offenses to accumulate 7,406 offensive snaps, an average of 1,058 snaps per season. So Vea has essentially been on the field for an average of 53% of the total snaps our defense has faced.
The other 47% is kind of important, and since Suh was not re-signed (2022) we haven’t had anyone in the middle (other than Vea) who could ‘push the pile’ and create consistent interior pressure. I like Greg Gaines for the way he plays the run when he subs for Vita, but he doesn’t get much ‘push’ on the pass rush. I also like Kancey & Hall, but both of them are light & need someone like Vea to take on the double teams … and still win.
Bucs need another beastly DT/NT to rotate in with Vea. Someone who’s strong enough to take on double teams … and still win. Draft a beast like that and our pass rush will kick a$$ with 3 DLinemen & 2 OLBs attacking. Give me Vea, Kancey, Hall, Reddick & Diaby attacking forward every play instead of falling back into coverage. We’d end up with a lot fewer blitzes being necessary and our pass coverage would be much improved.
March 24th, 2025 at 11:04 am
If he is deforest Buckner why not there is always hidden gem rushers in the draft
March 24th, 2025 at 11:48 am
If Mike Green is available-Take him.
March 24th, 2025 at 11:54 am
How’s his coverage skills? Can he keep up Chris Olave?
March 24th, 2025 at 12:02 pm
I keep seeing him go in the 3rd on draft sims. I think we need a bigger guy for the middle so V gets to rest a little here and there. Tyleik Williams could work as a 3rd….Jack Sawyer 4th….we have to get a CB somewhere though. Maybe Az Thomas in the 2nd.
March 24th, 2025 at 12:07 pm
Let’s see…..the Todd Bowles “Swiss army knife” idea has led to a bunch of high draft picks mired in mediocrity and regression. Doing everything poorly.
How about drafting a pass rusher and let the dude rush the passer, or drafting a beastly nose tackle and let him plug the middle and pitch the center into the QB’s face.
Let pigs be pigs and cows be cows.
March 24th, 2025 at 12:10 pm
I think we need another guy like this and a bigger guy as a back up NT for the future. Would love this draft to be ILB, CB, DT, DE, OLB, G
March 24th, 2025 at 12:37 pm
I watched some hilites of burch and came away unimpressed. I believe it was against byu and he did absolutely nothing. I was expecting something out of him and after watching that I am not sure I would draft in 5th rnd
March 24th, 2025 at 12:47 pm
Check the Washington roster for 2025 draft prospects, Bucs have a history and connections with the team, a general comment, actually their PNW scouting staff has been hitting it out of the park in recent years
March 24th, 2025 at 12:49 pm
I don’t think so. Really can’t go wrong drafting in the trenches. Deff need to start searching for replacements for vea and LVD. I know SVD is in play for LVD but until he can stay out of the tub he’s a ?
March 24th, 2025 at 1:00 pm
“That could get Bowles’ juices flowing.”
_________________
Todd has about much juice as a rock.
March 24th, 2025 at 1:10 pm
Joe Tryon is big and athletic also.
March 24th, 2025 at 1:40 pm
Drafting J. Burch in the 2nd round would be a bit of a reach Joe…
“Jordan Burch is a dynamic defensive lineman known for his refined pass-rush skills, including a standout swim move that contributed to 8.5 sacks and 11 TFLs in 2024. He excels with explosive bursts and speed-to-power conversion but struggles in run defense due to limited arm length and lower-body power issues. Despite these challenges, his productivity and skill set make him a likely mid-round draft pick.”
Decent production playing for a very solid team. He would be an OK pick at #84 and he would be a great pick at #121…
March 24th, 2025 at 1:41 pm
DR, exactly. If they don’t take an Edge or corner, I think they take Kenneth Grant.
March 24th, 2025 at 1:45 pm
trade back then sure
March 24th, 2025 at 1:56 pm
Aqualung … ‘Let pigs be pigs and cows be cows.’
EXACTLY! And bulls be bulls.
March 24th, 2025 at 2:02 pm
What Aqualung said.
March 24th, 2025 at 2:17 pm
Todd loves him some chess pieces, but sometimes he goes to the well too many times and it blows up in his face. Don’t outsmart yourself, Todd.
March 24th, 2025 at 2:39 pm
I know we need a CB and MLB but I’m taking Tetairoa McMillan if he’s on the board. CB in round 2 and MLB in round 3.
March 24th, 2025 at 2:48 pm
What ‘Aqualung’ said….
March 24th, 2025 at 2:55 pm
Edge or WR with the number one pick.
March 24th, 2025 at 3:27 pm
If we draft oline or dline in the first I will cimp.
March 24th, 2025 at 4:01 pm
Before outside I’d take interior dline if I was going dline
March 24th, 2025 at 4:14 pm
WhatTheBuc. I’m warming up to Grant more and more. Then ILB then CB but hell
I go back and forth a lot. Lol
March 24th, 2025 at 5:57 pm
For the 2025 draft, I think Bucs need to come away with
S, CB, ILB, EDGE, DTOT
in whatever order the Licht scouts think results in the strongest draft class based on how the draft picks fall
March 24th, 2025 at 6:20 pm
Just like Harmon, Burch transferred to Oregon for 2024, transformed his body and took his game to a whole new level. Burch put on 15 pounds of muscle between 2023 and 2024 and it paid dividends. Oregon has long been a source of offensive talent but ever since Dan Lanning left the Georgia DC job and took over as HC its turning into a place I will look for NFL-ready defenders to draft. That said, Burch has a lot of room to develop so I’m not going to celebrate if the Bucs end up drafting him. He may have demonstrated the focus and discipline to develop his game but the Bucs haven’t shown that they have the vision or coaching skill to take a physically talented guy like him early and turn him into a weapon like Baltimore regularly does. Burch is a weight room warrior but his NFL level lower body strength almost never shows up on tape. Burch plays too high and leans too much especially when rushing the passer. I love his awareness and length. 6 batted balls to go with 8.5 sacks is nothing to sneeze at but I like Jared Ivy better than Burch as a day two versatile 4i tech tweener pass rusher. both these guys are far better suited to play 4-3 DE.
