A Short Reach At Corner?
April 17th, 2021
Joe remembers when former Bucs corner Vernon Hargreaves played, fans hollered not so much because he was toasty, but that he was short.
Hargreaves is 5-10. So Joe doesn’t know how well it would go over with Bucs fandom if Tampa Bay drafted another 5-10 corner in the first round. But some believe Asante Samuel is a smart Bucs choice at No. 32.
The Florida State corner is considered by several draftniks as a baller. And one NFL stenographer, Josh Edwards of CBS Sports, thinks he’s coming to Tampa Bay.
Tampa Bay has essentially zero holes on the roster so it is in a position to add quality depth. Picks made this year are to set the Bucs up for success long into the future.
Joe doesn’t mind depth at corner. Hell, it’s imperative. Thing is, unless you believe the Bucs are wanting to wave goodbye to Carlton Davis, why spend a first-round pick on a corner. You use a first-round pick on a guy you expect to start, if not as a rookie, surely in his second-year.
If the Bucs plan on keeping Davis — all indications say they are — then you are picking a guy in Samuels to ride the pine for two or more years unless you don’t believe Sean Murphy-Bunting is capable. And remember, he helped shut down Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers and Pat Mahomes in succession in the playoffs.
So how bad could Davis and SMB be? In Joe’s eyes, not bad at all.
Let’s read what the experts think about this Samuel. Dane Brugler of The Athletic, in his “Beast” of a draft guide, believes Samuel is a second-round pick.
STRENGTHS: Above average athleticism with the movement skills to turn and immediately reach top speed…velvet feet to stay connected to different types of route runners from press-man…clean pedal and stays on the same plane vertically…outstanding drive mechanics, anticipating and trusting his reads to get a head start…averaged 24.7 yards per interception return in 2020 (3/74/0)…small-framed player, but plays fearless and won’t back down on jump balls…plays tough in run support and a better tackler than expected…named a team captain as a junior and the FSU coaches praise his competitive temperament (head coach Mike Norvell: “He’s a joy to coach…he pushes to be the best he can be”)…impressive NFL bloodlines, which is also a motivational tool because he is driven to escape his father’s shadow…experienced outside and in the nickel…impressive ball production with more passes defended (33) than games played (32) in college.
SUMMARY: A three-year starter at Florida State, Samuel lined up at right cornerback in defensive coordinator Adam Fuller’s scheme, playing mostly man (press and off) with some zone coverage mixed in. After a rough start when he arrived in Tallahassee (six touchdowns allowed in 2018), he settled in the last two years with 24 passes defended and only two touchdowns allowed over his last 20 games. Samuel plays with outstanding reaction quickness and ball awareness to turn and locate or drive on throws in front of him. His lack of size shows up in coverage and against the run, but he is a heady player who trusts his skills, very similar to his Pro Bowl father. Overall, Samuel’s smallish frame isn’t ideal, but he is twitched up with the fluid athleticism and play confidence to stay connected to routes (flashes Jaire Alexander-type ability). He projects as an NFL starter capable of playing inside or outside.
Joe’s good friend Emory Hunt, the Czar of the Playbook, is much higher on Samuel and has Samuel as his No. 2 corner.
Strengths:
– Fantastic footwork and flawless technique. He’s very consistent in this regard. It’s clinic tape on how smooth he is in/out of his transition. Sees the field well in zone.
– Attacks the ball, and ball carrier/receiver extremely well. Terrific ball skills. Can definitely turn the ball over.
– He has above average press skills. It’s hips-hands-feet in terms of how he’s able to press. So much so that you can trust him on the boundary.
Areas of Improvement:
– Very inconsistent “pop” coming out his backpedal. This tends to happen when he is playing off coverage. His lack of being able to explode out of the break, allow for the receiver to create enough separation.
Joe doesn’t believe lack of height is a dealbreaker, but ball skills, speed and hops better be able to compensate for a lack of inches. Samuel’s wingspan also helps.
