Offensive Line Help Could Be Good Addition
March 5th, 2011
Pete Schrager of FoxSports.com believes the Bucs will draft Pitt offensive lineman Jason Pinkston in the second round.
The Great American Track Practice NFL Combine is over. The players have gone home. Cam Newton will have to find better excuses to miss receivers. The weights have been put away. Gil Brandt has resumed grumbling about how Vince Lombardi stole Chuck Mercein from him.
So many of the draft gurus — including Joe’s good friend Justin Pawlowski — have monitored their notes and adjusted their mock drafts accordingly.
(Memo to drafthounds: If you did not follow Justin’s mock draft on Twitter, Joe doesn’t know what’s the matter with you. For those who did, Joe is sure they will agree with Joe when he refers to Justin’s brainstorm of an idea of Twittering a mock draft in one word: “Winning!”)
Pete Schrager of FoxSports.com is no different. He adjusted his mock draft to reflect how players performed in the Great American Track Practice NFL Combine and while he still has the Bucs drafting Adrian Clayborn in the first round, Schrager has the Bucs taking offensive lineman Jason Pinkston from Pitt in the second round.
Pinkston is not a tall man at 6-3 but he is a large man weighing 313 pounds. From the sounds of Pinkston’s profile on NFL.com, he’s smart and athletic and while he has a number of weaknesses, it appears those can be worked out while being coached up.
Joe wouldn’t mind seeing the Bucs add to the offensive line. It’s a smart move.
March 5th, 2011 at 1:38 pm
Eventually I think you will see Clayborn fall to round 2 in the actual draft, and I am going to go out on a limb here and say there is very little chance the Bucs draft him at 20.
The reasons are many: lack of Sr yr production, 5th year senior (Bucs remember, prefer to draft Jr’s in Rd 1 lately), chose not to play in Sr Bowl, is a strongside end not a pass rushing end, chose not to bench press at the combine, has Erb’s Palsy which kept him from completely extending his right arm at the combine and has resulted in him exclusively playing RE during college due to limitations.
Now if you think a team, let alone the Bucs will spend a 1st round pick on this guy especially after the experience with Chris Colmer and his Parsonage Turner syndrome which cut his NFL career short then I have a bridge I’d like to sell you.
March 5th, 2011 at 1:49 pm
Agreed. I like LG John Moffit- he looks like our kinda guy!
Buut, our need at LB is much critical than OL. We need to replace or upgrade 3 LB spots, as opposed to meybe on spot on the OL. I think Ruud will sign elsewhere for more money. While he is very steady, the Bucs want more Impact players(ie- interceptions, hits to break up passes)from the MLB. Black and Hayes both desperately need upgraded. If McKenzie is able to start at Slb, we still need multiple LBs.
At O-line, LG is our biggest question. Ted Larsen played great, but is a center. His destiny is to unseat Faine. Trueblood and Joseph have both been major underachievers here. I think the Bucs plan to let them leave as FAs. That’s why the didn’t sign them, and placed Tender on them that Dominick said he didn’t believe would be in effect, once the agreement is signed. I think Dotson and Hardman both are an upgrade, despite the fan outcry. That leaves Barker,Lee,Zuttah, Dile, and Brandon Carter in reserve. Unless Cater takes the LG spot, as I have hoped.
Still, a OG is a good idea, just in the later rounds. Defene is or biggest weakness. Hope we get a good one. But Dominick has shown an amazing talent at finding undrafted OL- Penn, Larsen, Hardman, Barker, Carter, et all.
Its gotta be defense this time!!
March 5th, 2011 at 2:05 pm
When FA starts, it’s possible the Bucs upgrade the O-line by signing someone like Marshal Yanda from the Ravens. He can play both RT and G, is young (only 26), and is not a “top tier” FA signing. He could quietly be the FA signing to step in and produce similar to Sean Jones signing last year.
If the Bucs have one big FA signing in the off-season, I’m thinking it will be a guy like Eric Weddle from SD (that would be HUGE, and they would likely rotate Grimm and Jones at SS), or even bigger than that, they let Ruud walk and sign Stephen Tulloch away from the Titans (apparently tendered by the Titans, but new CBA will determine whether or not that holds up).
March 5th, 2011 at 2:08 pm
I actually think that the Bucs have a good chance of taking an offensive lineman in the first round. Possibly Gabe Carimi or Mike Pouncey…
March 5th, 2011 at 2:11 pm
I wouldn’t mind that pick at all but I was under the impression that the Bucs wanted to get bigger up front with more size. We are smallish already…Correct me if I am wrong, I thought we were looking for someone 325+ lbs range.
