“Make Them Remember Your Name”
February 15th, 2015
Jonathan Banks, the Bucs’ 2013 second-round pick.
The popular underwear Olympics kick off this week in Indianapolis, the glorified track meet known as the NFL Scouting Combine.
Joe will be there braving the ridiculously cold temperatures, chatting with Bucs officials, top prospects and various NFL types.
It’s a really big deal for Lovie Smith.
Others, like Bucs general manager Jason Licht, don’t take the on-field work as seriously. They’re more focused on the private grilling of prospects and medical evaluations.
The action kicks off Tuesday, when offensive linemen, tight ends and special teams players arrive. On field work is Friday through Monday.
Former Bucs defensive tackle Booker McFarland thinks the combine is a huge deal for the draft process.
Speaking on 99.3 FM in Fort Myers last week, Booger called it “the Super Bowl” for draft prospects and said the players should have one goal: “make them remember your name.”
Joe sure hopes there’s an offensive lineman that is a memorable standout the Bucs can snag with their second-round pick, No. 34 overall.
And remember, the Bucs have plenty of juice to trade back into the first round, like they should have done last year for a franchise quarterback prospect.
Here are the Bucs’ 2015 draft picks:
Round 1 – first pick
Round 2 – second pick
Round 3 – first pick
Round 4 – 10th pick (from Rams)
Round 5 – 26th pick (from Ravens), 32nd pick (from Patriots)
Round 6 – eighth pick (from Rams)
Round 7 – first pick
February 15th, 2015 at 3:05 pm
We have our work cut out for us….lots of needs….possible trade down….trade up into the first….even sitting at 33 & 65…..lots of possibilities.
Especially players remaining toward the end of the first round….MLB, DE, Oline….
Lots of players to evaluate….
February 15th, 2015 at 3:27 pm
Trade down in the 1st round for a “kings ransom” of high draft picks. Neither QB available early is worth the top pick. We need picks in the worst way. Glennon will start next year. Always can pick up a back up qb from another team or draft one in 2016.
February 15th, 2015 at 3:41 pm
There are a lot of needs for this coming year:
Offense:
QB, 2 or 3 offensive linemen, slot receiver……4 total
Defense:
DE, MLB, Nickel corner……..3 total
Special Teams:
Punt/Kick Returner, Punter…..2 total
That’s 9 positions that badly need an upgrade. You can only count of 3 of those being filled from the draft and the rest (that’s 6 for you not counting) in free agency.
That’s an awful lot to fill in any one year. The Bucs tried the same last year and we know how that turned out.
February 15th, 2015 at 3:51 pm
Im gonna hate watching the OL workout. Seeing Scherff and Peat out there tearing it up and knowing we cant get either of em without trading the first pick.
February 15th, 2015 at 4:26 pm
Im starting to think lovie meant glennon was the qb of the future. Man its so hard to tell what is going to happen. I need to forget football exists until the draft comes. Damn this sucks
February 15th, 2015 at 5:05 pm
Joe,
The Bucs have two 5th round picks. The have the Pats 5th round pick also!
February 15th, 2015 at 5:46 pm
And don’t forget that the Bucs can pickup another 3rd round pick for VJ!
February 15th, 2015 at 5:57 pm
I disagree with the notion that we should have moved back into the first round last year to nab Bridgewater or Carr. Sure, it would have made for more watchable/enjoyable 2014 season, but face it in the end we will get a far better prospect in Winston or the outside chance of Mariota. I’ll take Winston over Bridgewater any day. So we lost in the short run, but won in the long run. I’ll take it.
February 15th, 2015 at 6:25 pm
We need a left tackle a right guard a third wideout a quarterback. We also need a right def end a mid linebacker a nickel corner. A returner too. This is assuming we dont cut or trade Mankins or Goldson. My ideal draft would be:
1.QB
2.MLB
3.LT
4.WR
5.FS
6.CB
7.C
Of best player available alters ut slightly but the Bucs definitely need to grab either Winston or Mariota first overall. We need a QB. We need a plan. And as painful as it may be we are commited to Lovie and keeping him and Koetter and Frazier around for continuity would be the best thing this franchise can do right now.
February 15th, 2015 at 6:26 pm
The draft is the main thing in determining how successful we are going to be in the upcoming seasons. I really believe its the culture of this team that has us in a rut. We’ve been acquiring players threw free agency who only care about getting paid and don’t want to win bad enough. A few more drafts with guys like Evans who have the talent/determination to win and we will become a good team again.
