Mina Kimes Says Bucs’ Draft Goals Fairly Simple
March 28th, 2025
Talkin’ Bucs needs.
As noted yesterday, it is weird for Joe to hear folks discuss how the Bucs need a left guard.
That’s about as dumb as saying the Bucs need a running back.
Maybe folks are watching a different game and a different team, but Joe saw the Bucs have one of the best offensive lines in the game, blocking for the No. 3 passing team in the league and opening holes for the No. 4 rushing attack.
Teams don’t do that with a hole on the offensive line.
A former high priest of the PFF tribe, Sam Monson, tried to suggest on Mina Kimes’ podcast that left guard could be a target for the Bucs in the draft. Kimes, ever so softly and gently, detailed why that is nonsense.
In Kimes’ mind, Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht’s draft targets should be defense, defense, defense and more defense.
As for the Bucs’ offense, she summed it up in four words. “Good team, good offense.”
Kimes praised Licht for building an offense in what she views as the right way — by loading up in the trenches.
“I was just like, damn this offense as it turns out, when you draft and develop you’re offensive line, you’re pretty much in good shape there,” Kimes said.
This is mostly true. If you have a good offensive line, it gives your playmakers a chance.
So, where on the defense would Kimes try improve? She’d go edge rusher then corner. Joe could see an argument for either.
Despite the Bucs drafting YaYa Diaby and Chris Braswell with second-day picks the past two years, YaYa looks to be OK and Braswell, well, he is a big question mark despite a “shock” forecast.
Don’t get Joe started on the two practice squad warriors who can’t seem to climb out of hibernation on Sundays.
So yeah, given that Haason Reddick is on a one-year prove-it deal, who knows if he will be around next year? Joe could easily make a case for an edge rusher at No. 19 for the Bucs next month. Corner, too, at No. 19 is logical, so long as you think he can finish a playoff game.
March 28th, 2025 at 12:10 am
we could target a left guard IF he’s primarily a backup center
March 28th, 2025 at 12:19 am
^Not at 19
March 28th, 2025 at 12:20 am
You don’t pick a back-up until at least the 5th round
March 28th, 2025 at 12:29 am
I don’t understand why people just throw out positions to draft. If you’re gonna say it, you might as well throw a couple examples of who might be there. Prob is, I’d bet the value won’t be there for an edge rusher at 19 cause the good ones will be gone. There’s limited Rd1 prospects and only 2-3 QBs coming off the board in top 20. That’s the point of drafting Jihad or a corner who falls to them.
March 28th, 2025 at 12:40 am
Top team needs are ILB, CB and DL/Edge, in no particular order
March 28th, 2025 at 12:45 am
Emmanwori SAFETY is the pick at 19.
March 28th, 2025 at 1:05 am
Sorry to jump on your post Jeffrey,You were expressing an idea and at this point, nobody knows for sure just who, at what position, Licht has on his board.
I was stating a general rule, and all rules have exceptions, I just don’t see it this time around. We’re pretty well positioned with our offensive line right now.
I’m currently in agreement with ‘unbelievable’ in that our needs are ILB, CB and DL/Edge, in no particular order. We’re not alone.
March 28th, 2025 at 1:22 am
BPA
I like the freak safety too.
Emanwori
I’ve always wanted a tall and long safety next to Winfield because he’s so short
March 28th, 2025 at 1:34 am
Donovan Ezeraku from Boston College.
March 28th, 2025 at 2:05 am
PFF calls the LB talent in this year’s draft “sparse”. Edge talent they call “good”. Talent at Interior Defender, Cornerback and Safety they call “great”. Those positions align with the Bucs’ needs. And, so long as the value is there for the pick, that is the order the Bucs should fill those positions in the draft.
David is still a very valuable contributor. But, the ILB group was victimized in coverage last year, and the Bucs need two linebackers who can play four downs and cover like a blanket. Maybe they already got one when they brought in Walker.
The consensus top ILB players are Jaylon Walker and Jihaad Campbell. No one else is rated as a first round talent, and it is not clear that there is a second round talent – maybe Knight, probably not Schwesinger who won’t run on the clock. That sparse selection means the Bucs should hit that need in the first round.
