Koetter Says Receiver Fix Is In The Draft
March 2nd, 2017
Dirk Koetter speaks
Hold on to your beers, Bucs fans.
March Madness is in the air and Joe isn’t talking college basketball. Winning head coach Dirk Koetter is making the media rounds discussing improving the Buccaneers.
Koetter visited SiriusXM NFL Radio yesterday and was asked by Rick Neuheisel whether a wide-receiver fix for Tampa Bay’s 2017 need for explosive plays is in this year’s draft.
“There is,” Koetter said.
“We do need to get somebody on the other side of Mike Evans to take the pressure off him because Mike’s getting doubled a lot. And Cameron Brate, our young tight end, he took advantage of that. But specifically wide receivers in this [draft] group, I’ve looked at a bunch of them, and this is a strong draft for wide receivers. I do think there are guys here that are going to come and help a lot of teams.”
Joe can’t emphasize enough how confident candid Koetter was when talking about the 2017 class of receivers.
The quotes above are an except of Koetter’s full response. But not once during that response, in which Koetter drifted off into talking about explosive plays, did the head coach reference free agency.
Nail-biting times for Bucs fans. Might the Bucs go receiver in the first round and high-five themselves because they have two young studs for America’s Quarteraback, Jameis Winston? It’s easy to forget Mike Evans is still 23 years old.
March 2nd, 2017 at 1:17 pm
Give me some speeeeeeeeeeeeeeeed!
March 2nd, 2017 at 1:18 pm
Smokescreen.
March 2nd, 2017 at 1:22 pm
I still think that the Bucs follow the familiar recipe of trading back into the first round and getting their targeted player, then packaging the obtained pick with a second round to go get a second coveted player The two draftees will be groomed behind free agent bridge players removing the pressure to excellent immediately.
March 2nd, 2017 at 1:24 pm
I would be perfectly fine with it if it weren’t a smoke-screen.
March 2nd, 2017 at 1:27 pm
Bad idea!!!! Don’t get me wrong, but if you go into the draft with a huge NEED at wr then you will have to overpay to fill that void. That is how teams hurt their future, by being forced to get talent above the asking price. If they get some help in f.a. then they have the ability to let a receiver slide to them, and if one doesn’t then it’s not the end of the world.
Same reason why I believe they are holding on to Martin for now. Until they replace him via f.a. or draft, hold on to him. It allows you to not get too desperate.
March 2nd, 2017 at 1:33 pm
Bucs needs to draft a WR, DT and a running back.
March 2nd, 2017 at 1:33 pm
The talk is the need for a speed receiver. The common assumption is that Williams and Davis will be gone. Ross may or may not be there. He is a speed guy, but he has an injury history. Is he worth a first round pick? He does not seem to be the lock you want for that pick. What about Curtis Samuel from Ohio State? He is described as a Percy Harvin type tool who can be used split out, in the slot and out of the backfield. He is just the type of tool that Koetter could optimize. He may not be the total answer at WR but he yet he is a game changing gadget player that delivers home runs. Picking him up along with a free agent like Britt or a later round pick like Josh Reynolds would give James plenty of receiving tools. In addition, the Bucs could roll the dice and trade down and still get him along with an extra pick or two in later rounds. This draft is loaded with players the Bucs could grab in the middle rounds. The key is a couple of strategic trade downs to up a pick count.
March 2nd, 2017 at 1:36 pm
There are WRs with 4th round grades right now that could be solid contributors to a team immediately imo. Idk if any of them will develop into #1 WRs but lucky for us we dont need that. I’m not saying we should draft multiple WRs to fix the WR problem but it is possible to do it that way imo.
March 2nd, 2017 at 1:39 pm
corey davis or john ross in the 1st OR kupp or zay jones in the 2nd would be good 🙂
March 2nd, 2017 at 1:48 pm
Lot’s of receivers to like in this draft. Bucs need to stay away from the small, fragile and injury prone receivers that double the gamble on the pick. I rather the third fastest guy that is reliable week in and week out than some combine warrior who is nursing injuries every week. bucs have had nothing but part time stars recently. Evans, Winston, Kwon, Brate the new bucs have a much better mindset and are far tougher than the hold overs like gmc, martin, vjax, dotson, stocker the rest of the decade of losing club. those guys can’t be saved. losing for nearly a decade has destroyed their ability to understand how to win consistently. they have never done it. .
March 2nd, 2017 at 1:48 pm
COREY DAVIS is the only name in consideration here. clearly the best in this draft class. if he makes it past the cardinals at #13, the bucs need to think about moving ahead of the eagles to grab this guy. 19 to 13 shouldn’t cost too much.
if he is gone, we might as well try to trade down and pick up a 3 or a 4
March 2nd, 2017 at 2:00 pm
I’m fine with it if we attack some other positions in FA.
