Lavonte David Signing Should Tilt Bucs’ Pick At No. 19
March 8th, 2025
Draft strategy.
Joe has stated if one of the following three players are chosen by Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht with the No. 19 pick in the draft next month, then Joe will sleep well.
And not necessarily in this order of importance:
* Mike Green — He’s the beastly defensive end from Marshall who racked up 17 sacks last year to lead the nation, and blew up projected first-round picks trying to block him during the Senior Bowl practices. And if a guy blows up in Senior Bowl practices, he always catches the eye of Licht.
* Emeka Egbuka — the Chris Godwin clone from the national champions, The Ohio State University. This guy is exactly like Godwin. He gets off on blocking like most receivers get off on Mossing defenders. He plays the inside, he plays the outside, he runs tough (yes, runs) and you never heard him chirp when freshman prodigy Jeremiah Smith came in and took over as the Buckeyes’ No. 1 receiver. Godwin may not even be back with the Bucs. Mike Evans will be 32. The Bucs may not need a receiver now, but that time is right around the corner.
In the wake of the Bucs re-signing franchise icon Lavonte David yesterday, a third player has edged into Joe’s top spot as a primary focus.
* Jihaad Campbell. This guy can do it all. He is a beast against the run. He can rush the passer. And he can cover.
Joe loves, loves, loves the idea of the Alabama linebacker Campbell coming in and learning at the foot of David. There may not be a smarter linebacker in the game than David.
Putting Campbell next to David would not only help the rookie on the field, but David’s knowledge of the game would also be the ticket to help a Nick Saban linebacker transition to the NFL.
Again, Joe wouldn’t lose a wink of sleep if the Bucs pick Egbuka or Green. But it seems the smart play here could be to bring Campbell on board.
Let David pass the baton.
March 8th, 2025 at 12:20 am
It’s Jihaad Campbell
Or
Jihaad Campbell
Or
Jihaad Campbell
March 8th, 2025 at 12:32 am
No issue with any of the 3 being taken, but do think Licht could even trade down a bit and add a solid pick or two and still come away with at least one of them.
March 8th, 2025 at 12:33 am
Amen
March 8th, 2025 at 12:33 am
Would be excited with any of these picks. Egbuka especially if Godwin goes elsewhere. Jihaad learning from Lavonte. Oh wow. Green could be one of those special ends that make an impact in year one. Don’t think he’s there at 19 but we’ll see.
March 8th, 2025 at 12:51 am
Add James Pearce Jr and Walter Nolen to that list as well
March 8th, 2025 at 12:51 am
Maybe Green. Maybe (but doubt it).
March 8th, 2025 at 12:51 am
Joe … ‘But it seems the smart play here is to bring Campbell on board. Pass the baton.’
I know how desperately you want an improved pass rush Joe, but can you imagine a Bucs’ defense that signs Harold Landry in free agency THEN drafts Jihaad Campbell at #19? Double whammy.
And a triple whammy if we grab a beastly DT/NT in Rnd 2 or 3 to rotate in with Vea. More consistent pressure up the middle on all plays; more consistent pressure from the edges; with improved coverage in the center AND the option to bring even more pressure via Campbell & LVD. We’d be back to our 2020/2021 defense in no time. And that’s what it took to win a Super Bowl.
March 8th, 2025 at 1:10 am
BPA or trade down.
We need a DE to replace Hall.
We need a LG to pair with Wirfs.
We need an elite OLB to pair with Yaya.
We need a great #3 CB. (Our corners miss games)
We don’t need a WR.
We don’t need a RB.
We don’t need a safety.
We don’t need a TE.
March 8th, 2025 at 1:24 am
I think this gives Jason some more flexibility on draft day for sure.
Could he trade the 19 pick? for some extra picks later?
Will that pick already be gone for Hendrickson?
Will turn that in to an extra pick in the second or third?
Jason has options.
Go Bucs!
March 8th, 2025 at 1:42 am
@DR – that’s my dream.
Sign Landry and then draft Campbell to pair with Lavonte in his final year.