So if Hargreaves wasn’t tall enough for many Bucs fans, Joe isn’t sure how those same fans will be able to swallow drafting another 5-10 corner with a first-round pick, not to mention a guy who may not start for a while. Joe’s OK with drafting a nickel corner high, just not in the first round, not even at No. 32.
April 17th, 2021 at 4:13 pm
There’s a reason we don’t have short corners on the roster anymore. Let’s keep it that way.
April 17th, 2021 at 4:18 pm
Bleh.
April 17th, 2021 at 4:25 pm
I don’t care if a corner is short (Antoine Winfield Sr. was one of my favorite non-Buc players), as long as he can play. VH3 couldn’t play, it honestly looked like he didn’t care some of the time. Maybe he got that mentality from Brent Grimes. I’d rather see the the Bucs take a CB with a 3rd day pick this year.
April 17th, 2021 at 4:42 pm
Hoping the kid from Georgia (OLB/DE) somehow slips to us!! Olujari?
April 17th, 2021 at 4:51 pm
QB at 32 makes the most sense. Look at the big picture. No back up and no future yet. If the position pick is a luxury then we need the QB. When you stop and look at it QB has 0 depth behind Brady. That is the most important pick we will have in this draft. If you do not pick a QB you will be playing this season like a Tyrannosaurus, big teeth with little bitty arms. Get Brady a new buddy he can teach for when he becomes head coach.
April 17th, 2021 at 4:52 pm
I’ve thought the secondary was one good vet away from being really great. They did step up at the end of the year to prove they didn’t need one which was good. If it’s nor going to be a Dline a player, including OLB on Dline, then do a CB. Carlton Davis being hurt on and off all season and Dean not making up his mind if he’s gonna be good or not, CB is a depth piece, with the possibility of starter is good. Which ever spot they pick, just make sure he’s gonna be a baller for years to come.
April 17th, 2021 at 5:22 pm
No thanks!!
April 17th, 2021 at 5:24 pm
Sounds to have a lot of similarities to Antoine Winfield and that sure as hell worked out well last year! I wouldn’t mind trading back into the second and taking him say midway through the round and picking up some extra picks.
April 17th, 2021 at 5:27 pm
Davis and Dean both missed games last year and depth is a very good thing. Besides, his dad picked off 51 passes in his career despite being the same size. If you can play, you can play and Hargreaves just wasn’t good enough mentally or physically. If Jr. can come close to what his dad did, he is worth pick 32 all day long.
April 17th, 2021 at 5:46 pm
By the time you get down to the 32nd overall pick the top 2 or even 3 guys for today’s valuable positions more often than not are just gone. For positions like Qb’s,DE’s,Cb’s, Wr’s,LT’s the top tier prospects are almost always gone by the 32nd pick. And the dropoff with the second tier players for those positions is pretty noticeable. The second tier player either has all the physical talent or even freaksih althetic ability but needs to be coached up. A “project” with lots of potential. Or the guy has the needed skill set but his body type is questionable for the players position at an NFL level. Teams tend to draft for potential in those situations. Because you can take the freak athlete that currently struggles with the position skill set and put them on special teams. If the player doesn’t develop the skill set required for the position drafted you still had a freak athlete on special teams for a year or two.
Positions like Center, Guard, right tackle, tight end, Nose Guard, DT, linebacks, safeties.The drop off isn’t as bad. I say we take Oline or Dline. But I trust Licht if he or his staff have a guy that falls take him. We are in a great position. For the first time in a long time we aren’t hamstringed to draft for need.
April 17th, 2021 at 5:57 pm
I have a feeling Samuel Jr is going to have a Winflield Jr type season for the team that drafts him. In today’s NFL, you need at least 3 starter quality corners. We had times when CD, SMB, and JD each had an injury. In a dream world, Samuel Jr. would be available in the 2nd and one of the freak athlete Edge guys would be available in the 1st. However, I wouldn’t be upset if Samuel Jr was the pick in the first.