Second or third round, if there is an Edge guy the Bucs love, fine. But, the better choice is a DL guy with the quickness, heft and power to keep up the pressure when Vea rotates off the field and who can play beside Vea on the first three downs of a drive to try to force a three and out. Tyleik Williams looks like that guy, but he will go earlier in the second round. If the price is right, the Bucs should trade up to get him. Otherwise, Alfred Collins looks like a real good consolation prize as would a host of guys like TJ Sanders, Landon Jackson, JT Tuimoloau, Bradyn Stinson, Omar Norman-Lott, or Deone Walker.
Then, grab at least two DB’s. The Bucs have shown that they can get value from mid round DB’s; just make sure they have the speed.
The starters on this roster should be better than the ones who held the Lions and Eagles to 16 points each early in the season, and it should have much better depth to blow away that mid season slump.
March 28th, 2025 at 2:11 am
Emman is that safety/LB hybrid type….Todd could have a little fun with…then Aza Thomas or DT Grant…McLaughlin is the backup C to target in maybe the 5th, but yeah fit that edge in there with Jack Sawyer.
March 28th, 2025 at 5:16 am
Good morning Joe’s! Thank you for my Mina fix.
March 28th, 2025 at 5:46 am
Toopanca
NFL has an article right now calling safety the worst group in this draft.
Starks is the safer player but Emmanwori projects better.
Getting either would be perfect for our team with Revel or Morrison in the 2nd or Baasa and Swesinger and Knight there as well. You also have Landon Jackson, Jack Sawyer, Nic Scourton and Umanmiellen. So many good other players why take a hurt Jihaad Campbell? If they think we are fine with David, Walker and Dennis until 6 games before the playoffs and then Campbell plays lights out I can see that but just barely and a lot would have to work out right.
There will still be 2 QBs, 2 TEs, 2 WRs, 2 Tackles 2 RBs likely before we pick. That means we get the 9th best defensive player at worst. If it’s a great pick maybe top 5.
Just because a pool is deep this team can still swim in it.
March 28th, 2025 at 7:09 am
I think of defense the same between football and baseball – stout up the middle. Draft DL, ILB, and Safety. Throw in a CB and WR in Rounds 4/5. Look for undiscovered gems in Rd 7 and UDFAs
March 28th, 2025 at 7:41 am
I don’t know if I believe it, someone from ESPN has spoken good words about the Bucs y’all. Well thank you Ms Kimes.
March 28th, 2025 at 7:49 am
1st round Emmanwori
2nd round Schwesinger
3rd round Jackson
Geez do I have to solve everything…lol
March 28th, 2025 at 7:55 am
blowhard with zero cred…CLICK
March 28th, 2025 at 8:13 am
Best available defensive player. A lot of the ILB’s and CB’s the draft ‘gurus’ mention have bad injury histories, or the healthy handful will be long gone by 19. Best available could be a DL? Licht could surprise us….
Drafttek:
Derrick Harmon is one of the top interior pass rushers in the draft. At 6’4″ and 313 lbs, Harmon ran a 4.95 40-yard dash that ranks above the 88th percentile for DTs. He puts that burst to good use, racking up five sacks and a whopping 55 pressures last season. Sports Info Solutions ranks his 14% true pressure rate first in the DT class, while his 0.9 TFLs/game ranks second.
Kenneth Grant is 6’4″ 331 and is only 21 years old. He is thought of by many to only be a two down run stuffer but the consistent push on passing downs, the disciplined gap control, and the surprising range to make plays outside the tackle box has many scouts revisiting their initial projections. He made #3 on Bruce Feldman’s College Football Freaks list. This offseason, Grant pressed a 115-pound dumbbell 34 times on his right and 27 times on his left. He vertical-jumped 29 inches and did a Turkish get-up with a 150-pound dumbbell.
March 28th, 2025 at 8:57 am
Billy Bucco.
I tend to agree with you on the amount of offensive picks before the Bucs. And it could even be more.
I would only say this to you. 2 RB or 2 TE in the first round before pick 19 — both are less likely to happen — well just because of history. And only 1 RB in that group of 4 is on everyone’s board as a top 10 pick.
