Clinton McDonald And Aaron Donald
April 27th, 2014
With Clinton McDonald on board, drafting Pitt DT Aaron Donald would be a luxury pick at No. 7.
Last year the Bucs’ defensive line stunk. Oh, they were OK against the rush. But getting heat on the quarterback? Well, that inability led to large bar tabs each Sunday for many Bucs fans… and overly sluggish Monday mornings.
It was downright appalling how the Bucs simply could not get to the quarterback. That’s why Bucs coach Lovie Smith wasted no time loading up on the defensive line in free agency with defensive end Michael Johnson and DT Clinton McDonald.
McDonald, a defensive tackle who won a ring with the Seahawks last year, has even caught the eye of the Custodian of Canton, eye-RAH! Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune.
@IKaufmanTBO: Got a feeling former Seahawks DT Clinton McDonald will end up being the best FA signing by the Buccaneers last month. This guy can play
And that’s the reason Joe doesn’t think Pitt defensive tackle Aaron Donald will play for Tampa Bay. Suddenly, the Bucs have some depth on the defensive line. Never mind defensive end where the gauntlet has been thrown down by Lovie for Adrian Clayborn and Da’Quan Bowers to produce. Both need solid seasons to remain Buccaneers.
Joe really believes the wild card here is Will Gholston, who can play both inside and outside. If he comes through this year the way he improved last year, then Donald would be nothing more than a luxury pick with so many holes to fill on the other side of the ball.
Joe understands where fans are coming from when they say Lovie, being a defensive guy, will want Donald. And it makes sense from a historical view. But from a practical view, Joe would be very surprised if the Bucs drafted Donald at No. 7.
April 27th, 2014 at 10:23 am
Still think whoever the bucs draft will be a shocker.’i wouldn’t be surprised if they take Cj Mosley
April 27th, 2014 at 10:27 am
I assume Lovie hopes to win a Super Bowl in Tampa. Lovie said that good defense and special teams will get you 10 wins. 10 wins pretty much ends your Super Bowl hopes. He probably figured out that a top-16 offense needs to be coupled to that defense to hoist the trophy. The Buc’s didn’t have that last year, so taking a defensive player at #7 is pretty unlikely.
April 27th, 2014 at 10:30 am
Joe, right on, and thanks for making this point. We don’t need to waste the opportunity to draft a Franchise QB at 7, that will not come again, just to sign a premium DT we don’t need. What we do need is one more backup DT who can play the three technique and is good enough to play in rotation to spell the starters. It just so happens there is such a player, who so far NFLN and ESPN and other experts are overlooking who would be perfect for the Bucs. I am speaking about Syracuse DT, Jay Bromley, who had just one less sack last year than Donald and is heavier than Donald for stopping the run, which is very important when we have to take on the big back Panther attack in our first game. Bromley starred in the Shrine game in St. Pete this year and displayed a good first step and lived in the backfield and showed explosiveness we want. He is worth a third pick but may be gotten later in the draft.
April 27th, 2014 at 10:37 am
The toughest part of us BUC fans speculating about the draft is the fact that we have SO many new people that we have’t seen play much less in a new offense or defensive system. When you add in the fact that I think the first round MAY see a record number of trades it should be for (as they say) MAKE SEE TV. Personally, I could see Bortles, JF,
Evans, one of the three OL, or a trade down and get Carr, Ebron, or Mosley. To make it wilder, add the possible trade of Glennon for a 4th(?) and couple it with our second to move up back into late in the first round! This could be wilder than the new (still waiting for) ride at Busch Gardens!!
April 27th, 2014 at 10:54 am
Joe’s doing a great job maintaining the smoke-screen.
April 27th, 2014 at 10:55 am
Mack is the only defensive player worth taking at 7 (unless somehow Clowney plunges off a cliff). Otherwise keep it simple with the obvious needs: OL and WR. Josh McCown needs protection and another weapon to go with the dozen #3/4 guys that’ll be in camp.
April 27th, 2014 at 11:11 am
I believe Aaron Donald is the best player available. We should draft him no matter if it is a luxury or not. Imagine our D-Line with Donald and McCoy… No matter who the DE is we would contantly disrupt any offense. Think back to when the Giants had the opportunity to draft Reggie White and pair him with Lawrence Taylor they passed on that opportunity and still regret that decision… We should embrace the BPA and draft Donald to wreck havoc on offennses for years to come.
April 27th, 2014 at 11:23 am
Donald is the best pass rusher in this draft and a once in a decade type player. He can play any of the four spots on the defensive line and would likely be our sack leader in year one. If we aren’t taking a quarterback with the 7th pick or trading back, Aaron Donald will be the best and smartest pick for us. Clinton McDonald was a great pick up and is going to be huge for us, but it doesn’t change how good Aaron Donald is.
April 27th, 2014 at 11:59 am
You can’t have too many good D lineman, especially in the 4th quarter when the opponent’s O line is winded.
April 27th, 2014 at 12:24 pm
I agree with YourMom and Orca. I have been saying the same thing for the past two weeks. You can NEVER have too many pass rushers. If he is the best player on their board when it is time to pick then they should take him.