April 17th, 2021 at 6:00 pm
Asante Samuel cost TB12 a perfect season by muffing an INT from Eli…
Stay the hell away from that family of mupps!!
Draft an Edge rusher at 32🤔
April 17th, 2021 at 6:02 pm
BINGO!!!
This one short paragraph sums up my thoughts on the draft. This is the first in a long time when a draft strategy was so free to actually overweight the Ole “best player available “
.
“ Tampa Bay has essentially zero holes on the roster so it is in a position to add quality depth. Picks made this year are to set the Bucs up for success long into the future.”
April 17th, 2021 at 6:15 pm
You guys keep saying there are 0 holes and you are wrong. QB at 32 with a 5th year option makes the time table work and makes fiscal sense. Use your heads. 0 depth behind Brady my God people, I sure am glad you guys aren’t calling the shots cuz we would be screwed.
April 17th, 2021 at 6:16 pm
I have no problems with drafting a CB at 32….not sure about this one.
April 17th, 2021 at 6:28 pm
A first rounder should be a starter, but we’ve no room for a starter; is that a paradox? An oxymoron? A conundrum? A riddle? A good problem to have. Five corners could make the secondary into a star.
April 17th, 2021 at 6:29 pm
I would like to see bucs draft EDGE in the first round Corner/LB/OL in the 2-4th rounds. WR and QB in the later rounds.
April 17th, 2021 at 6:30 pm
So we have a clown that says stay away from samuel because his dad is a 2 time super bowl winner, 4 time pro bowler, 3 time all pro, 2 time interceptions leader because he dropped an interception in the super bowl one time? That has to be the absolute dumbest thing i have read in a while. So samuel has no knowledge he could possibly pass along to his son. So whoever had eli in their grasp bfore the miracle helmet catch was not the blame. Or the oline that was getting rag dolled by the giants all game was not problem. It was samuel’s fault so his son must be garbage. I really cant believe the logic. Some of u need to stop drinking your own urine.
April 17th, 2021 at 6:37 pm
Pick Kelvin Joseph in the 3rd round 5′ 11.5 runs 4.34 40, 35 inch vertical from Kentucky should fit right in.
April 17th, 2021 at 6:37 pm
Cainishere Says:
April 17th, 2021 at 4:51 pm
Maybe. Probably not. Only if it’s a good value (one of the top guys slides for some reason). The good QBs are clustered in the top 10. Everything after that is “meh”… Too many 1st round QBs don’t work out. If it’s a reach, it’s a good chance of being a busted pick. I’d rather wait until the end of round 2 and see if Mond is there.
April 17th, 2021 at 6:43 pm
Cainishere Says:
April 17th, 2021 at 4:51 pm
QB at 32 makes the most sense. Look at the big picture. No back up and no future yet. If the position pick is a luxury then we need the QB. When you stop and look at it QB has 0 depth behind Brady. That is the most important pick we will have in this draft. If you do not pick a QB you will be playing this season like a Tyrannosaurus, big teeth with little bitty arms. Get Brady a new buddy he can teach for when he becomes head coach.
^^^^^^^^^^^^
Cainishere: Assuming the top 5 QB’s are off the board when the Bucs pick at 32, which QB would you take?
