The Scary But Possible Draft Day Dilemmas
April 27th, 2022
Not a reach to select Penn State WR Jahan Dotson.
There are two very real and very scary questions that very few people on the planet Earth know the answer to that easily could shape the direction of the Bucs’ draft.
Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht likely knows or at least has a very good idea.
1) Is versatile defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh returning?
2) Is foot-rubbing tight end Rob Gronkowski returning?
The answers will drive the Bucs’ draft.
In Joe’s eyes, the most important is Gronk. He is Tom Brady’s security blanket and a helluva blocker. When Gronk was out last season with his banged-up ribs and punctured lung, this offense was different — and not in a good way. It was like it was roped to a telephone pole.
Recently former Bucs defensive tackle and BSPN football personality Booger McFarland claimed on local radio that Chris Godwin, who is recovering from knee surgery, won’t be back until December. That’s 3/4 of the season! Joe has a very, very good hunch who Booger speaks to. If he doesn’t have a direct pipeline into One Buc Palace, he sure as hell has a secondary pipeline. So the Joe typing here doesn’t think Booger is spreading unadulterated fertilizer (the other Joe thinks Booger’s tongue slipped).
To be fair, Godwin’s rehab progress likely will be cloudy for another couple of months after surgery around Christmas time.
So let’s say Gronk is not coming back and the prognosis for Godwin is grim. Joe is OK with the immortal Cyril Grayson or Breshad Perriman filling in for Godwin for two or three or four games. Eight or ten? Huh, uh. No way. That tells Joe the Bucs should go get a receiver early.
That’s why Joe is big on Jahan Dotson of Penn State.
Long-time Packers beat guy Bob McGinn has a great tradition of breaking down top players in the draft; unnamed NFL suits, coaches and scouts offer him balanced views of each player. Here is what McGinn has on Dotson from the blog “Go Long.”
6. JAHAN DOTSON, Penn State (5-10 ½, 181, 4.44, 1-2): Started 38 of 42 games in a four-year career. “I’d rather have Dotson at the top of the second than Olave or Wilson (near) the top of the first,” said one scout. “He’s a very similar player.” Finished with 183 receptions for 2,757 (15.1) and 25 TDs. “Really good NFL deep speed,” said a second scout. “Good eye focus. Makes over-the-shoulder catches. Can get off the jam even lining up on the line of scrimmage as an X. Has some shake and acceleration inside and has the quickness to avoid the jam outside.” Solid punt returner with a 13.5 average in the last two seasons. “He’s better than KJ Hamler,” said a third scout. “Plays smart and aware. Instinctive, diminutive playmaker. He’s just small.” Wonderlic of 14. “Just a guy,” a fourth scout said. “I don’t see what people are making of him. He’s just OK. They scheme him open. Average size, average athlete. Does everything kind of average.” From Nazareth, Pa.
Joe has an issue with the charge that Dotson was just schemed open. Penn State coach John Franklin is a clown. Just look at all the talent that has come out of Penn State in the past 5-7 years and what has that fool done with it?
Joe is dubious Franklin can master opening a burrito wrapping much less developing an offense that can scheme open Dotson.
Besides, what’s the point of scheming a guy open when the quarterback cannot get him the ball? Dotson has had lousy quarterbacks at Penn State.
Though Dotson is not big, he’s got the best hands in the draft and the guy is lightning fast. And Dotson can return punts (yeah, Joe is looking at you, Jaelon Darden).
Give Tom Brady three legit receivers and this Bucs offense is lethal.
If Gronk really is done and the prognosis for Godwin really is as dire as Booger claims, then the choice is simple for Joe: Dotson at No. 27.
April 27th, 2022 at 11:23 am
There will be higher rated defensive players worthy of our #1 pick… Dotson is an exciting player, but does not make the most sense.
Logan Hall is my prediction (possibly with a trade down).
April 27th, 2022 at 11:34 am
you pass on this guy…
and don’t get all gung ho because we had a draft steal from penn state in cg14…like it’s gonna happen again…
things like that happen once in a lifetime, like clint eastwood said to meryl streep in the bridges of madison county
April 27th, 2022 at 11:35 am
Joe, you’ve made this argument before. If, if, if…. Gronk IS coming back. Suh is NOT. Draft a DL. More often than not, WRs don’t work out the way you hope they will and you can always find value in later rounds.
April 27th, 2022 at 11:41 am
All about it brother! Olave is probably going 17 or less. We still might have to trade up for him though. GB and KC still want WR after pick 20.
I say do it….use a pick from next year.
