This is the full review of each player taken by the Bucs for this year from the college ranks to play at the pro level. Each player's scouting report is summarized, strengths/weaknesses listed, and each pick is rated by 'Fills a Need?' and 'Makes the Team?' Overall review of the team is below the individual draft picks, so please read the whole page. Thanks.
| FIRST ROUND | |||
| 3. Gerald McCoy | DT | OKLAHOMA | Review |
| FILLS A NEED? | You BETTER BELIEVE this is a YES |
Practically the easiest No-Brainer pick the Bucs ever had. Maybe the
Cadillac pick for RB in 2005 was easier. |
|
| MAKES THE TEAM? | YES. He's the fricking first rounder, and fitting a key spot on the Bucs' defense. | ||
| SECOND ROUND | |||
| 35. Brian Price | DT | UCLA | Review |
| FILLS A NEED? | Eeeeeeehhhhh, ahhhhh, this is tricky. Both DT positions in the 4-3 front line were questionable last year, so getting another DT alongside McCoy kind of makes sense. But higher needs at WR and CB were here... | Between you and me and the webcam, I thought the Bucs had
taken care of the DT needs with McCoy's pick in the First. Our DT roster
had some issues, but I considered them mostly a matter of depth and development.
The Bucs just drafted the likes of Roy Miller and he showed some promise,
hopefully getting another year under his belt to improve. I thought that
here, in the Second, the team needs for WR and CB would get filled. Bucs leadership thought otherwise. Look, Price is a First-Round caliber Tackle, a wider body than McCoy and slightly better as a run-stopper. He's also versed in 3-Technique play style, which should help. This isn't a bad pick. I just wish we had more higher round picks to take care of WR and CB issues. This wasn't a pick I would make... |
|
| MAKES THE TEAM? | DT depth was a serious problem. As a high-ranking pick, he's going to get every chance to make the team. This is a YES. | ||
| 39. Arrelious Benn | WR | ILLINOIS | Review |
| FILLS A NEED? | WR has big question marks (mostly "How soon can Michael Clayton get traded away?") This is a huge YES. | The Bucs traded up to get here and secure one
of the top 5 WRs of the draft and the best one left after Bryant and Thomas
were gone. This at least resolves the other major issue the Bucs had: D-line was one, Receiver was another. Outside of TE Winslow, the Bucs simply didn't have anyone that scared the hearts of opposing defenses. Clayton is officially a bust. Stovall also had enough time to step up, and he hadn't. The only bright spot was Sammie Stroughter, last year's late-rounder pick-up, and he's just not a deep-yard threat. Benn is. Taller, physical, can accelerate after the catch, good hands. Benn's biggest problem according to the scouts was his team's QB: the team just didn't have much of a passing offense to begin with, so he may yet be raw. Benn opens up the passing offense as an extra target: now teams have to decide between him and Winslow to double-team. As long as other WRs get added to the mix... |
|
| MAKES THE TEAM? | He better. We need the boost to the WR corps. YES. | ||
| THIRD ROUND | |||
| 67. Myron Lewis | CB/S | VANDERBILT | Review |
| FILLS A NEED? | YES. Cornerback is looking for a future replacement for Ronde Barber. It's Lewis' chance to be that guy. Like the other CBs drafted before him... |
Myron Lewis? Wasn't that the name of a character from Alan Moore's Watchmen?
Sigh. |
|
| MAKES THE TEAM? | He's a high enough pick to warrant development. YES. | ||
| FOURTH ROUND | |||
| 101. Mike Williams | WR | SYRACUSE | Review |
| FILLS A NEED? | Given the quality of WR talent we've got, this is still a YES. I wouldn't even be surprised if we draft a third, way things are... | This is the one year I expected the Bucs to draft
multiple WRs, simply because the team never successfully got a solid WR
corps lined up. The last time we went with more than one receiver was 2005,
beefing up the corps... with guys who flamed out and barely produced (Paris
Warren gave a few years back-up duties and that was it). The team never
recovered from that, and they've been trying to reload ever since. Williams brings to the team speed, good eye for the ball and a willingness to play to it. This is a guy who could have been a First Rounder, except for serious off-field issues that drove him off the team for a full season. Huge red flag there. Not the best (Gilyard!) WR pick (NOOO someone else drafted Gilyard!) the Bucs could have taken (USF's Carlton Mitchell is still there hopefully by the Seventh, what he went in the Sixth? NOOOO...). Williams has the talent, but does he have the will? |
|
| MAKES THE TEAM? | Character issues come with this particular pick. He definitely needs more training with route-running from what I've read. This is a borderline YES only because of the crop of WRs now isn't good. | ||
| FIFTH ROUND | |||
| TRADED | GONE | DADDY | Review |
| FILLS A NEED? | Not Anymore | Traded to move up 3 spots to snag Benn in the Second Round. This kind of hurts because depth issues at too many places won't get resolved as well. | |
| MAKES THE TEAM? | Not for now. | ||
| SIXTH ROUND | |||
| 172. Brent Bowden | P | VIRGINIA TECH | Review |
| FILLS A NEED? | Wait.