March 5th, 2011 at 2:31 pm
Whether or not a OL is taken early or even middle of the draft will depend a lot on where the team stands with their LBs. If they’re happy with Black/Ruud/Hayes, and believe they can re-sign Black and Ruud to new contracts… there is a good chance the Bucs take a OL with a top 3 pick. If there are doubts about re-signing the current LBs (and Dom has had the conversations with their agents, so only he would know what the chances are), I think the team sticks solely to defense in the first 3 to 4 rounds. The only exceptions I could see is possibly a TE or OL if they believe they have a “steal” locked up for LB or DE as an undrafted guy or maybe a 7th rounder again…
March 5th, 2011 at 3:23 pm
i really dont think they’ll dick around too much with the lb’s until they get the front 4 straight. i would not be suprised at all if they took an o-lineman in the first 3 rounds, i expect it actually.
March 5th, 2011 at 3:28 pm
from the photo….it looks as if he could even give LaGarrette a blow every now and then….if you catch my drift….
🙂
March 5th, 2011 at 5:00 pm
Let’s not re-invent any wheels. We should re-sign Joseph and TrueBlood. My understanding is that O-line coach Pat Morris prefers road-grader types for a run-oriented offense. James Lee is a natural guard out of SC State. Larsen was drafted as C. We should trade Faine for a late round draft pick. We should move Lee to LG, Larsen to C, Hardman to RG, and Dotson to RT. Then let’s have these training camp battles – best man starts – Penn vs Barker (LT), Lee vs Carter (LG), Larsen vs Zuttah (C), Joseph vs Hardman (RG), and Dotson vs Trueblood (RT). We should draft another OG somewhere in RDs 3-6, and put another OT on the PS. Then in September, let’s go out and grade some road!
March 5th, 2011 at 5:52 pm
The problem with trading Faine is that in order to make a trade you need a team willing to give up something of value for your player. Faine is a very well paid veteran who has missed 12 games in the past two years and played in all 16 games only twice in his career. That means if the Bucs get rid of him it will be via the waiver wire.
Personally, if Rodney Hudson is available in Rd 2 he’d be a steal. Guy is the most decorated o-lineman in FSU/ACC history. If he was a little bigger he would have been a top 15 pick.
March 5th, 2011 at 8:04 pm
Simply put, our biggest PON is not OL.
March 5th, 2011 at 8:40 pm
Thinking this through, I have a few thoughts on things:
1) I do not think the Bucs will let Joseph go IF they can prevent it. Contrary to what others have said, he actually has performed well. You just have to remember how many rookies he has been playing with, and how much rotation due to injury he has had to compensate for.
In fact, the only way I see him leaving is if another team offers him too much for the Bucs to match.
2) Depending on the new CBA, it’s possible the Bucs may need to get rid of Faine for salary cap reasons, but I doubt it. The Bucs are most likely well under whatever the cap becomes.
But I DO think a trade could be possible to the right team…and he could actually land us a first rounder value-wise.
3) On Linebackers…
I believe either Hayes or Black could play Linebacker in a pinch. If the Bucs are willing to do that, I could see them letting go of Ruud.
On the other hand, although some feel the LBs need upgrading, I think the outside guys are fine. Once the Defensive Line starts applying pressure, the LBs will look better. It all starts up front.
If any position needs upgrading, I would say it’s MLB…and I think this position would be better addressed with a Free Agent, since the Bucs have established success with FA MLBs. They could let Ruud go, bring in a FA for a few years, and draft someone to train up.
4) I agree with Macabee…
I really do not see Joseph or Trueblood being replaced this year. I think both are capable players. Faine is good too. There is the slim possibility that he could be moved out of here and replaced at center by Zuttah, but I doubt it will happen. Even though Faine seems injury prone, his mentoring Freeman has been essential to Josh’s growth.
The first year Faine was calling the plays. Then Josh started calling more plays over time. It’s possible the coach still views Faine as being needed this year. But I have no doubt that Faine will not get resigned when the time comes.
I would love to see Faine go uninjured throughout a season though.
March 5th, 2011 at 8:42 pm
I meant: I believe either Hayes or Black could play Middle Linebacker in a pinch.
March 5th, 2011 at 9:57 pm
Hayes is not a MLB. Black possibly could play the position, but it’s unknown whether he has the intelligence for the position or just the physical tools. Tyrone McKenzie’s name has been tossed around at MLB as well.
I think if we are able to upgrade only one LB position, it should be Black though. Ruud and Hayes led the team in tackles last year and Hayes finished out strong with 4 sacks, 1 INT for a TD, 6 passes defended and 1 forced fumble. This in only his 3rd season in the league and 2nd season starting. He will be back with the team, so it’s really a matter of Ruud or Black, and I’d take Ruud over Black.
We saw virtually no drop off when Watson and Hayward came in for due to injury. If Watson (a rookie 7th round draft choice) can play with no drop off, I’d rather see how much he can improve than stick with Black. Black has a total of 3.5 sacks in two years as a starter (Geno is averaging that) and the 3-3-5 was designed to bring Black in as a “rush linebacker”. If he can’t get sacks when the plays are designed for him to rush the QB, then we need to try someone else.