April 27th, 2022 at 11:48 am
That is not a high draft need plus a big portion of these
receivers don’t hit the ground running. There is an adjustment period by the time he gets adjusted to the nfl Godwin will be back and Dotson will be sitting on the bench next to Trask.
April 27th, 2022 at 12:02 pm
makes no sense, roster littered with WRs to fill in temporarily. 4 roster spots, 4 rounds with these 4 positions, in no particular order…LG-DL-TE-CB
April 27th, 2022 at 12:03 pm
The Jets seem to love 1st round picks lets trade them our 2023 1st round pick for their pick #35 and pick # 111. We are surely going to the superbowl or at least nfc championship game. That would give us picks 27, 35 and 60 in the first two rounds. You could choose between defensive tackle, guard, safety or wide out. Plus pick up two extra picks that would prove we are really all in for 2022.
April 27th, 2022 at 12:08 pm
Gronk will sign eventually. No chance he doesn’t. I said the same with Brady this year before he retired, admitted I was wrong, and now claim to be right since he’s back. Suh, meh, at the right price; but honestly we need a DT that’ll get to the QB more often, especially considering Shaq & Vea draw double coverage. Bucs will not chase TE early, but you can bank on them addressing the D-line. We need more production from our front four. Bolster that group, and you improve the rest of the team by proxy.
April 27th, 2022 at 12:13 pm
Short – slight build. His body probably won’t hold up well in the NFL.
And 4.44 is not “lightning fast”. Godwin ran a faster 40. Does look “quick” against Maryland and Villanova Defenses – but didn’t we just move up in the 4th for Darden last year for basically the same type of athlete?
The Bucs are locked into paying $47M per year to our top 3 receivers for at least the next 2 years. You don’t spend 1st round draft capital on a WR like this one under those circumstances.
Gronk will be back – TB12 will have plenty of throwing options if some games have to be played without Godwin.
If the Bucs don’t use the top of this draft to improve the DLine and improve the secondary – its likely we won’t be talented enough – nor have enough depth on Defense to win another Championship
April 27th, 2022 at 12:13 pm
Has to be the obese pale joe
April 27th, 2022 at 12:13 pm
I believe the team will stay true to its board. If somehow Dotson is the number one player on the board by the time we pick, they will pick him. I seriously doubt it however. We’ve got our starting two receivers for now and an experienced bullpen. Even with Godwin down for a bit receiver is still one of the deeper positions on the team.
April 27th, 2022 at 12:18 pm
Rams only had 1 good receiver and won the superbowl, we do have ME13 with TB12 throwing to him.
April 27th, 2022 at 12:18 pm
So….we are to believe that Godwin won’t be back until December…..and Gronk won’t return…..so then we need a 1st round WR?
I’d ask….what happens to the $9mil that Brady freed up…..perhaps we could bring in a FA WR…….I hear AB is available.
If Godwin isn’t ready until December….that makes that huge contract a questionable deal.
April 27th, 2022 at 12:23 pm
Several people have reported that nobody in this draft class, would’ve been taken higher than 15th in last years draft. That means two things to me. First, you probably won’t have many, if any teams trying to trade up. Plenty of teams could trade down and out of round one. Second, it means that if a player falls, it wouldn’t take a haul to trade up. Most of these draft experts (an oxymoron if you ask me) say the meat of the draft is Friday. So, you’d much rather have a couple extra picks on day two, as opposed to one in each of the first three rounds. This draft is Taylor made for a GM like licht. A smart guy, who understands value better than most.
I still think you need a pass rusher, even if suh returns. Maybe an OLB. Gronk can’t be depended on, even if he returns. I think who the bucs draft, will depend greatly on who falls, and when.
April 27th, 2022 at 12:25 pm
I like Dotson but Brady already has 3 legit receivers unless you think he needs 4. I believe either Perriman, Miller, Johnson, Grayson, or Darden will suffice until Godwin is healthy.
April 27th, 2022 at 12:29 pm
No WR until beast pass rusher or defensive tackle help out that aging line.
WR if Bucs trade down and get an extra 3rd or 4th round pick, thats only
way I would use first 4 picks on WR.
Gotta get younger in the trenches. Gholston, Barrett, Suh (?) are all past 30.
Even Oline, Smith and Jensen will begin to decline. Draft more big bodies, the Bucs will need them to rush opponents passers and to protect Brady in case any
starting OL get hurt.
Bucs passed more than any team in league and teams passed against the Bucs more than any team in the league. Those older defensive lineman are rushing passers nearly 50 times a game, they need help to stay fresh.
