Is This A Need Year?
April 25th, 2018
“Jason, can you hear me?”
We saw what happened a year ago; the Bucs entered the 2017 draft hurting for edge rush help and a top running back.
They left the first two rounds with a tight end and a safety.
The Bucs are better because of those moves, but they also went 5-11 and still have burning needs. This morning, on the eve of the 2018 NFL Draft, the biggest roster hole is cornerback. Overall, there’s also the Bucs defense that allowed the most yards in the league last year — with an offense that was pretty solid at time of possession and led the league in first downs.
And the other big need is at running back. The Bucs are short on numbers at the position and relying solely on Peyton Barber and Jacquizz Rodgers feels like risky business for an offense that wants to advance.
At present, there is no third-round pick. It was traded for stud defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul.
General manager Jason Licht has clear authority on the draft, but Dirk Koetter is in his ear daily.
And you know what head coaches with their jobs on the line want most? Players who can lead to wins in a hurry.
Have you seen the Bucs’ schedule?
Licht has proven to be one of the most unpredictable drafters in the NFL. But this next one feels rather predictable. Trading down in the first round would bring flexibility and an additional pick, but it’s just hard to imagine Koetter not yearning with every fiber of his being to draft a defensive back and a ball carrier — or Licht deciding to address those positions in 2019.
All-you-can-eat buffet available starting at 6 p.m. and runs all night long. Be there!! Joe and Ira Kaufman will be in the house with the Stick Carriers and The Commish. Raw energy and Bucs love everywhere.
April 25th, 2018 at 9:04 am
“Is this a need year?”
Yes.
They need to win.
April 25th, 2018 at 9:10 am
Can do both. Trade down and still get a solid DB and RB. Just not the no.1, perhaps, but no.2 in those positions. Will be interesting to watch.
April 25th, 2018 at 9:11 am
We need the best players available. Need drafting will
Keep us in the NFC S Basement with less than adequate talent.
April 25th, 2018 at 9:15 am
I think if the Big 3 are gone he will trade back… if he gets the lucrative offer with another team. If all the big 3 are gone and no trade?…then it will be interesting to see who they take and i won’t even guess either because every year they pick someone I didn’t suspect.
either way this year is a DON’T TELL ME SHOW ME year.
GET IT DONE!!!!!
GO BUCS!!!
April 25th, 2018 at 9:16 am
Licht had no choice than to take Howard after he slipped to us. It was a no-brainer and Licht had no ideal before that that Cameron Brate would play so well. We got a decent Safety and that’s why I think taking a safety at #7 doesn’t really fill a need as much as maybe a bonafide man cornerback. We could use any position beside a QB with our first pick with S, and LB the least.
April 25th, 2018 at 9:19 am
Trade down at all cost! We NEED extra picks. I have lately warmed up to Isiah Oliver the CB out of Colorado! He is the best corner in this draft to me. His player match is the Raiders version of Nnamdi Asomugha. He will be a shutdown corner with ridiculously long arms and he seems to be flying under the radar per mock drafts. I would draft him 1st addressing our biggest need IMHO. Maybe Frank Ragnow falls to us in the 2nd. Maybe we go RB with our 2nd. Safeties are deep this year so we can sneak a Siran Neal with an additional pick or with our 4th. If we stay we gotta sign CJ Anderson and go defense heavy in the draft with a RG to start.
April 25th, 2018 at 9:31 am
Duh.
U pretty much always go with ‘the best available player, based on your needs’.
April 25th, 2018 at 9:37 am
Pretty pumped for the draft… FA Licht scares the heck out of me but I like how he handles the draft. I think we definately walk away a better team this week. Licht is a far cry from the Bruce Allen days LOL
April 25th, 2018 at 9:38 am
Joe Says
“there is no third-round pick. It was traded for stud defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul.”
Don’t you mean “was a stud and the Bucs are hoping he regains form!!!!!!!!! In the last 3 years the sack avg is 5.3!!!!!!!!!!! don’t act like the Bucs traded for a current pro-bowler!!!!!!!!!!!
Go Bucs!!!!!!!!!!!
April 25th, 2018 at 9:46 am
Trading down is not going to be that simple. If we had then#4 or #5 pick it would be much easier. what QB will be left at pick #7? The top three or four will already be off the board. We will likely be stuck with pick #7 and we will select the best player that falls to us.
Safety, cornerback or guard.
April 25th, 2018 at 10:00 am
Cmon realist
You are piggy backing. The last three years? One of those years he played in 8 games after he blew off his hand and he only had one sack. Lets take a deeper look. Two years ago he had 7 sacks and 53 tkls in only 12 games. Last year he had 8.5 sacks WITH 68 tkls. Why not use only the last two years were the avg sacks would be 7.75? Because the 1 sack season can skew the reality. Why not go back four years when he had 12.5 sacks and 77 tkls? Then that means he would avg 7.25 sacks over that span but that does not fit your narrative. Jpp will be the least of the worries on defense.