Ivy uses his length to create leverage and punish with menace as he consistently sets the edge and takes proper angles on the pocket from wherever he was lined up at Ole Miss. Props to the Running Rebels coaching staff for making Oxford a new hot spot for attracting and developing defensive talent. The ghost of Monty Kiffin must be even more effective than the living man when it comes to helping out his son as a defensive consultant because darn near every defensive player not returning to Ole Miss this fall will be bolstering an NFL roster. They should make a movie about the Ole Miss 2024 defense loosely based on that Tony Danza and Christopher Lloyd picture and call it “Demons in the Backfield.” JJ Pegues is so much fun to watch and also represents better value than Burch in round 3 or 4.
Neither Ivey, Pegues nor Burch hold a candle to Landon Jackson though. He already is everything the Bucs wanted JTS to be and more. That boy is badder than Michael Jackson and Samuel L. Jackson put together on the field and a Chris Godwin level Buccaneer man off the field. He is my fondest hope for the Bucs in this draft. Whoever drafts him shouldn’t insult this kid a jersey number or telling him how to tweak his game. They should just print a Punisher skull on the front and back of his jersey and turn him loose.
March 24th, 2025 at 8:13 pm
BPA at a POSITION OF NEED!! Hopefully that’d be a defender. But Tyler Warren would be a fun add to our offense!
March 24th, 2025 at 8:16 pm
I hear a lot of talk of drafting a Safety. I’m personally very excited to see what Tykee can do with AWJ as a full time starter. But I guess if the Safety from Georgia is BPA, then so be it..
March 24th, 2025 at 8:33 pm
It’s Corn Says:
March 24th, 2025 at 10:37 am
Diaby and Braswell didn’t do squat last year… their only value is if they can do more because of Reddick opposite them. So it all rests on Reddick, who is a 31-yo who did not play well last year (was it because of where he was, or because of how old he is, we shall see)
………………………………… .
Ya Ya was one of the better edges in the NFL last year
March 24th, 2025 at 8:58 pm
I keep running these draft sims and Emman is usually always there at 19….i even trade down to 22-26 sometimes, hes there. But after that hes gone. Vikings keep grabbing him. Sometimes Jalon Walker is there, but i know thats not reality. But if Jalon was there at 19, I’d grab him, then trade back in front of the Vikings….its gonna cost but remember, small 2 year window….what if? I mean we’ll have to give up next year’s 1st which will probably be 28-32, and this year’s 2nd, but thats ok.
i dont know, thats why i love this stuff lol.
March 24th, 2025 at 9:03 pm
Then Burch or Jack Sawyer
March 24th, 2025 at 9:05 pm
Yes, DR, especially LET BULLS BE BULLS! Up the middle.
March 24th, 2025 at 10:47 pm
Ok so I’ve said it if they want a reciever that’s okay, just remember that the next four pics are defense coaches and GM’s at one Buc. We’re pretty good offensively but I can understand a reciever because Mike will be hanging em up sooner than later. The defense is looking like the side of the Titanic after it hit the ice burg.. Go Bucs!!!!
March 24th, 2025 at 10:54 pm
I’d say if there’s not what you JL consider worthy of being a first round pick, find someone who wants the pick right ?? Diamond in the rough is what JL knows how to find and I trust him fully at this point. Yeah Baby cookin up something in there.. Let’s Go Bucs!!!! In Who do we trust?
March 25th, 2025 at 5:17 am
There are many good options DT, DE, and OLB in the second and third rounds, and Burch is certainly one of them.
The first round should be Campbell because he is a two-for-one value. He will be elite playing from the ILB position. But. with David and Walker as quality ILB’s, line him up occasionally at OLB – teams will not know who is doing what. Is Campbell rushing from the edge, or is he dropping into coverage with David coming up the gut. Campbell had two strip sack scoop and scores last year when he was used that way in 2024.
Defense Rules is correct that the Bucs need someone to bring more of what Vita Vea brings to the rotation for the ~50% of the snaps Vea doesn’t play. In the second round, the Bucs target should be Tyleik Williams if he is still on the board – 6’3″, 334#, 4,68 forty time. He was playing at 360#, but he lost weight to be more explosive. He hasn’t put up big numbers because he was eating double teams. But, he can penetrate like Kancey. Occasionally, put Vea in the middle with Kancey and one side and Williams on the other with Reddick and you have a real four man rush. If Williams is off the board, Landon Jackson, Princely Umanmielen, JT Tuimoloau, Burch – the Bucs will have a shot at a solid DL player in the second round including Alfred Collins – 6’6″, 332#, 4.95 forty – a run stuffing monster whose pass rush is powerful but raw.
Third and fourth round, the Bucs should look at DB’s – they have shown that they can have success with DB’s taken in the middle rounds.