But that being said — teams historically over reach for OT and QB’s so it would not surprise me that there are 10 offensive guys taken with someone reaching on those other positions based upon history.
For instance, most scouting services rank Banks, Will Campbell, and Armand Membou in the top 20.
Also, Jaxson Dart has about the same rating as Bo Nix last year and we see that Nix went in the 1st round at 12.
March 28th, 2025 at 9:14 am
MadMax,
With you on Sawyer, that guy is just a football player. Old school who would fit in nicely with most teams. Why not the Bucs?
March 28th, 2025 at 10:05 am
Not a rocket surgeon post here but I can see Jason trading back 3-4 spots and picking up day 2 draft capital, it’s gonna depend if one of their top guys is still there. That may be a better strategy if they can do it and get 4 top guys for the price of 3.
March 28th, 2025 at 10:05 am
Yeah I like Sawyer too as a “football player”. Need those guys
March 28th, 2025 at 10:14 am
I’d honestly be a tad irked if we use the first round pick on a safety. We have Winfield, Smith and Izien and could use some depth… but drafting Emmanwori at 19 is like drafting a guard or WR that high … could be useful but doesn’t help our pash rush much or the gaping hole covering the middle of the field… our biggest weaknesses. Would prefer a CB over a safety at that pic.
I’d love to have a player like him but if the right edge is available or possibly Campbell, depending on health, I believe that’s the avenue to take.
We’ll see what happens.
March 28th, 2025 at 10:15 am
If we traded back to get an extra pick and still we’re able to nab Campbell, I would definitely not be irked at all! That would be amazing.
March 28th, 2025 at 11:20 am
If Barron CB out of Texas is there at 19, take him, no matter what.
Dude is a baller that goes full tilt on every play.
A Ronde Barber type.
We likely need two CBs drafted. It is now a super thin position.
Lock down the outside and it will help our sack total as well.
March 28th, 2025 at 11:51 am
Dis y was a third round pick and a good one
March 28th, 2025 at 12:14 pm
I thought the headline read Miko Grimes.
March 28th, 2025 at 1:40 pm
Realistically, this is a terrible draft for inside linebackers. Outside of Campbell, who we all know is recovering from an injury and I think is being a little over-rated by the mock draft world, I only really see Demetrius Knight as a possibly day one impact starter. Beyond that it just looks like a bunch of NFL backups and special teams players to me.
I think there’s maybe five or six legitimate 3-down outside/rush linebackers in this class, and quite a few tweeners that are probably mostly limited to subpackages.
The cornerback class looks at least two or three rounds deep at startable players.
I will say all the way up to the draft that I think Jahdae Barron is the Bucs target in the 1st round of this draft. He would immediately start in the slot and move to the outside when Dean is injured/gone. If he’s there at 19, I think there’s an 85% chance they take him, and the only way they don’t is if they get a great trade down offer or a player unexpectedly falls out of the top 10.
March 28th, 2025 at 3:20 pm
When you have a great pass rush, It gives members of your D chances to do other things..like make interceptions. IF one of the big 2 DE’s are still there at 19, gram him. If not got LB or CB. Lets improve this Defense and take the league.
March 28th, 2025 at 3:44 pm
Here’s the pick. I work for Jason Licht’s dry cleaner and fished this out of the pocket of his AC/DC t shirt.
March 29th, 2025 at 12:59 pm
Think Bucs should draft a 1st Rd, receiver, edge rusher, TE, Cornerback or another DT to back up and be groomed behind Vita Vea. Vea is getting older. He is still great. Future Hall of Famer in my opinion too.I think the Bucs are ok at ILB Dennis going to be stud. Think like Jason said OLB Braswell will shock people as well. This season will be a breakout one for the Players from Pitt ie.. Kancey and Dennis. They along with other good Bucs players will propel Bucs defense into top 5.
March 29th, 2025 at 1:38 pm
Mina Kimes is the same one who laughed and scoffed at the suggestion of the Bucs winning Super Bowl in 2020 season. And she scoffed at the thought Brady would choose the Bucs. And she scoffed about Baker being something special with the Bucs as well. Her opinion is worthless. How does she still have a job at BSPN?? Anyway, Go Bucs