April 25th, 2018 at 10:02 am
Lots of decent to good prospects at both RB and CB this year.
I wouldn’t be upset to see us draft 2 of each if the later picks are also good Special Teamers.
With current 7 picks and no trade downs I would be very happy to see something like:
1. OG (Nelson)
2. CB (Alexander)
4. RB
5. SS
6. RB
6. CB
7. DE
April 25th, 2018 at 10:06 am
We have shown ZERO ability to get a solid DB or RB in any rounds…..Hargreaves was #9?….He was THE WORST GRADED CB in the NFL last year. If it were that easy, we wouldn’t presently need one. Smart move by Licht is take THE obvious talent because when he starts getting “savy”, we generally dont do well. IMO…we’ll have a shot at either Chubb or Nelson…..either is a no brainer.
April 25th, 2018 at 10:06 am
Let’s not rewrite history here- drafting OJ Howard was directly related to misfiring on ASJ and getting no return from the player or the 2nd round pick that we used on him. It a pretty safe bet that a clean/sober ASJ means Dalvin Cook, a DB, DE or at least no OJ. I won’t even get started on the picks wasted on Roberto the Kicker. The point is, “need” is all relative to the corner we’ve painted ourselves into (Hargreaves pun intended).
Frankly, this should be a swing for the fences draft for Jason and Co.- which means go get the #1 guy on your board or settle for nothing less than one of the “big 3” in Rd 1. The other bold play is fleecing, absolutely fleecing a team for one hell of a bounty of 2018 picks to move down. Staying at 7 and picking a DB/S is, maybe, the biggest gamble of all.
April 25th, 2018 at 10:10 am
Joe ask your self this…is it easier to win a shoot out against Matt Ryan and Drew Brees or is it easier to contain them? If you think we have enough to win in a shoot out and all we need is a key offensive piece(running back) I say go get Saquoan,but if you think we are better built to contain them then trade down. In other words,if we get Saquoan this team has the potential to win the division and be THE #1 OFFENSIVE IN THE PLAYOFFS!!!
April 25th, 2018 at 10:22 am
Yes Joe, this is a NEED year. A NEED to WIN!!! Anything else is unacceptable.
April 25th, 2018 at 10:30 am
Marine Buc: if the “Big Three” are gone then at least one of the so called top 4 QBs will be on the board and the Bucs could work the phone and see if they could work a trade with several teams such as the Bills, Cards, Pats, Fins, etc….. Of course Licht could get greedy and these clubs could call the Bears or the Niners but “if” there is a QB on the board that intrigues one of these clubs perhaps Licht can get one to trade up and get an extra pick on Day one or 2 and still fill holes. If one of the Big 3 (say the OG Nelson) somehow slips by the Colts or Broncos especially if they pull off the trade before Tampa goes on the clock…… And then there is the possibility someone like the Bears or Raiders leap frog the Bucs to get one of the Big 3 so as you said the Bucs may not get the ideal trade scenario but it ought to be interesting Marine! Semper Fi!
April 25th, 2018 at 10:32 am
The schedule alone says they should draft a corner or safety even better if they trade back though. I don’t see Dirk having an aggressive mindset to be able to keep up with a saints offense. Sooner or later our offense or defense typically had a lapse which guys like Brees take advantage of. I think keeping opposing quarterback on the bench is our best recipe for wins until Winston proves his turnover phase has passed and until Dirk process he knows what he’s doing in the redzone. Only place we have no depth is safety and corner so if our less than average starters get injured how many more points would we give up.
Don’t trust McCoy or Grimes to stay healthy the whole season and we lose one of them…. No one backing up either position like last year McClain and McDonald are gone
April 25th, 2018 at 10:35 am
@ fortmyersDave
I agree. It really depends on what the Giants do at pick #2. Do they draft a QB or RB Barkley? Eli Manning has had a few rough seasons and isn’t getting any younger.