What? PUNTER? Oddly enough, we are short a punter. So, Yes this fills a need. |
So I go off to take care of a few things, and I come back
for the Sixth Round and find out WE DRAFTED A PUNTER?! Look, I know Bidwell's gone. I know whoever we had at the Punter spot wasn't all impressive, if we had someone. But still and all: WE STILL HAVE NEEDS AT DE AND WR AND SS AND FB AND... And... We missed getting WR Carlton Mitchell for this? Sigh. This could have waited until the Seventh Round. I doubt there was going to be a run on kickers... |
|
| MAKES THE TEAM? | I think he's the Punter. That's it. He's in barring stupidity (don't drive with Talib!) | ||
| SEVENTH ROUND | |||
| 210. Cody Grimm | S | VIRGINIA TECH | Review |
| FILLS A NEED? | Safety depth was a major issue. This is the latest in the draft I think I've said HELL YES this fills a need. | It's the second guy in a row from Va. Tech. Wassup, scouts? Grimm is an upfront presence by the look of things, intense and good tackler. My first impression is this guy can be a John Lynch. |
|
| MAKES THE TEAM? | It's a good possibility, given the depth and talent issues the Bucs have at the Safety spot. He's definitely Special Teams player for now. This is a YES. | ||
| 217. Dekoda Watson | OLB | FLORIDA ST | Review |
| FILLS A NEED? | Not really. Our Linebacker corps is okay with starters. Maybe depth and development concerns, but we had needs elsewhere. Only yellow because of depth concerns... | Was Outside Linebacker this much of a need? Watson's positives include playing to the snap, plays with instinct and can be a good pass rusher. Problem is he's injury-prone and not as good in pass coverage, something OLBs need to be good at in the Bucs' scheme. I'm not impressed with this pick. |
|
| MAKES THE TEAM? | Only as a Special Teamer. I'm thinking NO. | ||
| 225. TRADED | Thpt | Ack | Review |
| Ha | |||
| 232. TRADED | Wibble | Wobbly | Review |
| Bwah | |||
| 253. Erik Lorig | DE | STANFORD | Review |
| FILLS A NEED? | The Bucs did have some DE depth concerns. Does count as a YES. |
The one draft pick we have to make as it's the Compensatory.
|
|
| MAKES THE TEAM? | This is cannon fodder, Practice Squad type of pick. Unless he impresses on Special Teams, otherwise this is a NO. | ||
--
Review of overall draft:
OVERALL GRADE |
B |
|
| NOTES: Written on Day One: No-Brainer. We need McCoy on that Line! Written on Day Two: Wait. ANOTHER DT? Seriously? Thank Gods we took care of WR need with Benn. Written on Day Three: NOOOOOO! We missed Gilyard! We missed Griffen! NOOOOOOOOOOO... Overall, the top half of the draft is gonna work out great. Our defensive front is vastly improved and should create better play across the whole defensive unit. Our WR situation also seems fixed with a sure-fire starter (Benn). If we had done a slightly better job of using that Fifth Rounder on a pick, and on getting some guys I coveted (yes I am being biased here), I'd have graded an A draft. This is still one of the better drafts we've had since the 1990s. | ||
| BEST PICKS | Gerald McCoy, Arrelious Benn, Cody Grimm |
McCoy can start right away. Benn gives the offense a needed weapon to keep opposing defenses on their toes. Grimm is the kind of intense player we need at Safety. |
| WORST PICKS | Myron Lewis, Brent Bowden, Erik Lorig | Lewis has a few question marks, and there were other players we could have gotten at that spot he was picked whereas Lewis could have been gotten later. Bowden will play, but picking a Punter in the Sixth Round was a dumb move. The DE pick Lorig wasn't someone who can help with depth concerns. |
| BEST OVERALL MOVES THIS DRAFT | Waiting for McCoy. Getting Benn and adding talent to the WR corps. Testing depth and talent at CB and Safety. | |
| WORST OVERALL MOVES THIS DRAFT | Missing out on certain players (DE Everson Griffen for example) a First-Round caliber talent who kept sliding down in the draft with the Bucs passing on him until it was too late. Trading away the Fifth Rounder to move up to get Benn when there was little chance the teams between 39. and 42. would have taken him: that Fifth Rounder would have come in handy. Using a still-valuable draft pick for a Punter that could have been taken in a later round. The draft pick for DE evaluation not that impressive, and we could have gotten a better DE with a higher 7th Rounder pick that got traded away. And developmental needs for the O-line, especially Right Offensive Tackle were not addressed. | |
--
back | email me if you think the Bucs should have held off on drafting the Punter for the Eighth Round. Seriously.
--