Sign Calais Campbell DT/DE
Sign Tony Jefferson S, and re-sign McDougald for competition
Round 1 – trade back and grab another 3rd; take BPA on D-line (Taco Charlton / Harris / Brantley at DT)
Round 2 – take BPA WR – Curtis Samuel / John Ross / etc
Round 3 – BPA at RB/WR/CB/S – CB/S is deep so good options probably here
Round 3 (via trade) – BPA RB/WR/CB/S
Round 4 – BPA RB/WR/CB/S
Essentially coming out of the draft with:
-DL bolstered and solidified and deep
-2 WR for depth & competition – ideally an outside #2 and a playmaker
-1 RB from a deep class of RB
-1 CB or S
Grab a FB/O-line guy / TE/whatever in the late rounds
March 2nd, 2017 at 2:01 pm
Hell honestly could live with taking WRs in rounds 3/4 in this class as our 2 guys for competition; and taking a D-lineman / Corner with our first 2 picks.
There’s a lot of ways to go about it.
Still love Howard at 19 at TE if we want a round 1 weapon other than Fournette/Cook/Davis/Williams
March 2nd, 2017 at 2:02 pm
Don’t be a sucker. This talk, in general, is all that’s poker.
‘Tis the season…
March 2nd, 2017 at 2:12 pm
I’m still trying to figure out how a guy that faced Juco level competition in school can be regarded hands down the best in the class. You people don’t forsee at least some learning curve for Corey Davis???
March 2nd, 2017 at 2:17 pm
Jerry Rice work ethic off the field made him a HOFr,Terrel Owens was physical freak,Antonio Brown was motivated by being drafted late and proved to have quicks out this world. The guy renders double teams useless. Stalworth played in era of hard work and Chuck Noll wouldn’t have had it any other way. There are other examples but please someone detail to me what makes Corey Davis special???
March 2nd, 2017 at 2:19 pm
NewsFlash, DJax. Pryor, Stills, Jeffery’s, Garcon, Patterson, can be had in the 1st and 2nd round of the draft. Tis the season….
March 2nd, 2017 at 2:24 pm
I would like to see us double dip in this draft at wide receiver 1/2 round then 4/5 round. Dede Westbrook in the second maybe and Possibly KD cannon in the 4th.
March 2nd, 2017 at 2:24 pm
“I wanted to be drafted by the Tampa Bay Bucs in the 2016 draft and play front of poster Kobe Faker” Sterling Shepard
March 2nd, 2017 at 2:24 pm
@Lord Cornelius
Honestly if we came away with Dede Westbrook in round 3 and Josh Reynolds or Amara Darboh in round 4 that would be pretty legit imo.
March 2nd, 2017 at 2:24 pm
^ assuming Davis is gone in the first
March 2nd, 2017 at 2:26 pm
Lord C I like your offseason plan except for your two guys in the second round scare me. Ross and his injuries and I’m worried Samuel could end up primarily being used as a returner. Too much risk and not enough value, jmo. Maybe Dan Feeney in the second if McC is gone or possibly the TE from Miami. I do like taking linemen in the first couple of rounds because the drop off in talent is so huge after that.
March 2nd, 2017 at 2:27 pm
even if the bucs like some of the FA wideouts available, the market is going to be so distorted. So many flawed players that will be wildly overpaid. there’s chatter of alshon Jeffrey making $17 million – millions more per year than Julio or AJ Green, and probably more than Antonio Brown got just a couple weeks ago. guys like DeSean Jackson could approach Dez Bryant money, and Kenny Stills will make more than we were paying Vincent Jackson.
It’s not a great time to be WR shopping in Free Agency
March 2nd, 2017 at 2:31 pm
I’ve also been thinking about drafting a RB round 1. We have Sims and possibly we can have Quizz back at RB. They are both decent 3rd down RBs. Maybe Licht/Koetter would favor Fournette over Cook just because Fournette is something we don’t have on the roster already.
Cook is a better prospect than Fournette imo just because of his receiving ability but if we already have 2 RBs that are decent receivers out of the backfield on the team then they could favor Fournette’s physicality over what Cook brings to the table.
Just a thought.
March 2nd, 2017 at 2:49 pm
So many GMC on this site, it’s unbelievable! ……lol…then again it always happens this time of year. I, for one, like to let it all play out, and do not speculate. I’ll have the real season to worry about and pull my hair with the Bucs. Lol. Here’s hoping we keep progressing like we are doing. Go Bucs! Things are looking good in the horizon.
March 2nd, 2017 at 2:52 pm
At this point, I think good to great wide receivers can be plucked out of the 2nd and 3rd rounds. Even the 4th. There are sooo many talented receivers coming out every year that I wouldn’t be worried if we didn’t get one in the first round. Unless Davis or Williams are there, I say wait til later and go BPA in round 1 at DT/S/DE or OJ Howard.