March 8th, 2025 at 2:00 am
There you go!
March 8th, 2025 at 2:01 am
Thought about that often.
March 8th, 2025 at 3:31 am
This always a crap shoot. Sometimes I think it best to trade all picks for third rounders. They seem to produce a lot. I wonder how many third rounders picks could the Bucs get for a first and a second?
March 8th, 2025 at 4:03 am
Been saying it for a while – Get Landry and draft Campbell at #19. I would love to see the Bucs swing a deal to get an extra day 2 pick (Buffalo has 2 x 2nd rd picks). Then CB, DT, and S. LG, WR and T/G/C depth on day 3.
March 8th, 2025 at 5:29 am
Whoa, careful with the football porn there DR. Starting to feel all tingly.
March 8th, 2025 at 6:02 am
With Joe on Campbell, wouldn’t be surprised if it’s Zabel.
March 8th, 2025 at 6:32 am
We have been fortunate to have great linebackers and defensive tackles for the last 25 years. Our 2 Super Bowls came because we picked up a beastly edge rusher. There’s a reason those guys make a lot of loot. They are difference makers.
March 8th, 2025 at 6:42 am
@WatchDaddy,
Zabel? Really? And bypass every other greater need? We can plug in an average LG and have the best OL in the league. So many other positions and players would have greater impact for us, mostly on defense. The only positions I’d say we need less than o-line (with a high pick) are RB and QB.
March 8th, 2025 at 6:48 am
We don’t need to replace Hall anymore, he came on a bit last year, is now maybe a top 40% DE in the NFL. I’m torn about the rest–REALLY want Campbell, who will likely be available at 19, but NOT 51, when we next pick. OTOH, I think we’ve learned you don’t many many great pass rushers after the first. ((Hence the dude from TN)
March 8th, 2025 at 6:54 am
I think they’ll pass on Green because of the off-field issues. There’s also concerns about the strenght of the competion he played against, so I’ll prefer Donovan Ezeiruaku, who produced about the same against stronger opponents.
Campbell and Starks would be great picks too.
March 8th, 2025 at 7:08 am
Sign Landry Bucs are not known for picking good pass rushers
March 8th, 2025 at 7:22 am
LB3
March 8th, 2025 at 7:24 am
Not up on someone named Jihaad.
March 8th, 2025 at 7:28 am
@Filthy. Agreed, with caveat: When there’s a chance to upgrade the OL (or any unit) from “extremely good” to “elite for several years”, GMs gravitate to that philosophy. Especially ours!
March 8th, 2025 at 7:41 am
“I’ll prefer Donovan Ezeiruaku, who produced about the same against stronger opponents.”
Same here. Plus his combine numbers suggest elite bend/change of direction to disrupt the backfield.
March 8th, 2025 at 7:49 am
No thanks for any d end in the draft. We haven’t developed one. Not one under Licht or Bowles. Sign 2 d ends in free agency and draft 2 ILB 2 CBs a safety and a wr in no particular order. Another interior dl would be great too. Just please no to that Marshall kid. Small school and those kids never pan out in the NFL and if he did would take a few years to do anything. Just look at Hall for example. Please stay away from drafting edge. This team sucks at picking and developing that position.
March 8th, 2025 at 8:22 am
Campbell.
The middle D was terrible ladt season.
Clog the middle with decent safeties & ILB, and the DL will get to the QB more often.
Keep it soft and QBs will feast like last season.
Soooo…Campbell. Unless a miracle happens and a serious player drops to 19…
March 8th, 2025 at 8:24 am
Much agreed, if Campbell falls to 19 then it’s a no brain’s pick
March 8th, 2025 at 8:32 am
This is the part of “silly season” I enjoy the most. All the positive vibes coming from who “could” be selected by the Bucs. I like all of Joe’s possible picks.
And I like D.R.’s thoughts as well…grab the right FA(‘s)…and draft welll in the later rounds. If Jason does that for the D like he did the O and comes up with a defensive version of Bucky in the 4th the Bucs will be true contenders.