February 15th, 2015 at 6:29 pm
And I’d also bet my bottom dollar that the bucs will draft Winston because he also has the talent/determination to win. Jamies Winston will be our QB people, embrace it.
February 15th, 2015 at 6:34 pm
Glennon will be the bridge for the next year or two then unless he turns out to be the next Tom Brady and wins us a superbowl he will walk when his contracts up. Then either Winston or Mariota will take over with a seasin or two to learn and by then the oline should be better and Leslies defense will be a force(or at least in the top half of the league). Lovies culture will be established. I just hope there are no knee jerk reactions and Glennon is benched and the rookie thrown in before he’s ready.
A 6-10 record or 7-9 record is to be expected while the team is developing.
February 15th, 2015 at 7:08 pm
I still contend there were no Franchise QBs in the 1st round last year.
February 15th, 2015 at 8:05 pm
Yeah lookin back QB hype was overblown last year
February 15th, 2015 at 8:14 pm
Rd 1 – Jameis Winston, QB, FSU
Rd 2 – Jake Fisher, OT, Oregon
Rd 3 – Cedric Ogbuehi, OT, South Carolina or Hronnis Grasu, C, Oregon
Rd 4 – Senquez Golson, CB, Ole Miss
Rd 5 – Stephone Anthony, ILB, Clemson
Rd 6 – Martrell Spaight, OLB, Arkansas
Rd 7 – Wes Saxton, TE, South Alabama
February 15th, 2015 at 8:18 pm
Agreed Skyline about no franchise QBs available last year. There are 2 potential franchise QBs this year and they are both legit. Both might not turn out to be top 20 QBs – but both have that potential coming out.
Joe – our 2nd round pick is #34 overall – not #33. Bucs alternate top pick in each round with Tennessee because both teams had the same record (2-14).
Also your list of Bucs 2015 draft picks has a mistake in it. We traded our 6 round pick + Casillas for New England’s 5th round pick (last pick of 5th round). So our picks are as follows:
Round 1 – first pick
Round 2 – second pick
Round 3 – first pick
Round 4 – 10th pick (from Rams)
Round 5 – 26th pick (from Ravens), 32nd pick (from Patriots)
Round 6 – eighth pick (from Rams)
Round 7 – first pick
February 15th, 2015 at 8:20 pm
@Skyline Crew – Too early. Give Bortles an O line or Bridgewater something remotely close to a No. 1 receiver.
February 15th, 2015 at 8:40 pm
Man. After last years FA bust, I have little confidence in L&L’s skills in picking up FA’s. They really gotta kill this draft. We have too many picks to F this up.
February 15th, 2015 at 9:03 pm
1. Leonard Williams
1. Brett Hundley (package our 2 and low 5 to move to 29ish)
3. MLB
4. FS
5. CB
6 and 7. Special Teams X 2
FA: OT (Franklin maybe), OG, #2 WR
I know Hundley is not the most…loved option…but you don’t gamble with the number 1 overall. Could trade down as well and address even more issues. Hundley could develop into a Cam type, and be just as good as the big 2.
February 15th, 2015 at 11:42 pm
So glad to know Mccown wont be the “bridge” to our first round pick. Going 2-14 again would’ve really sucked.
February 16th, 2015 at 10:24 am
Rd 1 – Jameis Winston , QB (FSU)
Rd 2 – Cameron Erving , OT (FSU)
Rd 3 – Arie Kouandjio , OG (Alabama)
Rd 4 – Lyden Trail , DE (Norfolk State)
Rd 5 – Martrell Spaight , MLB (Arkanas)
Rd 5 – Durrell Eskridge , FS (Syracuse)
Rd 6 – Quandre Diggs , CB (Texas)
Rd 7 – Max Garcia , C (Florida)
February 16th, 2015 at 12:22 pm
Hey Joe, what happened to the Bucs own 4th, 5th and 6th round picks?
February 17th, 2015 at 12:58 am
I find it weird that people say this is not a good QB class. Maybe it’s true, but what’s the standard for that statement? In the last 20 years we’ve seen “2” sure bets at QB, Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck. These guys were the complete package and everybody knew it. That leaves 18 other drafts that fell short of the Manning/Luck standard, it could be more or less depending on the time frame.
So what is a good QB class? Eli? Rivers? Ryan? Palmer? Cam? Smith? Vick?
Neither Winston or MM are the sure bets Manning and Luck were, but are we supposed to pin our hopes on the idea that we will have the 1st pick in 7 years when the next sure bet comes along? It’s very unlikely.
February 17th, 2015 at 1:44 am
You don’t trade back into the first round for Hundley. That’s crazy talk