Asante Samuel, Jr. > Sean Murphy-Bunting?
April 20th, 2021
Doubted
An on-air mock draft featuring a couple of guys who know the Bucs roster very well concluded Tampa Bay could find a quick-impact player with the No. 32 overall pick next week.
Tom Brady’s good friend Charlie Weis, the man who mentored Tom Brady early in his NFL career and somehow coached Matt Cassell and Vinny Testaverde to Pro Bowls with two different teams, joined former NFL QB and East-West Shrine game coach Brady Quinn for a mock exercise on SiriusXM NFL Radio yesterday.
Quinn was all over Florida State cornerback Asante Samuel, Jr. for the Bucs. Quinn, who also calls games and does studio work for CBS Sports in addition to NFL Radio hosting, was clear that Samuel has the talent to settle in fairly quickly as the Bucs’ No. 3 cornerback behind Carlton Davis and Jamel Dean.
Forget about playoff standout Sean Murphy-Bunting for a moment; Joe will note that veteran corner Ross Cockrell logged 34 snaps in four playoff games after racking up 22 percent of the defensive snaps in the 2020 regular season, despite not being active until October. Joe suspects Samuel or any first-round cornerback would have a great chance at beating out Cockrell, so that’s a lot of potential impact for a potential rookie like Samuel.
Joe’s all about the Bucs landing a rookie that can make a difference and bring needed competition, and cornerback is one of those positions for the Bucs.
Joe will add that Carlton Davis and Jamel Dean have yet to play a full NFL season. Murphy-Bunting has not missed a game.
April 20th, 2021 at 6:25 pm
good with SMB but we should be targeting players we draft up for that are starters. Bucs don’t need a boatload of late round picks that won’t even make team.
April 20th, 2021 at 6:46 pm
Tempting of course to take a DB…
But they need to add Explosive players at RB or WR
EXPLOSIVE
April 20th, 2021 at 6:49 pm
Edge rusher need > CB need
April 20th, 2021 at 6:52 pm
I love the idiots who claim to know what’s best for the Bucs but don’t watch the games. Fortunately Licht, Arians and Bowles do.
Samuel would be a good add but he won’t beat SMB out.
April 20th, 2021 at 6:56 pm
If he is still on the board that late, I’d take him for sure. We all saw the production of Winfield last year, and the secondary is one of the few places on the roster that lacks depth with andrew Adam’s having signed with the broncos(?). If our buccaneers can sign another good DB that has been tutored by their ex-pro father(great ex-pro) I don’t see a negative in a pick like that if licht decides to stay at 32 instead of trading out of the first round.
April 20th, 2021 at 7:01 pm
His dad won two Super Bowls with Brady, so he is already part of the Brady Player Network.
April 20th, 2021 at 7:20 pm
Yeah right this dude is small like vh3 no way this gm does something that stupid again
April 20th, 2021 at 7:26 pm
The depth that concerns me most on this team.is corner and trenches.
As long as they dont pick a rb, Im sure I will sleep well
April 20th, 2021 at 7:30 pm
I still haven’t figured out which SMB the Bucs will be getting in 2021, the one who has been good at the end of the last 2 seasons, or the one who struggles. Probably a little of both. I doubt that Asante Samuel Jr. will be a 1st Round pick, I’m thinking more late 2nd/early 3rd. We’ll see.
April 20th, 2021 at 7:31 pm
The one thing Rich McKay and Tony Dungy did was draft your replacement. Continued to draft DBs and DLs, it worked for the defense, the problem was the offensive linemen they couldn’t find.
April 20th, 2021 at 7:34 pm
Only time I saw him play was against Notre Dame, and he got manhandled by the larger receivers on longer routes. Very very quick, though, could easily be a great slot cover especially if he has this father’s instincts.
April 20th, 2021 at 7:53 pm
rrsrq, luxkily jason licht has proven to do well at finding mid round olineman talnet and a first round STUD
April 20th, 2021 at 8:45 pm
I think SMB is better suited to playing outside, so drafting a slot corner could work.
April 20th, 2021 at 8:48 pm
Let’s hope the Bucs have learned their lesson and don’t draft a slot corner in the 1st Round (see Hargreaves, Vernon III).
April 20th, 2021 at 9:08 pm
SMB just needs to find his motivation.
Durable Donnie would be an excellent mentor for him.
If DD can suck out loud for most of the season and still make 14 million what’s wrong with SMB having some bad games for a lot less $$?
Tick
Tick
Tick
April 20th, 2021 at 9:16 pm
His dad dropped a pick that would’ve made my beloved pats 19-0. Don’t need that juju.
April 20th, 2021 at 9:23 pm
CB talent in this draft is much > than edge rusher talent in this draft.
Bucs skipped on OL in 2019 because talent stunk that year for OL.
They then got a stud OL in 2020 because the talent was there.
I say employ the same BPA strategy this year as well.
If the right edge guy drops fine but I doubt there is a skilled edge rusher at 32 for the Bucs to pick that will be as talented as Asante Samuels at 32.
April 20th, 2021 at 10:23 pm
Obviously BPA just makes sense for the best team on the planet. A team with really no glaring holes. I can’t believe I’m typing that. After watching SB LV about a dozen times, I still am pinching myself.
I agree with Geno. CB is deeper than edge in this draft. It’s not a bad pick either way. You just can’t have enough edge talent and CB’s/secondary
April 20th, 2021 at 10:39 pm
ROFLMAO.