March 8th, 2025 at 8:33 am
Beej … ‘We don’t need to replace Hall anymore, he came on a bit last year, is now maybe a top 40% DE in the NFL.’
Wow Beej, that leads to some fascinating scenarios in the draft. And I agree with you about Hall; he’s ‘growing’ nicely. Reminds me of Will Gholston, whose first 6 years in the NFL were rather non-descript but who flourished under Bowles (and when Suh came here). Put on quite a bit of weight (and muscle) in 2019 as I remember, and then absolutely blew up in 2020 working with Suh & RNR inside (Vea had gotten hurt early in the season). Will had a huge 29 pressures that season (tied with Suh for 2nd most), of which 3 were sacks & 20 were QB Hits. The inside pressure that Gholston & Suh provided (in Vea’s absence) was HUGE in that SB year.
Hall’s improving steadily, and I suspect he’ll have an even better 2025. He improved markedly last season, despite only getting about 50% def snaps (583). Sacks increased to 5.5 while his QB Hits increased from 1 to 10. His TFLs increased from 2 to 6 last season, as did his solo tackles (from 11 in 2023 to 17 in 2024). Major improvements across the board IMO.
March 8th, 2025 at 8:34 am
Beej … Our problem is that when Vea’s NOT in there, we don’t have that beast who can take on the double-teams and still provide interior pressure. When Vea went down in 2020, SUH still provided that as a DT (RNR was in there too), and Gholston stepped up to help & had a huge year. Right now if Vea goes down, we have Gaines (assuming we re-sign him) & Brewer (assuming we re-sign him too) to help free Kancey & Hall. Neither Gaines nor Brewer are pile-movers. And neither one of them can clear lanes for LB blitzes to hit home. Bucs NEED a beastly DT/NT to complement Vea (on those 40% def snaps when he’s not in there) AND to be him IF he goes down for any significant number of games.
March 8th, 2025 at 8:35 am
Beej … This draft has a nice share of DT/NT beasts who’ll go in the top rounds according to the mock drafts I keep seeing. And I’m not talking the small 290 lbers; I’m talking BEASTS who can be the immovable object when it comes to playing the run and who can drive the pile backwards on pass plays. I can’t see the Bucs using their #19 pick on one, but I could see us using our Rnd 2 or Rnd 3 picks on one.
March 8th, 2025 at 8:36 am
Beej … A DT I like further down is Kentucky’s Walker (6’6″ & 348 lbs) who was up-and-down last season but who had a very impressive 2023. Little bit of a project (#13 on Walter Football’s list), but might be there in Rnd 3. Oregon’s Caldwell (6’1″ & 340 lbs) is another possibility because he has good quickness (4.95 sec 40) and might be had in Rnds 3-4. Indiana’s CJ West (6’2″ & 317 lbs) and Georgia’s Stackhouse (6’3″ & 320 lbs) are also good possibilities in Rnds 3-4.
March 8th, 2025 at 8:38 am
You take the best player available. Period. Don’t reach and draft need. I only hope BPA is a defensive player. Bucs need war daddies on defense, some alpha dogs. Right this very moment wondering two things-
1) health status of SirVocea Dennis
2) what happens in FA
I hope the answer to No. 1 is he will be all systems go in 2025
No. 2 – re-sign CG, trade Dean, land a DE/Edge, get a few bargain vets.
If we lose CG so be it. Don’t over spend on a guy that’s had 2 major injuries. Lots of vets out there
March 8th, 2025 at 8:38 am
Beej … Prior to those 3 comments above (Joe blocked the thing so I had to split it up to find out where I screwed up) there’s another section on Hall in the cooler being ‘arbitrated’. I like him and expect that we’ll keep him.
March 8th, 2025 at 9:07 am
The problem with trading Dean is that cornerbacks get hurt. Not just Dean – who seems to be a pretty average starter and a pretty typical in games missed in a season. CB is the most game lost position in the NFL.
FTN Fantasy did a breakdown of this a year ago (March 2024).
Here is what they said in part on defensive backs:
“This was a big one with five teams losing over 30 AGL to defensive back injuries and another six teams losing between 20 and 30 AGL.”
