Two More Visitors To One Buc Palace
April 19th, 2024
The 30 official visits aren’t quite finished.
With the draft less than a week away, the Bucs had two more official visitors this week.
One was Wisconsin guard/center Tanor Bortolini and the other was Clemson defensive lineman Ruke Orhorhoro.
Bortolini intrigues Joe because a Wisconsin offensive lineman should intrigue anyone. Here’s what Dane Brugler of The Athletic had to type about Bortolini in his draft guide, “The Beast.”
SUMMARY: A three-year starter at Wisconsin, Bortolini (and his Joe Tippman-inspired mullet) played center this past season in offensive coordinator Phil Longo’s multiple run scheme. After filling in at tackle, guard and center his first few seasons in Madison, he expected a return to guard in 2023, but an injury pushed him inside to center, where he anchored a Badgers’ offensive line that had the same starting five for all 12 regular-season games. Bortolini, who broke Jason Kelce’s combine record with the best three-cone (7.16 seconds) among interior linemen, might have the best combination of athleticism and smarts in this draft class. He lacks ideal length to create separation and is guilty of excessive forward lean into contact, but he will strain to finish cutoffs and eventually settle versus power rushers. Overall, Bortolini had persistent hiccups on his 2023 tape, but the guard-to-center transition is rarely immediate, and he offers encouraging upside, thanks to his fluidity, intelligence and technical skill. He projects as an eventual NFL starter with position flexibility across the interior.
Though Bortolini has played all three positions on the Badgers’ offensive line, Brugler has him as the No. 4 center in the draft who can flip to guard. Brugler believes Bortolini will be a starter on an NFL offensive line and may be a third-round pick.
Check out video of Bortolini here. Joe loves how he uses his shoulders to help twist defensive linemen to the outside of the quarterback or away from the running back. That’s good fundamentals.
The fact Bortolini is both smart and a mauler ought to mean he knows just how far to push the envelope without getting a flag.
This defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro sounds like a “Scooby Doo” or “The Jetsons” character. His name is pronounced “Ruke Oh-roh-roh-roh.”
And it seems a lot of offensive linemen scream “ruh, roh!” when Orhohoro comes at them, per Brugler.
SUMMARY: A three-year starter at Clemson, Orhorhoro was primarily a three-technique tackle in defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin’s four-man front, lining up everywhere from the zero-to nine-technique. After not playing football until his junior year of high school, he showed gradual improvements each season in college even if the stat sheet appears underwhelming. As a pass rusher, Orhorhoro doesn’t have a lot of clean wins on tape, but he converts his speed to power and plays with the quickness and balance to become more disruptive (studies boxing to help with his high, active hands). Against the run, he is hard to reach because of his lateral quickness to move up and down the line and he does a great job as a two-gapper with his ability to stack, locate and re-leverage. Overall, Orhorhoro’s undeveloped pass rush instincts and finishing skills cloud his next-level projection, but he displays intriguing movement skills and force at contact to continue getting better and better. He has NFL starting upside with the scheme-versatility to play multiple positions, both inside and outside.
Joe would not be opposed to drafting Orhorhoro. If the Bucs aren’t going to draft an edge rusher, may as well have the best, deepest defensive tackles in the game.
Imagine the rotation the Bucs could have with this Orhorhoro? So good that the Bucs could use Vita Vea and Calijah Kancey at defensive ends on pass rushes at times.
The few times Vea and Kancey lined up at defensive end, they were holy terrors. Offensive tackles aren’t used to that kind of power and speed.
Orhorhoro is certainly intriguing, especially when you factor in Vea turns 30 in February.
April 19th, 2024 at 12:10 am
I like it.
Value in rounds 2 and 3 after trading down.
Gonna make a long Thursday to eventually see no pick.
April 19th, 2024 at 12:23 am
I do like Bartolini as well. I’d be fine with him
April 19th, 2024 at 12:24 am
Ruh Roh – LOL
Orhorhoro is a projected 3rd rd selection
Hands are kinda small and his weight (294) seems a bit light for inside – but otherwise all his other measurables are good. And somewhat like Kancey – he’s quick, fast and a very good athlete.
A project for sure but seemingly a pretty good prospect if he can be had late in the 3rd rd.
There’s quite a few good Guard prospects in this draft – so I’ll just trust Licht as to which one will best help our strong need at LG.
April 19th, 2024 at 12:37 am
I do like Tortellini as well.
April 19th, 2024 at 1:51 am
Na, if we go DT in mid rounds, gimme Sweat…he dominated the guys at combine workouts against others….yeah, he has a checkered history and will have to be reeled in but its a chance I’ll take with a 4th (traded back into 4th, after we land Trotter jr with original 4th)
April 19th, 2024 at 3:54 am
Bartolini sounds a lot like another Hainsey. Bucs need a top-level center who can help improve the running game. Pass.
April 19th, 2024 at 4:26 am
Tanor Bortolini sounds good, however I would rather see centers Frazier, Van Pran, and JPJ first. Edge rusher first; Turner, Verse, Latu, …
April 19th, 2024 at 6:16 am
Bortolini and Van Pran will have to be drafted by zone schemes unless they get bigger. They are both very tall. Van Pran has a basketball build and isn’t even 300 pounds at 6’5″. Bortolini is slightly above 300 at the same height. Not all teams are looking for a power center and those teams will value these players more than the Bucs. I’d prefer we draft a center that can start immediately. Going into 2024 with the 32nd ranked center and a young guard just isn’t good business.
April 19th, 2024 at 6:51 am
@HeyJude
No to Latu. Dude is injury prone & he probably should’ve retired. Doctors even told him they thought he should consider it, too! That’s why as much as I like Payton Wilson that’s what kind of worries me about him, too! He’s dealt with a bunch of injuries already.
April 19th, 2024 at 6:57 am
We have a center. Need a dominate center, that can make a game winning play! Go BUCS
April 19th, 2024 at 6:59 am
I see the Bucs drafting 2 or 3 Offensive Lineman this year. Bortolini would be a good pickup in the 3rd round.
April 19th, 2024 at 7:45 am
@Tony – I agree about Latu. He is such a good guy and I would hate to see him get badly injured. One doctor released him to play again. Unfortunately, that happens a lot.
April 19th, 2024 at 10:30 am
Bartolini is a +5th rounder. I like the multiple positions. Solid backup potential.
April 19th, 2024 at 11:46 am
“…projects as an EVENTUAL NFL starter.” Bucs need an immediate starter.
April 19th, 2024 at 1:53 pm
Bortolini is an enticingly athletic prospect but he wins with angles and technique, not power. He can’t move the line of scrimmage off the snap. The Bucs need hog mollies in the middle who can to succeed running the ball like they do not dancing bear type athletes. He’d be Hainsey plus: solid and able to get in work down the field but unable to create holes with power. He also lacks Licht’s favored nasty streak. Brandon Coleman could be taken a little later and has better upside.
April 19th, 2024 at 2:00 pm
Two years ago we drafted guys that had injuries in their background and we were plagued with injuries all season. IDK if it was voodoo or karma or just coincidence but I don’t want to see it again.