Add Some WR Depth
March 18th, 2016
Could South Carolina’s Pharoh Cooper add solid depth at WR?
Joe has typed this since the fall: the Bucs need depth, and perhaps another top guy, at wide receiver.
Look, you invested a No. 1 overall pick in a quarterback. Allowing him to throw to the likes of misplaced Calgary Stampeder Donteea Dye is irresponsible.
Thus far, the Bucs have done a fine job bulking up the roster in free agency, but no wide receiver (yet). That tells Joe a wide receiver is coming in the draft.
Last year, Louis Murphy proved to be a nice No. 3 receiver in Dirk Koetter’s offense. But he’s coming off major knee surgery so who knows if he can return to form. This is why the depth at wide receiver is so important, aside from the aforementioned investment.
BSPN draft analyst Todd McShay agrees with Joe. In a recent podcast, McShay discussed the Bucs adding a receiver next month.
“They still could use an upgrade at slot receiver and more competition and more depth,” McShay said. “I think when you get into rounds three and four if you have your corner and you have your pass rusher and safety, if you dealt with those positions I think wide receiver becomes an area you start to look at.”
Of course, McShay tossed out names to watch. One is Pharoh Cooper of South Carolina. Another is Leonte Carroo of Rutgers.
Joe can’t speak for the talent of these receivers, but McShay’s premise Joe wholly endorses.
As evidenced last year, when the Bucs suffered injuries to two top receivers, the offense ground to a halt. This is, and should be, an area of focus in the draft in Joe’s eyes.
March 18th, 2016 at 12:27 pm
Leonte Carroo has some red flags to his name, but when he was actually playing for Rutgers he looked explosive so it might be worth the late pick
March 18th, 2016 at 12:28 pm
Perhaps…..but you have to wonder about Kenny Bell…..sure, as Joe points out he has yet to catch a pass….but that’s a very small sample size….we know he and Jameis are very close….we also have the young developing Humphries….
Because of that, I’m more in favor of bringing in depth through an experienced FA….no matter what the age (like White).
I believe the year to invest in a WR is next year and it wouldn’t be a late rounder.
Bringing in a FA for 1 or at the most 2 years makes a lot of sense to me.
So, the real key for us is Bell…..and to some degree, Louis Murphy
March 18th, 2016 at 12:28 pm
I love the way FA has played out for us because our draft needs are fairly balanced IMO, with DE still being the biggest need. I actually think WR is the next priority with S a close 3rd. With Verner, Banks, and Grimes in the mix I question how much of a need CB really is.
March 18th, 2016 at 12:34 pm
If you replace Kenny Bell’s name with, oh, Ed Garrison, and he played like Bell did in training camp and preseason, “Garrison” would have been cut and no one would have said a word about it.
This sounds harsh, but Bell was saved by an injury. Bucs put him on IR to give him another shot to make the team this summer.
Joe *hopes* Bell works out, but again, outside of practicing against UPS drivers and bartenders, Bell has done nothing, zippo.
March 18th, 2016 at 12:44 pm
We need a legit number 2 wr. Vjax has 1 maybe 2 years left. Kenny bell and adam humphries can battle it out for our slots. Having roddy as a backup plan to vjax in the meantime wouldnt be a bad idea although he probably has 1 or two more years left as well if he even decides to play this year.. I believe jameis can work with bell look what he did with dontae dye and cameron brate!
March 18th, 2016 at 12:52 pm
Who is are actual #3 receiver who is NFL starting calibre talent?
March 18th, 2016 at 1:13 pm
Louis murphy ^^^^^^ humphries and bell i think can be quality slot wrs. Bell at 3 but his nfl experience is very raw. His time off was probably spent refining his route running and playbook study. Humphries could play well at number 4.
March 18th, 2016 at 1:16 pm
The Bucs need an upgrade at the receiver position in the worst kind of way! There is not one receiver that can take the top off the defense! Mike Evans has the dropsies, and is slow, Vjax is old, hurt, and slow, Muphy is old and coming off a knee injury, Kenny Bell showed me absolutely Zero in preseason last year, Humphries is fair. Dye is garbage!
March 18th, 2016 at 1:20 pm
Pharoh Cooper
Leonte Carroo
Are we sure these aren’t Key and Peele football names?
March 18th, 2016 at 2:32 pm
I think this would make a awesome draft for us . if u cant move up to get Ramsey…
1at round ….Drop down add a 2 round pick Corey Coleman in round 1 . If he’s not there grab fuller .
The take our original 2nd round and Mike Glennon trade to Denver.
Move into Denver’s 1st round spot and grab which ever corner is there, being Mackenzie from Clemson or Jackson from Houston.
Then take the 2nd you got with the first trade and get the safety out of West Virginia Joesph.
Then in the 3rd , with all trust in Mr Hayes coaching the dline i believe you go best player available on the line .
4th round you meet in the trenches best o lineman or d lineman.
5 round you hit the jack pot for the 10 yrs and grab the kicker from FLORIDA STATE.
6 round both picks should be best player available.