April 17th, 2021 at 7:03 pm
The consensus is EDGE in the 1st unless there is a run at the position. Since we really don’t know what to do with the pick maybe it would be better to save it for another day. Should we trade out for a 1st in 2022? Will a team give that much? A 2nd 2021 and a 2nd 2022 is more realistic and still a good choice for the Bucs but it better be an early 2nd otherwise just take a position worth drafting in the 1st EDGE, CB, WR… RBs are not worthy of a 1st. I personally would trade up to try to take the S/LB from Notre Dame #6, that guy is a playmaker who could start in some packages adding speed and hustle to the defense but that is not going to happen. Just a fan’s daydream
April 17th, 2021 at 7:08 pm
trenches should be the pick, they’ll make it easier for the DBs
April 17th, 2021 at 7:14 pm
Vernon was slow as F
And was one of the worst DBs I have ever seen her had any hype
April 17th, 2021 at 7:31 pm
I’d like to see the Bucs get an edge rusher with one of their top picks this year. I’d also like to see them get the “Tyler Johnson of CB’s”, this year, a talented corner that for whatever reason is still there in the 4th or 5th Round.
April 17th, 2021 at 7:36 pm
Bucarino .. trading UP this year in the 1st is no different than trading out of the first this year giving up next years first is in play too , if there is “the guy”
Just don’t try and be too clever Bobby Bethard style.
April 17th, 2021 at 8:05 pm
Robert Rochell, CB, Central Arkansas
6′-0″, 193, 40 times between 4.39 and 4.41, 43″ vertical
“Rochell likely wouldn’t be a Day 1 player at the position. He’ll need some adjustment to the speed of the NFL game — and will need to develop his footwork and route identification before he can contribute. So early in his career, he would likely be relegated to special-teams play — he would be an outstanding gunner — and would be more of a gamble than some other cornerbacks at his draft spot. However, Rochell’s athletic profile offers him a very high ceiling as a boundary cornerback.”
April 17th, 2021 at 8:27 pm
Mond?? NO…
Watched the highlights. The highlights featured Mond connecting to pretty much “Wide Open” receivers… Not to impressed. Go back and watch his highlights versus Davis’.
Davis clearly needed honing because of little time on the field But, Clearly can thread in tighter windows that leads to Completions in FAR tougher reads and capable of tighter windows versus Mond.
Davis, He actually looked “Brady esque” and wasn’t ready but Definitely had a hand up versus Mond that featured “Wide Open Only” Funny because you kept hearing in Mond’s highlights, “Wide Open” as well. More of a testament to the route running receiving than Anything else concerning Mond…
Mond, NOPE. Wide Open Only…..
I get that I don’t get paid to judge But the eye test was Clear between them.
Hard Pass on Mond in my view.
GO BUCS!
April 17th, 2021 at 8:32 pm
I’m down if Bucs and Bowels want to get a CB to battle Dean for the number two spot. With the return of Cockrell we could end up with strong depth whichever way it goes.
April 17th, 2021 at 8:49 pm
I’d be pissed if I stay up and the Bucs trade out of the first round
. Lol then by 10 the next morning it will be brilliant.
Actually I’d love to hear sometime after the 15th pick that the Bucs trade up for a player nobody thought would be able to be drafted and never bothered really looking into!
3 teams have multiple 1st and second round picks. 😎
April 17th, 2021 at 11:33 pm
Destinjohnny,
Hargreaves isn’t slow period. Speed isn’t the issue. I agree he plays slow at times but you’re way off if you think he’s slow,
April 18th, 2021 at 12:06 am
Something about having football genes. Look at Winfield or the watt family. Take this guy you can’t teach instinct like that
April 18th, 2021 at 12:46 am
Bosa boys (Papa Bosa played in the NFL).
Mannings of course.
April 18th, 2021 at 9:23 am
It wasnt that Hargreaves was short.
It was that he was short and SLOOOOOW.
And Samuels looks like he has the same problem.
On his tape, he plays slow.
All the “velvety footwork” in the world doesnt matter, if you are ten yards behind a speedy Wr.
I posted the day we drafted Hargreaves( what a lousy draft that was!), that he was short and slow, and a horrible pick.
I gotta watch Samuels some more. But he plays slow. Meybe he has speed, but isnt utilizing it correctly.
I still say- draft the trenches.
JPP and Suh are critical to our Defense- and both are getting a little old.
And we need a backup Center.