Bucs Fix Their Front 4 Before “The Year Of The Defensive Lineman”
May 8th, 2018
GM Jason Licht
If you didn’t get a case of draft fatigue last month, then you’re probably one of those people already thinking about next year’s draft for the Buccaneers and the NFL.
One guy certainly going there is Daniel Jeremiah, the former NFL scout and college quarterback who serves as an NFL Network year-round draft guru.
For NFL.com. Jeremiah has declared the 2019 draft to be the”Year of the Defensive Lineman.”
Clemson is loaded with studs up front in Dexter Lawrence, Christian Wilkins and Clelin Ferrell. I had a chance to study Wilkins and Ferrell last year before they surprised everyone by electing to return for another season with the Tigers. The two guys I cannot wait to study this summer are Houston DT Ed Oliver and Ohio State DE Nick Bosa.
Hopefully, the Bucs don’t own a top-12 or top-15 draft choice next season, so they won’t be key players in the Year of the Defensive Lineman.” But going that direction next season sure would appear to make a lot of sense.
Yes, the Bucs have five fresh faces on their defensive line this season, but three of them will be in their 30s next year, plus Gerald McCoy, at a position where the shelf life is usually short.
The Bucs got younger and better on the D-line this year, and they’ll probably need to do it again in 2019.
May 8th, 2018 at 12:49 pm
The Bucs are fine on the D Line. The Defense is good. They were all hurt last year. Swaggy was perhaps not very good.
the offensive 3 and outs and untimely fumbles and picks sunk us.
#FreeFitz2018
GO BUCS!!!!
May 8th, 2018 at 12:54 pm
Hey Joe, If the Bucs have a winning season lets say 9-7 where can you project we will land in thr 2019 draft? If not high enough to grab one of these DL studs, do we have the draft capital to trade up and get one. You’ve named 5 already and I’m sure there will be more 1st round talent along the trenches. I’m already salivating at the chance to get a guy like Ed Oliver.
May 8th, 2018 at 12:58 pm
You can never have enough D-lineman.
May 8th, 2018 at 1:00 pm
Drew Lock
May 8th, 2018 at 1:01 pm
Well the 2018 draft class was actually pretty loaded at Defensive Tackle and relatively thin at Defensive end other than Bradley Chubb, and Jason Licht got us the guy wad consensus best DT in a group of very good DT prospects.
2019 on the other hand, at least as of right now, appears to be a very good/deep class at both Defensive tackle and defensive end. Hopefully next year will be the year where we get the premiere pass rusher to replace the Michael Bennett sized hole in the Joe’s hearts.
May 8th, 2018 at 1:01 pm
…*the guy who was the consensus best*…
May 8th, 2018 at 1:04 pm
@ 99.97 etc
The bucs were 7th in 3 and outs. Once again your idiotic narrative are not backed up by facts. Only pit, ne, no, lac, min and atl had a better 3 and out ranking. Gtfooh
May 8th, 2018 at 1:11 pm
keep stock piling both lines!!!!!!
#NOEXCUSESIN2018!!!!!….#PRESSURESONTHECOACHES!!!…GO BUCS!!!!
May 8th, 2018 at 1:15 pm
We can’t have too many good defensive linemen.
May 8th, 2018 at 1:15 pm
You can never, ever have too many guys who can rush the passer.
May 8th, 2018 at 1:29 pm
I agree with Phil… Never can have too many DL…
May 8th, 2018 at 1:35 pm
If we are in a position to trade up to grade another DE in next year’s draft I say do it. We still don’t know if Spence can stay healthy for a full 16 games or is Gholston can finally earn his contract, plus Curry and JPP are both going to be 30 by the time the season is over.
May 8th, 2018 at 1:47 pm
Along with Clelin Ferrell from Clemson and Nick Bosa from Ohio State look out for Joe Jackson from Miami, Brian Burns from Florida State, Montez Sweat from Mississippi State and Zach Allen from Boston College. All four are defensive ends I would think have a great chance to be picked very high next year.
Certainly looks like the best defensive end draft in a very long time next year.
May 8th, 2018 at 2:05 pm
More trenchwarfare in 2019 would be just fine with me.
May 8th, 2018 at 2:09 pm
Pretty much completely agree with Blake.
The good news is we are contract flexible on a lot of our current old D-lineman. We could take a DE/DT in R1 if the value is there and let some walk as needed.
I feel like our roster is in the best position it’s been since Licht took over; in term of long term investments and veterans / flexibility / hitting on needs.
If Cappa pans out that’s 4 young bodies on the O-line + young QB + young RBs + young WRs.
And now we have talented youth (or at least relatively high draft pick investments) on D-line / LB / secondary on defense as well – for the first time since LIcth has been here.
The Mark Dominic hangover should be over. No excuses anymore. Go win some f*cking games and kick some 4ss
May 8th, 2018 at 2:18 pm
Vea is here to replace McCoy. They will still be working on their D-line next year especially a pass rusher on the end.
May 8th, 2018 at 2:28 pm
Need to draft 2 DEs next year from a much better crop than was available this year. Just none from Clemson please…
May 8th, 2018 at 3:01 pm
This is a good thing, because if lots of teams need D linemen, the Bucs, no matter where they pick, should have some very good choices on other BPA/needs at other positions.
May 8th, 2018 at 4:20 pm
99.9 the defense is good? You’re saying the defense that ranked dead last in just about every category last year was good? That comment borderlines on brain dead.
May 8th, 2018 at 4:25 pm
Being a realist we’ll be early to mid teens. Being an optimist our division will pick before us.
May 8th, 2018 at 4:35 pm
And its more than just them. Gary from Michigan, Davis from Bama, Jones from OSU, Jackson from Miami, Davidson from Auburn, Jelks from Oregon…couple of dudes from Ms State…this will be a stacked class. Excited to have a line already established before we head into 2019.
May 8th, 2018 at 4:47 pm
Webster & cgmaster, my gut feel from your comments is that both of you excelled at stealing other kids lunch money in grade school. And cgmaster,yes the Bucs’ defense was a lot better than Joe & some others give them credit for, especially in the Points Allowed category. Coming in #22 in Points Allowed is actually quite impressive given the marginal talent in several key positions & with the injuries that we had . Football’s about POINTS SCORED vs POINTS ALLOWED, not about how many yards you give up. New England came in #29 last year in Total Yardage Allowed … only 200 less than the Bucs BTW … yet made it to the Super Bowl largely because they were #5 in Points Allowed.
May 8th, 2018 at 6:51 pm
Best Player Available!
May 8th, 2018 at 8:50 pm
Yeah, I was looking at mocks for next season…and they had a bunch of defensive lineman going, so I figured it is a deep class.
May 9th, 2018 at 2:27 pm
every notable DL besides Vea and Noah Spence will be 29 or older by next draft. McCoy will pushing 32. The 2019 draft sounds like the place where we will find the guys who these “bridge players” are bridging to. Curry & Beau Allen are probably sticking around 2 seasons before the team would like to have a young stud ready to take over. JPP will be waning in 3 years’ time and more ready for a rotational role. And although i don’t expect or advocate it, McCoy could be gone as soon as this time next year but certainly isn’t going to be getting better
“the year of the Defensive Lineman” will be like water in the desert for a team that hasn’t been able to boast of a young and dangerous OL since the turn of the millenium
May 10th, 2018 at 1:24 am
Prepare to be amazed. Dont count last year. Brees won’t see them coming. GO BUCS!