They have a table on it as well. You can see it more clearly on the table. They evaluated 9 different positions. And the defensive backs were either the 1st most injuries or 2nd most injuries lost on 23 of the NFL teams.
To me that is a significant trend. That does not mean that Dean’s lost games are not significant either.
But my assumption would be that you are replacing him with:
1. A lesser player.
2. There is a high chance of that lesser player getting injured and then you are all of a sudden playing with a guy that cannot cover at all.
March 8th, 2025 at 9:50 am
Draft Cambell, sign a Pass rusher. LFG!!
March 8th, 2025 at 9:57 am
geno
In my mind Dean is the Vernon Hargreaves of Gerald McCoys…
March 8th, 2025 at 12:59 pm
Draft Campbell. Thing is I said the same about white and he did play a key part especially thru the playoffs to help us win a SB. I was super excited about us getting white and man he had all the skills to be great even had better numbers in the playoffs then the great ray lewis but he had Winston syndrome upstairs. I really hope which I know is bad for football but I hope Campbell is mentally good.
March 8th, 2025 at 1:05 pm
Green looks great but some off the field issues concern me.
March 8th, 2025 at 1:32 pm
What if all three are available? Unlikely, but you never know.
March 8th, 2025 at 3:05 pm
I’m for Ezeriraku, Campbell or Green. Those are my top 3 targets for us.
Egbuka, Nolen, whatever top CB would be my tier 2 options if other guys are gone.
March 8th, 2025 at 3:48 pm
I have watched every Buckeyes game over the past five (actually 20) years and I have never once thought “Emeka Ebuka reminds me of Chris Godwin.” He is pretty good, but I do not see much of a comparison.
March 8th, 2025 at 4:58 pm
Campbell is unrealistic.
March 8th, 2025 at 6:55 pm
Of the three names in this post the Bucs can pick so the Joes can sleep the only one that would have me sleeping soundly is Egbuka. He could actually replace Godwin. It feels like heresy to say so but he is the safest WR play the Bucs can make with their first rounder. I estimate him as Godwin+, his background as a bada$$ center fielder and his interviews have me all in on him over Tetairoa McMillan, Luther Burden and late riser Golden. McMillan is a poor man’s Mike Evans- Egbuka is Chris Godwin plus the ability to make sideline catches like McLaurin made in this past playoff loss.
I’m down on Mike Green because of his lack of length. I’m not bent over his character issues but the Bucs likely are. His 28 bench reps do not impress me. When you have T-Rex arms like he does you look like a powerhouse but have no leverage. I would go Emanwori at the Bucs pick because of his length, production against better talent and the fact he is a refined technician who can talk it like he walks it. Balding we will have a boner over this guy like he does for Kancy.
If Campbell is there in the second round I’d pick him but I can’t sign-off on an ILB at pick 19.
March 8th, 2025 at 7:53 pm
Godwin not going anywhere. He loves playing with Mayfield.
Campbell or Green fine. Doubt that either will be available at 19. Big money deal that the Raiders EDGE got will make it really hard to afford a vet EDGE in trade or FA. Absolutely cannot afford to use 1st pick on receiver unless it is a Jerry Rice clone.
March 9th, 2025 at 9:32 am
Sorry DR, just now saw all this–this will be Hall’s contract year also, hopefully he’s been eating his Wheaties!
March 9th, 2025 at 6:02 pm
Mac Says:
March 8th, 2025 at 7:49 am
No thanks for any d end in the draft. We haven’t developed one. Not one under Licht or Bowles. Sign 2 d ends in free agency and draft 2 ILB 2 CBs a safety and a wr in no particular order. Another interior dl would be great too. Just please no to that Marshall kid. Small school and those kids never pan out in the NFL and if he did would take a few years to do anything. Just look at Hall for example. Please stay away from drafting edge. This team sucks at picking and developing that position.
Yeah those small schools never pan out 🤣🤣🤣 . Randy Moss ,Marshal
Jerry Rice Mississippi Valley State .