Black is the weakest link. Hayes gets another year to see what he can do. And Ruud should be retained or upgraded, but not for an unknown rookie. Either re-sign Ruud, or sign the top MLB FA (Stephen Tulloch has 5 seasons in and may not be able to be tendered with the new CBA). Either one is gonna demand big bucks.
March 5th, 2011 at 10:33 pm
Geno Hayes has proven to be too small to play Wil LB. He gets engulfed by guards and even fullbacks. How could he possibly play MIB, and cover 6’6″ 275# TEs??? LOl, real strange concept of football here sometimes
March 5th, 2011 at 10:33 pm
No No No
DE, LB, DE, LB
An O-Lineman in round 5-6
March 6th, 2011 at 3:50 am
Obviously I think the best thing to do in rd one is draft the best player available in a position of need. If that means oline I’m all for it. The question I want to ask is if this draft is so deep at defensive end why not take advantage of that depth by drafting a guy at de later in rounds 2-3. I posted in a previous thread that while watching the combine etc I’ve been impressed by Sam Acho from Texas. I think he could possibly still be around win the bucs pick in round 2 from what I’ve read. I bring this up because honestly I haven’t been blown away by any of the guys mentioned as possible 1st rd defensive ends selected by the bucs and I’m not sure much separates guys like Kerrigan and clayborn from Acho, especially if we can get him in rd 2. At pick 20 they aren’t going to get one of the studs from this years draft and believe that with such a young team you should draft safe reliable prospects as to ensure continued success.
March 6th, 2011 at 7:40 am
Our number one need is DE, by a large margin. This is the deepest class of DEs in 20 years. SO we should Draft a – OFFENSIVE LINEMAN??? Suuuure, right after all smoke crack together!
The depth of this class at DE is why we didn’t draft a DE last year. Next years class is DE weak. There are starting Quality DEs in the second round this year( Houston/ Reed). We may go DE/DE like last year. Or we might might trade up to get one of the top 4-3 guys. But DE, the LB are our priorities, unless we wanna cry again all year about how we can’t stop the Run. The DE is to Sack the QB- not Run defense. The reason every boarsd says we need OLBs is because ours couldn’t stop the Run- a big part of our Sam and Wil LBs Job.
I keep reading love for Black and Hayes here. Strange to me. If we can’t stop the run all year long- who’s fault do you think it is? A part of it is our DTs, and being young hurt. But McCoy and Miller played MUCH Better than Hovan/ Sims the year before. Both Black and Hayes were given the chance to play when Derrick Brooks and Cato June were Cut-just to get them off the bench and see what they had. Both looked ok the first year, but team’s figured them out this year. They avoid contact.Hayes shows up the last 4 games. Raheem tried to build the pass rush around Black. Black is another Combine warrior- big, fast 40 time, good vertical jump( who cares), – but not a good football player! He never generated any QB pressure, because he won’t fight thru blockers.
We need DE, Then LBs. Sack the Qb, stop the Run.then a safety. Then a Pass catching TE to team with Winslow. The a Lil speed back to spell Blount. Then a LG. We are good at tackle with Penn( All pro for years), Dotson,Lee,Hardman, and Barker. Center we have Larsen and Zuttah. Guard is thin, but not horribly so. Compared to LB( where we need 3!!), it’s s team strenght!
March 6th, 2011 at 10:11 am
It’s a bit early to make that statement. You and I both know that players are mostly unpredictable from season to season in college. A bad player could suddenly excel, or a good player could suddenly play bad.
As for DE, what I would actually like to see is the same thing as last year, only with DEs. Make the first 2 picks Defensive Ends, 3rd a LB, 4th a TE, 5th a hard hitting, good blocking FB and I would be very happy.
To me, those are all the positions of need. We have a guy in place to replace Barber when the time comes. We have Biggers and Myron Lewis (who we took in the 3rd round last year). If one of those two guys steps up, we’re covered at CB.
That’s how I’d like the draft to play out…but I doubt it will.
March 6th, 2011 at 10:15 am
I disagree that we need 3 LBs. I think Hayes is acceptable, and I think Black gets the job done. I do not think we should draft a safety at all this year.
Once the DL is getting lots of pressure, the other positions will get better. MLB needs an upgrade. I like Ruud, but he doesn’t get many tackles for losses, unlike his predecssors.
March 6th, 2011 at 2:01 pm
Dominick stated clearly that, at last years draft, they did not draft a DE- because of the depth in this years class.WalterFootball- a draft site that is uncannily accurate, has the 2012 draft already mocked. Last year at this time, he had us drafting 19th this year. In 2012, he has us drafting 29th.
Pete, you keep saying Black and Hayes are doing a good job. We can’t stop the Run, they aren’t pressuring the Qb, they aren’t getting interceptions. That is all there is to their job
What are they Good at??? If we arent stopping the Run, then that’s a LB’s fault- much more so than a DT, who we always seem to blame here.
March 6th, 2011 at 10:39 pm
Dom does a great job of keeping his cards close. I have no clue what he will do.