This is the first draft in a long time that I had no idea what we’re going to do. Should have a much clearer perspective in 10 days after free agency.
March 2nd, 2017 at 2:52 pm
Meant to say GM’s.
March 2nd, 2017 at 3:17 pm
@NOSBOS- personally I want to see what he runs, but he has extremely crisp routes and can win 50/50 balls. He seems to have enough speed to be a deep threat and create quick separation, but I canthink tell if that’s just competition. I love his routes and hands tho. He is behind Mike williams imo, Mike reminds me of a poor man’s aj green. Another receiver I love is juju smith Schuster, perfect #1b receiver. Physical, nasty, tough guy. Reminds me of anquan bold in. With him and evans on the outside we would still need a speedy slot guy, but maybe a guy like Carlos Henderson or kd cannon drops. FA will paint a better picture tho.
March 2nd, 2017 at 3:48 pm
Sign FAs DT Calais Campbell, S Tony Jefferson, WR DJax/Garcon/Stills/Ginn
Rd 1 – TE – OJ Howard (Bama)
Rd 2 – RB Kareem Hunt (Toledo)
Rd 3 – WR – Josh Reynolds (Texas A&M)
Instant SB contenders – well except for the OLine which may have to do as is for this year. Coaches expect improvement there so I’ll hope that comes to pass.
March 2nd, 2017 at 3:52 pm
Nosbos didn’t I lay it down for you ladt night about the competition argument?
Antonia Broe. Went to the same school as Corey Davis and didn’t do anything close to what Davis did there.
As you’ve pointed out to me several times Marshall Faulk went to San Diego state.
Give it a rest bro, your argument is weak af dude.
March 2nd, 2017 at 4:11 pm
KD Cannon please!!! Pride of Mt Pleasant, Tx!
March 2nd, 2017 at 4:17 pm
Oh the horror….the bucs are going to wait until the draft to address the wr position. So what? Everything i read is this is a deep draft with talented wr. If licht and the boys feel they can find one, so be it. They have a good draft history.
March 2nd, 2017 at 4:50 pm
I like the strategy of acquiring skill positions high in the draft…..this creates less pressure on the salary cap. Positions like WR, RB, QB, TE can get quite expensive in the FA market…..
So, a WR would make a great first round pick and you have the 5th year option.
Other positions like Oline, Dline, S, LB are available sometimes at bargain prices in FA.
March 2nd, 2017 at 5:11 pm
Don’t forget Louis Murphy
March 2nd, 2017 at 5:54 pm
lol TBBF….I was on a thread above this one asking where you were at cause I ain’t seen you in awhile or Pedro. Now you’re in here? Oh well I guess you’re still kicking!
March 2nd, 2017 at 5:59 pm
” Might the Bucs go receiver in the first round and high-five themselves because they have two young studs for America’s Quarteraback, Jameis Winston? It’s easy to forget Mike Evans is still 23 years old.”
^^^^^
^^^^^
This!!!
March 2nd, 2017 at 6:01 pm
Josh Gordon
March 2nd, 2017 at 6:48 pm
Like koetter said, this draft is deep with WRs. We can have a darn good one in the second round. I’m sure licht can work his magic again and make our 2nd and 4th or 5th pick into a high second rounder, ensuring he gets who he wants. It seems like licht likes to make moves in the second round. It’s kind of his thing.
March 2nd, 2017 at 7:25 pm
Most free agents are washed up. I’d like to draft a stud wide out.
March 2nd, 2017 at 7:28 pm
Pawel Says:
March 2nd, 2017 at 5:11 pm
Don’t forget Louis Murphy
Louis Murphy SUCKS! It’s impossible to forget someone who never ever mattered.
March 2nd, 2017 at 8:11 pm
I wouldn’t say it is a smokescreen.
Why does everyone assume that whatever position he talks about is in the first round? There are other rounds too.
I want a DE in the first round, if a great one falls to us. That said, I DO suspect the first pick will be WR.
March 2nd, 2017 at 8:21 pm
If we get Jackson Britt or Gordon then draft Orenthal James Howard that would have an immediate impact on the run and pass game. Then dlineman in the 2nd rb in 3rd center in the 4th
March 2nd, 2017 at 8:30 pm
Draft a wr and a young fa wr ?
March 2nd, 2017 at 8:38 pm
I Want Hightower!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And so should everyone else including Joe! He’s awesome and young adults good D coordinator would fit him in easy!
March 3rd, 2017 at 10:06 pm
Everybody wants a “speed” guy in the first (Ross). I say get a safety or d line help and in the second get JuJu Smith-Schuster. He reminds me of Dez Bryant and he has good size at 6’2″ 200+ lbs and then in the third I would pick up Sameji Perine (VERY underrated)