We all know it sounds a lot easier than it is but that would be my dream draft i guess . who has a better 1ne than mine
March 18th, 2016 at 2:38 pm
Hopefully Winston has been working out with Kenny Bell
March 18th, 2016 at 2:40 pm
Joe,
If Bosa and Buckner are gone at #9, how would you feel if we traded down to late in the 1st round to get another 2nd pick. We use our late 1st to pick William Jackson CB from Houston (6’1 195…4.37), then use our (2) 2nd round picks on Will Fuller slot WR (6’0 190…4.32) and Ogbah, speed rush DE (6’4 275…4.61). Add versatile FS/SS, T.J. Green (6’2 210…4.34) from Clemson. You would have 4 athletic players who could contribute immediately and become starters by 2017.
March 18th, 2016 at 2:41 pm
Mike Thomas from Southern Miss could be a late round steal, OC Todd Monkens was his head coach, he’s a big play WR with decent size 6’1 200, not sure what his speed is but he looks good on film
March 18th, 2016 at 2:42 pm
I think licht dropped the ball when he didn’t sign 1 of the following 3 players…travis Benjamin- kr/pr/wr with speed…Muhammad Sanu- great #3 this year possible #2 replacement for vjax next year…or marvin jones-great #2 replacement for vjax…any one of those wr would’ve been a sure fix at the wr position…all 3 are young vets just entering their prime…but now we have to settle for a mid to low round draft pick that we haven’t had success with in recent years…we struck out on Robert herron, kalin clay and the verdict is still out on Kenny bell…instead he released moore who was our best cb last year, replaced him with a 33year old cb being paid 8mill…when he could’ve resigned moore or signed sean smith or paired Mario Williams with ayers and gmc…I guess licht wasn’t watching what a good defensive front can do to someone we play twice a year…imo the only good signing is sweezy…GO BUCS!!!
March 18th, 2016 at 2:42 pm
Coleman would be a great fit for us in the slot. He’s got the ability to get open on short routes and makes the big play. The only drawback with him are the drops, which we already struggle with. That said, he does add short route quickness and deep ball speed.
March 18th, 2016 at 3:54 pm
Warfield42
I like your trade down scenario, even the players esp. Ogbah. Problem is it is so hard to find a trading partner and it is usually a draft day decision. We don’t know who might drop to us at 9. best thing to do is make a wish list of favorite players and wait. I definitely like the idea of a playmaker for Jameis in 2nd or third rd.
March 18th, 2016 at 4:26 pm
Joe says Bell has done zippo but I think He must be doing something right to of had the GM’s father fall in love with him so much that he told his son to draft the guy. He got the coveted JW roommate slot in camp & had to show some promise for the Bucs to essentially (IR) red shirt the guy his rookie season. I for one expect big things from K.Bell this season.
*If one of these guys falls to the Bucs gotta seriously consider:
3rd-Taylor Boyd – Pitt , Brackston Miller or Mike Thomas S.Miss
4th- Listenbee TCU
5th-Gakeem Grant Tx Tech
March 18th, 2016 at 5:16 pm
Bell has done zippo? I think He must be doing something right to of had the GM’s father fall in love with him so much that he told his son to draft the guy. He got the coveted JW roommate slot in camp & had to show some promise for the Bucs to essentially (IR) red shirt the guy his rookie season. I for one expect big things from K.Bell this season.
*If one of these guys falls to the Bucs gotta seriously consider:
3rd-Taylor Boyd – Pitt , Brackston Miller or Mike Thomas S.Miss
4th- Listenbee TCU
5th-Gakeem Grant Tx Tech
March 18th, 2016 at 5:36 pm
Some are predicting Fuller & Coleman (the kid from Baylor) are going first round.
March 18th, 2016 at 5:56 pm
I hope they trade down and get extra pix and can grab Coleman out of Baylor and get 2 2nd round picks and grab a DE and S in round 2. The kid can fly and will open up huge room for the “dunkaneers” to do their work. I’m not truly sold on any of the top Pass rushers, but am completely sold on Coleman.
March 18th, 2016 at 6:10 pm
Ive already been talking about Cooper as a Gamecock fan. He’s a 2nd to 3rd round talent but just may fall to the 4th. If so we should pull the trigger on him. He was the most talented player on our team and he is very athletic. Even played QB on some downs. Cooper would be a HUGE addition to our receiving core at a value position. I really dont expect him to make it out of the 3rd round.
March 18th, 2016 at 6:47 pm
Y’all just remember who told you first… Not because I want credit…. But a little bit of respect would be nice…
Expect a draft similar to last year….
Outside of the BPA option that might yeild more then a couple D players…. We will be finalizing the youth movement on O this draft…. After that expect 3 years of D heavey drafts….
Just saying cause I don’t want know Skyway jumpers when “The Sloppy Joes as” start putting out lame duck articles because they lack an 8th grade education…. Which they do, according what they themselves have said… Or at least emplied and almost said…
The Sloppy Joes need to apologize afor bad bad bad reporting and saying games are meaningless and his readers lack an education higher then 8th grade if they didn’t agree with him…..