I find it so funny how so many Bucs fans think Dean & SMB are actually good NFL defensive backs.
Anyone who actually watched every snap last year during the regular season could see how badly beaten Dean, SMB, and even Davis were so often. Out of position, tacking bad angles, bad tackles, and just simply bad coverage and beaten on many routes.
When the Pass Rush isn’t on fire and matching up well with a team’s O-Line, our secondary gets TORCHED for easy yards again and again.
Many know I’ve been screaming about this before the beginning of last season and I still am… OUR SECONDARY IS OUR BIGGEST WEAKNESS.
Cockrell played quite a bit for a reason… Dean, SMB (and often Davis) are NOT great coverage guys.
People don’t want to hear this, but it’s the TRUTH.
WATCH THE NFC CHAMPIONSHIP AGAIN…
Carlton Davis gets absolutely BURNED by Marquez Valdez-Scantling on that 50 YARD TD that let the Packers tie the game 7-7 and kept them in it.
SMB’s INT was arguably pass interference as he got away with holding the jersey the entire route. If that call goes the other way than it did the outcome of the game may have been different.
When the Chiefs/Bucs game during the regular season on the line with the Bucs making a comeback, Davis gives up an inexcusable 3rd and long conversion to Tyreek by giving him too much of a cushion and allowing him to catch it right in front of him when Davis was nowhere close to make a play and basically conceded the play and the game to the Chiefs.
There were many many many terrible plays for Dean, SMB, and Davis during the season. Many fans have their blinders on because we got hot during the end of the season and pulled off the Super Bowl win.
Anyone that can’t see how WEAK our secondary is isn’t actually watching the games and paying attention. Yes, they played a bit better for the playoff/SB run, but those were also games where the Pass Rush was getting massive pressure which ANY secondary can hide behind.
NO ONE likes to talk about that Washington Football Team wildcard game. The one where our secondary gave up over 300 YARDS to Taylor Heinicke.
I’ll say it again…
OUR SECONDARY IS OUR WEAKEST LINK. Licht knows it, Bowles knows it, Arians knows it. Don’t be surprised to see us draft a corner at #32 or in the 2nd round. As well potentially signing a Vet Corner after the draft.
April 20th, 2021 at 10:40 pm
QBs, WRs, CBs, RBs, Edge, and OLs look ok in this draft. I think DL looks like the weakest position. Edge has some interesting guys but some highly bifurcated results (boom/bust).
April 20th, 2021 at 10:45 pm
BradyBucs
You’re not wrong.
I’ll add that overall we got lucky as a team a lot this past season.
I’ll take it no doubt, but the blinders are firmly in place.
April 20th, 2021 at 11:25 pm
BradyBucs: Do you watch much NFL football? Do you notice that all NFL Cornerbacks get beat? That’s how the NFL rules are, stacked against defenses, it’s made for a lot of passing and a lot of scoring. Who are you drafting at 32 and what vet corner are you signing that’ll be any better than Davis/Dean/SMB?
April 21st, 2021 at 12:15 am
Cant disagree on any of these takes. Secondary likely our most questionable unit, but not certain that the unit is such a liability. Still likely a good idea to consider a db because of this.
April 21st, 2021 at 1:25 am
You can get an idea of what the Bucs look for in a outside corner by the 3 guys they drafted.
Davis: 6’1″, 206, 4.44 at his pro day
Dean: 6’1″, 206, 4.30
SMB: 6’0″, 195, 4.42
AS Jr: 5’10, 185, 4.45 at his pro day
It seems as though Eric Stokes, Aaron Robinson, Kelvin Joseph, Tay Gowan, Paulson Adebo, Ambry Thomas, etc. might have the measurable they’d be looking for on a 1st or 2nd day pick. If they draft a smaller slot corner, that’d be on the 3rd day of the draft, IMHO.
April 21st, 2021 at 1:51 am
Every day goes by I think the Bucs will trade back. If so, an early CB would be nice to see battle for position and/or to provide depth to a CB squad that was banged up last year. Possible safety net with Davis in the contract year.
April 21st, 2021 at 1:53 am
Did that guy wayyyyy up there just say we need to add explosive players to our RB’s and wide receivers?!?!🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 I guess we know who just became a Bucs fan, AFTER our Spuerbowl win.#Bandwagon
April 21st, 2021 at 4:50 am
Not many spots on the team. If farley drops, a trade up would make sense. Potential star.
April 21st, 2021 at 8:12 am
It would be fun once his dad played with Brady.
April 21st, 2021 at 11:43 am
If a stud OT (could swing as a backup or possibly replace Cappa) is available like Darrisaw, Tucker, or Jenkins I’m taking him at 32. All three could be a backup tackle on the left or right side and have the athletic ability to push Cappa for a starting spot. That’s the ideal situation. Cappa and Stinne could back up at either guard spot as well. I’m looking at Quinn Meinerz in the second round as the replacement and backup for Jenkins. He can play guard too. That way if Stinne and/or Cappa leave we are set in the trenches.
April 21st, 2021 at 12:27 pm
A 5’10 CB with average speed?
VHIII flashbacks.
Hard pass.
April 23rd, 2021 at 11:58 am
I’ve said it before I’m not totally sold on dean and bunting. Bunting played well in the playoffs and maybe that continues into the reg season then hell yea let him start but I think we still need to add to it in case of injury or if bunting and dean are just depth. I know we have invested a lot of draft capital in the secondary for consecutive years not but it is a passing league so we gotta stock up on DBs and edge rushers