April 27th, 2022 at 12:32 pm
IF Suh, JPP, and gronk do not return, we have bigtime problems. Say what you want, But our Defense last yr was Average at best. Brady cannot and will not win them all for us. I suspect we will lose anywhere between 5 and 7 games this season. Can’t believe Licht neglected our D line like he has on the hunch everybody was returning. If this Defense does not improve, it will spell doom for us.
April 27th, 2022 at 12:49 pm
Now we want receiver because it sounds cool. Then game day comes we lose and start making comments like I want to throw a beer at the tv because our defense couldn’t cover or couldn’t rush the passer.
We need DL not a wr.
April 27th, 2022 at 12:54 pm
Gronk and Suh will be back….i just feel it.
April 27th, 2022 at 12:58 pm
Trenches. Adam: you need to get out more.
April 27th, 2022 at 12:59 pm
Trenches. Adam: you need to get out more….
April 27th, 2022 at 1:02 pm
Gronk will come back.
As far as the draft and using a 1st round pick on a WR because of a fear of Godwin being out for two months, that’s pretty silly logic. You don’t use a 1st round pick that comes with a five year contract to try and fill 6-8 weeks of production at WR.
There will likely be 10-15 free agent WR’s available after the draft that can be signed to a 1 year contract for the veteran league minimum that would be drooling at the idea of catching balls from the GOAT for half a season.
How about next year? Evans isn’t going anywhere. Godwin is under contract for three years. Russell Gage is under contract for three years. Now we have a 1st round pick WR that will be lucky to see two or three targets a game for three years.
They aren’t drafting just for this year. Do you think Bowles in his 2nd and likely last chance at being an NFL head coach is going to throw away the remainder of his coaching career for ONE chance at a winning season? There will be life after Brady, so can we quit with all this sensational “all in for 2022” crap and realize that there are 50+ other guys on that team trying to have a career or are they all just going to retire if it doesnt work out this year and dismantle the organization?
April 27th, 2022 at 1:05 pm
I’m amazed how this “draft a WR in the 1st round bc we have a 10-game regular season problem” logic continues to be pedaled with impunity. Joe is Matt Millen!
April 27th, 2022 at 1:09 pm
Trade all the picks for injury free known players who can start day one and trade Godwin too.
April 27th, 2022 at 1:24 pm
Joe always says you can’t have enough pass rushers, but now he’s changing his tune. Flip-flopper. Glad you aren’t the GM.
Stick to DLine, TE and CB for days 1 and 2.
April 27th, 2022 at 1:24 pm
Edge rusher, DT, or OG please
April 27th, 2022 at 2:05 pm
The dude is 180 pound dripping wet. No thank you. You can count on your fingers the number of players in the NFL who have survived more than three years that are that size.
April 27th, 2022 at 2:19 pm
He’s not only a WR folks, he also returns punts and kicks which is also a huge need for us on special teams (thats been missing a long time), but if you dont do your homework properly, you’ll miss that.
April 27th, 2022 at 2:38 pm
Dotson is one of the best players in this draft! Very underrated. He would be a steel at 27! Would love this senecio but won’t hold my breath that he’ll be there.
April 27th, 2022 at 3:51 pm
What gotbucs said ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
GO BUCS!
April 27th, 2022 at 5:25 pm
Rather have Christian Watson or Alec Pierce if we went wr. Pierce can maybe be had in the 2nd.
April 27th, 2022 at 6:40 pm
Russel Gsge under cotract for 1 year
April 27th, 2022 at 8:09 pm
If Gronk is not back, it has to be addressed, but the majority of moves from here on must be DEFENSE, pass rush, trenches, more pass rush, and a shutdown corner if possible.
You make Tom Brady happy by fielding a defense that destroys opposing offenses. Period.
April 27th, 2022 at 8:57 pm
Maybe if Burkes fell they would draft a wr but not Dotson probably go db maybe Wyatt seems like he will fall because of “red flags”
April 27th, 2022 at 9:49 pm
@Woodenman
Gage has a 3 year, $30 million contract. The 3rd year is an option year with a $2 million dead cap penalty if he isn’t on the team.
April 27th, 2022 at 10:17 pm
Dude legit quoted bridges of Madison country
April 27th, 2022 at 11:18 pm
John Franklin?? You are an idiot. You stole all of that diatribe from an ill onformed scout a week ago. Mike Yurcich is considered a top Power 5 Offensive Coordinator, who could show Byron Leftiwitch a thing or 2 about scheming. Fraud!
April 28th, 2022 at 4:07 am
Esteban85 Says:
“Dude legit quoted bridges of Madison county.”
.
.
I was gonna make fun of him quoting chic flicks, then remembered that I actually read the book. Then I remembered crying like a little girl while I read it.
I am so ashamed. 😞