April 27th, 2014 at 12:45 pm
Remember how much L&L love value! Now Im sure GMC will work with team friendly $$ numbers next year when it comes time to work his contract….and I sure as heck cant imagine him playing for anyone else. But the pick of Donald wouldnt surprise me, especially if they’re worried about GMC commanding too much.
If not Donald, and #7 is used elsewhere (preferably O-line or WR) I wouldnt mind seeing us trade back into the first for Louis Nix if he was falling into a “value” area of the draft.
April 27th, 2014 at 12:56 pm
Bring in Aaron and save the millions it will take to keep McCoy. Use the saved millions to fill more holes. This is how smart teams operate. Look at all the cap space Seattle has.
April 27th, 2014 at 1:33 pm
Bet we don’t draft Donald.
April 27th, 2014 at 2:10 pm
Saw a draft analysis of Lovie’s picks 2004-2012. Sad. Clearly focused on need and not BPA. I expect Licht”s job is to take over the player acquisition and team draft from a personnel perspective. He is not a cap guy or a stat geek (or a good trader, from what we can tell). His aim so far has been to build with quality/value free agents so the draft would bring the option of picking based on quality and value instead of need.
I think the o-line concerns are overblown. The guards we need can be picked up in round 3 or later, or in the second round of free agency. The receiver problem also sounds like a bigger concern to the fans than to the staff. And one thing we do not need in this draft is another tight end — I think we brought in three through free agency, plus Wright, plus Stocker and Crabtree. Likewise, the backfield is not an area of need.
So, if we look at the team under our new offensive and defensive systems, who jumps out as BPA? Donald is certainly a strong possibility. It seems this draft has more value and depth at d-tackle than at d-end.
MLB is a tremendous focus of Lovie’s teams. Shazier (or, in later rounds, Bullogh) looks fine for the system. That could leave Foster open for SSL, which might better suit his talents.
A tackle also could fit the plans with BPA under Tedford’s system. Less should and Matthews may be available. Either could hold down a guard spot for now and develop towards an edge position for the future.
Finally, need, want and ability could all combine with a free safety pick like Dix. The secondary has its head hunters. It needs some ball hawks who can cover the TE. Actually, since Dix is projected in the 9-12 range, it might not be such a reach.
Final prediction — the Bucs will pick a RB or 2 and will convert a TE to fullback (as they tried last year ).
April 27th, 2014 at 2:10 pm
Man, this Donald rookie has more hardcore fans than glennon! If he’s that good, AND can play LE then maybe we do take him. It’s a luxury pick though, since we have adequate starters and a little depth already across the line. Also, McCoy is the best DT at what he does in the league! He’s truly a great player, letting him go over $$$ is NOT what a smart team would do. He’s in his prime right NOW, glad we have him.
April 27th, 2014 at 2:17 pm
McDonald hasn’t started much at all. It would still make sense to me if they view him as a special player.
April 27th, 2014 at 2:21 pm
To clarify, I don’t think we should draft him… But I’ve never seen him either! If lovie thinks he’s as good as you guys… Maybe he will pick him though. O-line always makes sense, if they can start at guard for a while, there is a few good LT of the future there.
Who knows how the draft will go, 3 LTs are good! (Matthews, Robinson, Lewan). 3 pass rushers (Mack, Clowney, Donald). They’ve all been mentioned as top 10 or even top 5 picks. If they all went in front of us…. We’d get who? Any QB or WR we want! (Wishful thinking).
April 27th, 2014 at 3:34 pm
For the last time it’s not gonna cost anymore to keep Mccoy,he is 15 mil against the cap this year so he will cost less than he does now
April 27th, 2014 at 4:00 pm
With the seventh pick the 2014 NFL draft….The Tampa Bay Buccaneers SELECT…
***OLB/DE Anthony Barr, UCLA***
April 27th, 2014 at 4:12 pm
I hope we draft the best player available at the 7 spot, if we stay there, and I don’t care what position that is. I think that’s what Licht said he will do, and that’s why he made all those free agent pick ups.
April 27th, 2014 at 5:10 pm
At 7 would be a mistake
April 27th, 2014 at 5:28 pm
@1 OT
@ 2 OG
April 27th, 2014 at 9:34 pm
Lou. Says:
April 27th, 2014 at 2:10 pm
Lovie wasn’t the GM in Chicago. He isn’t the GM here either.
Lovie said when he was hired here that his controlling hand with personnel in Tampa is nearly identical to what he had in the later years in Chicago. –Joe
April 28th, 2014 at 5:30 pm
Aaron Donald would be a great pick.
We would destroy O-lines in the fourth quarter!
Imagine McCoy, McDonald, Aaron Donald, and Spence rotating all game?
Damn! Imagine a heavy weight fight. Games are WON in the 4th people!
And Johnson, Clayborne, Goldston, and Bowers at DE?
Damn! And if Bowers and Clayborne suck again? We sign another stud DE next year!!! Who we could afford!
I just one thing for the Bucs
DEPTH ON THE D-LINE!!!