If not…. Everyone should beware of the Sloppy Joes articles…. They really think poorly of EVERYONE WHO READS….
PERHAPS A BOYCOTT IS NEEDED….LOL I’m just playing I will read regardless just to blog about The Sloppy Joes
March 18th, 2016 at 8:13 pm
@JAB83
Shut up cry baby. If you don’t like what the joes say go to Buccaneers.com to get your 1 article every 3 days And take Mike Johnson with you
March 18th, 2016 at 11:52 pm
You’re right Martinii, we would need to find a trade partner for my scenario to work. I guess it is a bit of wishful thinking on part. I do think, however, that we have a chance to pick up some quality young players at key positions. There are quite a few prospects that could help us if we chose wisely. Aside from the players I mentioned earlier, I wouldn’t mind taking LB Deion Jones (6’1 230…4.45) from LSU with our 4th RD pick. We could groom him to replace Daryl Smith. Pair him with Lavonte and Kwon, and you’d have the fastest, most athletic LB corps in the league. Then, just as as flyer, I’d go after RB Keith Marshall (6’1 220…4.31) from Georgia. Highly touted out of HS, but had some injuries early in his college career. Freakish athlete, though.Lastly
March 19th, 2016 at 12:52 am
Cut Dye now. He has bad hands and he is not tough enough to handle NFL hits. Let’s face it Lovie had a fatuation with shrimp receivers like the Gator Olympic speedster and the Wyoming Shrimp with the stone hands. The fool should have elevated our sure handed UCF WR who had proven himself in preseason to be as good as Humphries, but Lovie left him on our practice squad just in order to elevate incompetent Dye. Then our competent UCF WR got snatched away from our practice squad by a smart team. I am so happy Dumb Lovie is Illinois’s problem child and not ours!!!
March 19th, 2016 at 5:28 am
We need a playmaker at WR. It is so important that we need to set aside our second round pick and draft BWRA. The only way to not draft a WR in round two is if Kevin Dodd, Emmanuel Ogbah or Robert Nkemdiche fall into the second and Jason Licht pulls off a Coup de tat over all the other teams.
Josh Doctson WR TCU (6′ 3″ 195) The top WR playmaker in the draft. He makes QB’s look better. Great hands. He can really go get it when the ball is in the air. Those guys aren’t easy to find.” — NFC area scout. He may not be there in second round.
Sterling Shepard WR Oklahoma (5′ 10″ 190) He can make difficult catches, win in the air, and separate at all levels of the field. Future All-Pro.
Will Fuller* WR Notre Dame (6′ 0″ 184) A lot to like, a lot to dislike. 18 drops in last two years. Enough said.
Leonard “the freak” Floyd measured in at 6-6 248 at Pro Day and said he is going to add 10 more pounds and play at 6-6 258. That is going to be something to watch, if he can maintain his game speed with the weight gain. No wonder people call him “the freak” who told reporters “Immediately, I can bring that edge,” Floyd said. “I can bring speed. I can bring passion for the game. I can bring a lot of things.” Freak..freak on a leash. Jason, are you listening?
March 19th, 2016 at 9:54 am
Tyler Boyd in the 2nd
March 19th, 2016 at 11:10 am
DK’s off is called 4 virticals for a reason… . If we look at Atlanta’s wr’s when DK controlled their off we will see what he wants.
Jones 6’4 220, White 6’1 205, Douglas 5’11 170, Drew 6’1 205 and Hester 5’10 185.
Common thread….. all can go the distance.
March 19th, 2016 at 3:24 pm
Amen but your going to have to spend a 2nd or a third to get quality. Plus I think you still need a de lb and safety. Forget cb imho. Next year. I’ll roll with verner banks and grimes for now. Grab a cb next year early rds1-2. Not this year.
March 19th, 2016 at 3:25 pm
My draft:
De
Wr
Lb
Safety
Bpa
Bpa
Bpa
March 19th, 2016 at 4:24 pm
Def need to give Jameis sum more help at wide out. Disappointed we didn’t sign a FA but I guess that means we will take one in the draft. I would be very suprised if we didnt.
Humphries has reliable hands but is a 4th string guy. Dye doesn’t belong on a 53 man roster. Murphy is a decent no. 3 but has proven he can’t stay healthy. And V-JAX has been reliable and productive but is more than likely gonna miss some games again this year. We GOTTA add another weapon for Jameis. He is our no. 1 asset.
March 20th, 2016 at 7:02 am
I would be looking for another receiver in the tall tree mode.Sometimes
Winstons passes are too tall for anybody but tall receivers,some by design,others not so much.A speedier version of slot receiver would be a help,
Humphries is tenacious but you also need YAC yards that a faster receiver can give you since these are often shorter passes.
Evans is fast enough to stretch the field but the only well placed ball Jameis threw down the left sideline that I remenber was a drop by Evans.If Jameis and Evans get in Synch,it will be a weapon we didn’t have last year.
Imperative that Evans comes to camp healthy and stays that way so that
the Winston,Evans deep connection is worked on.
The addition of new wide receiver coach/offensive coordinator should
help Evans take his game to next level.