April 25th, 2018 at 10:37 am
Now we are starting to get the picture Joe I’m glad you guys are pumping the juice now for the trade down crowd and we all already recognize that D. James will still be there at#12. We need to quit this media blame game too or our culture will never get better I mean it’s so bad McCoy who is probably a future Hall of Famer JPP as well man this bout to be a playoff year for sure. It’s a lot on this draft because Lucht knows he needs maybe two more drafts to have this roster ready for the Super Bowl. I think Jameis loves Tampa Bay and is willing to stay. I think after the draft we excercise options on Marpet and D. Smith as well.We will get a RB definitely but going with James in the first round is for sure bet. I can’t wait til he’s here in Tampa. Think about it we will get both number 3 from FSU Winston and James leading our way. Winston will get his numbers when the offense becomes more complete to fit him rather than the coach trying to run “his stuff” like Koetter does a lot. Monken will assume control once the summer begins and I know he will use Winston perfect. I’m from Hattiesburg,MS u know home of the Golen Eagles of S. Mississippi where Monken was a damn good coach might I add and may someday be the coach of this team sooner than later. Monken will be that different voice calling plays and all plus I like the relationship between he and Bajakian. Loved what he had to say about Winston when he was coming out too. Koetter will not coach this team too much longer I think. Hes one of the older in the league plus I get a feeling that because they definitely will keep Jason Licht that he will just promote M. Smith to head coach after this season because if they don’t win late in the season he’s gonna resign from the pressure either at the end of this if we don’t make the playoffs or at the end of next season from the disappointment of not winning one with McCoy, Jackson, JPP because they will be gone LVD as well will be gone if we don’t compete for a Super Bowl in the next 2-3 seasons. More in state meat will continue to come in and take over for Winston trust me. I’m straight up saying if they don’t trade down then they need to trade away any pick the parrot is scheduled to announce for straight up starters R. Darby and E. Flowers and some leverage to move back in the first round. Let’s stay positive Buc nation. Priorities Joe, priorities stop the lame blame game reporting and let’s start getting to the meat which is Licht being a little bit more aggressive with the trades and connections he has. Koetter needs to get out his own way and go back to 2016 which is coaching and motivating not blaming. Fans let’s get ready for some fun
April 25th, 2018 at 11:06 am
If one of the “Big 3” is not there at 7, trade back.
BUT, it is possible to trade some of our 5th, 6th and 7th rounders to move back into round 3…
I have a question about Ereck Flowers: would he be an improvement at tackle over “Gimpy” Dotson?
April 25th, 2018 at 11:19 am
Trading down is not as easy as ordering a pizza.
April 25th, 2018 at 11:41 am
like many others have said……..
WE NEED A WIN!!!!!!!
and some competent coaches!!!!!!
#NOEXCUSESIN2018!!!!!!….GO BUCS!!!!!
April 25th, 2018 at 12:00 pm
@Blog
Flowers is interesting to me. I don’t think the Giants should have EVER tried to use him at LT. He was too young and raw to be put in that kind of pressure. They expected too much of him with the #9 overall pick. He obviously became extremely frustrated.
I agree that with a change of scenery and a little patience, we could potentially turn him into the 1st rounder he was. I think it would be worth a 5th or 6th rounder for sure.
April 25th, 2018 at 12:45 pm
Joe, I think we all know you want a running back. You’ve only shouted for one for 3-4 years, lol.
April 25th, 2018 at 1:50 pm
Well when the Bucs were picking last year the guys on their board behind O.J. May have been Taco Charlton(who I think did nothing so far) and Dalvin Cook(whose body may not be able to handle NFL rigors).
Of course nobody knows what their board looks like but that seems like a accurate guess. If so they made the right choice so far.
April 25th, 2018 at 1:53 pm
Very hard to complain about Justin Evans. Licht has gotten a lot of round 2 players that start for us Day 1.
That is not typical. Lots of times those guy wind up playing ST/depth and take a year or two to develope.
April 25th, 2018 at 2:01 pm
WIN! That’s the need.
April 25th, 2018 at 2:49 pm
Great article Joe.
@SteveK … “Need drafting will keep us in the NFC S Basement with less than adequate talent.”
@Erik w/Clean Athletics … “U pretty much always go with ‘the best available player, based on your needs’.”
I like what’s behind Erik’s Door #2 … the BPAs based on our needs. Right now our PRIORITY NEEDS are CB, RB & G, then SS to a slightly lesser extent. And yes we could also use a OT, DT & DE. Fortunately for us, there’s some awesome talent available at CB, RB & G and in the Top 3 Rnds we pick now at #7 & #38. Unfortunately, 3 NEEDS is still bigger than 2 PICKS so we’d be well-advised to trade down to grab AT LEAST 1 more pick in the Top 3 Rnds. As a MINIMUM Bucs need to grab quality CB, RB & G in this draft. SS, DT, DE & OT would also be nice.
April 25th, 2018 at 2:55 pm
Trade DJax for a pick or two….
April 25th, 2018 at 4:03 pm
Go all out; trade up for Saquon Barkley! All or nothing!!
April 25th, 2018 at 4:13 pm
People keep saying build the trenches
I agree to certain degree
However , if grimes goes down it’s Ryan smith and Hargreaves on the other side The Joe’s say we shouldn’t draft cause we can’t develop corner is a joke. A bad joke. . What does our division have that no other division has …
3 legitimate MVP qbs who can throw 50 attempts all day long. For 400 plus yards and 3 plus tds