FanPost

Bucs Weekly Draft Needs - Week 9 (Post Trade Deadline)

Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports

Editor's note: Another excellent FanPost on the Bucs' draft needs, promoted to the front page!

After a week off, here we are with our 3rd edition of analyzing what the Bucs need from the 2015 draft. We've had the bye week and now the game against the Vikings, followed by - dun, dun DUN - the trade deadline! We instantly have 8 picks, but have traded away our starting SS and backup OLB.

One thing that we've come to a major agreement on as Bucs fans as a source of our misery this season is the play of our offensive line. It sucks. The ineptitude of the o-line causes our run game to suck, our QB to go from mediocre to bad, and our playcalling to not pan out (regardless of your opinion on it). It all starts out up front with those 5 guys.

Next, Glennon does not look like the future franchise QB we were hoping him to be. Sure he hasn't been getting a ton of time in the pocket, but any QB that puts up that kind of performance against a very mediocre Vikings defense deserves a failing grade.

Thirdly, we now have a huge question mark with the safety position going into next year. Our former 1st round pick, Mark Barron, is gone. And like it or not, all we have to show for it is a 4th and a 6th round pick.

With that in mind, here we go to the projections of available players based on our draft position, and who we should be targeting on a round-by-round basis to extract max value while collecting necessary pieces.

Bucs Draft Rounds/Positions Week 9

Round 1: #4

Round 2: #36

Round 3: #68

Round 4: TRADED to Patriots (Mankins), RECEIVE #104 from Rams for Mark Barron.

Round 5: #132 TRADED to Bills for 2014 5th Round Pick (Kevin Pamphile), RECEIVE #148 from Ravens for Jeremy Zuttah, Receive #157 From Patriots

Round 6: #164 pick swapped to Patriots (with Casillas) for Pats' 2015 5th Round Pick and 6th Round (#189) Pick.

Round 7: #196

Draft Needs "Power Rankings"

Our performance against the Vikings coupled with the Trade Deadline moves definitely shook things up for our Draft Needs.

Here's my updated list of needs (note, this is not the order in which I think we should draft, just a rankings of positional weakness based on previous weeks' play compared to the overall season)

  1. OT (last week: 3) - The cornerstone of our offensive line, Anthony Collins, has now looked miserable week after week and it only got worse against Eversen Griffen. OT has jumped to the top of our board because Collins has proved that he can't hold down arguably the most important position on the line - LT. Moving him to RT and Dotson to RG might be an option next year.
  2. DE (last week: 1) - Michael Johnson continues to look like an overpriced adequate (not great, adequate) pass rusher, and Gholston looks like he actually may turn into a decent DE. However our production from DE is FAR from what we need it to be, and the Tampa 2 philosophy can't succeed without a pass rush.
  3. G (last week: 2) - The trade for Mankins hasn't been fruitful. We're still getting destroyed anytime we try to run the ball up the middle, and that fall on the Guards. We need to get solid G talent and youth - in a hurry.
  4. QB (last week: 5) - Glennon just does not have the make-up and talent of a true franchise QB. I touched on it already, but to perform in a situation that questions bringing in McCown to start again raises all sorts of red flags for the QB position moving forward.
  5. SS (last week: unlisted) - Barron has been traded, leaving a hole at SS. However, Major Wright could fill in without a huge loss in production since he succeeded in that role under Lovie in Chicago. He hasn't been performing extremely well in this system yet this year, but hey, neither was Barron.
  6. FS (last week: 7) - Goldson is still technically the starter, but it remains to be seen if we actually keep him now that we've traded Barron. I see us dumping his contract as well after the season.
  7. MLB (last week: 4) - Mason Foster is best suited as an OLB. We continue to see this week after week - the inability to drop in coverage in the Tampa 2 scheme. MLB drops down simply because the safety position just became incredibly murky.
  8. CB (last week: 6) - Verner looked solid, and Banks looked better. Out of any position, CBs showed the most improvement from our list of needs. Finding a nickel CB remains a priority as we've seen the carousel of players coming in to try to fix that problem.
  9. OLB (last week: 8) - Lansanah continues to get the job done decently, so there's no reaction to pushing this need any higher above the rest. Also, at the end of the season we could move Foster to OLB to give us more depth. Even with Casillas gone, we should still be in decent shape.

Projected Top 3 Picks

As of this week, the Bucs are sitting at #4. With the Raiders, Jaguars, and Jets ahead of the Bucs. The Jets and Jacksonville still have their bye week, so when that happens, the Bucs will actually jump ahead of them (assuming nobody wins a game). Here's my take on what those 3 picks will result in:

  1. Raiders - Randy Gregory, OLB, Nebraska. The Raiders don't appear to need a QB. Carr is improving every week, even with a completely anemic WR corps and aging RBs to use as weapons. Amari Cooper could be an option for the Raiders, but taking WRs #1 overall is terrible, terrible value. The Raiders need 1 more pass rusher to play opposite Tuck and Mack - and Gregory has been playing well to earn the #1 pick.
  2. Jaguars - Leonard Williams, DE, USC. Their situation is eerily similar to the Raiders. They have a Rookie QB they're committed to for the foreseeable future, and actually have the WR weapons to help out. What they are lacking is a monster DE who can thrive either in place of or opposite of Chris Clemons (rumor is he'll be traded at end of season).
  3. Jets - Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon. Geno Smith is awful. Mike Vick isn't the future. Rex Ryan will be fired. The new coaching regime will want to remove any trace of Rex Ryan with that offense, and it all starts with the QB. The Jets took a chance on a "talented" but "character-flawed" QB once already in Geno, so I see them going with Mariota over Winston if they have the chance.

Bucs Round by Round Options

Here's where we'll be taking a look at each round's options based on our needs and Best Value/Best Player Available.

Round 1 (#4 pick)

QB

Jameis Winston, FSU - With Mariota off the board, as well as the 2 top Pass Rushers, the Bucs would be dumb to not take a chance on selecting a true potential franchise QB. Sure, Winston has his off-the-field stuff. Regardless of how you feel about that, he is extremely talented. I know Lovie loves his character guys, but I think Lovie is someone that Winston will actually look up to, given Lovie's calm demeanor and respectful approach. Lastly, drafting a QB in the first round is astronomically more likely to produce the "franchise QB" then waiting until the 2nd round or later.

Brandon Scherff, Iowa; Andrus Peat, Stanford; Cedric Ogbuehi, Texas A&M -Peat and Ogbuehi are just stud LT's, while Scherff would be flexible to play anywhere on the line. All should easily be available at #4.

Round 2 (#36 Pick)

Unless Glennon goes off in the 2nd half of the season, I'd be shocked if we didn't go after a QB with our #4 pick. Value in the offensive line becomes very apparent in the 2nd-3rd rounds. And that's where I expect us to go. In the 2nd, I truly think it'll come down to T, G, or DE.

OT

Ty Sambrailo, Colorado St.; La'el Collins, LSU Ereck Flowers, Miami; Cameron Erving, FSU - We need a replacement for Collins, so taking the best OT available in the 2nd would be necessary. These 4 are currently ranked 5th -8th on the big board for 2014 Tackles. BPA for OT, baby, BPA.

G

AJ Cann, South Carolina; Josue Matias, FSU; Arie Kouandjio; Alabama; Tre' Jackson, FSU - I highly doubt the Bucs decide to go G over OT in the 2nd round. There's plenty of G talent in the 3rd -4th rounds that represent better value. We could go with any number of guys here, but my guess is that we wait.

DE

Dante Fowler Jr, Florida; Arik Armstead, Oregon; Alvin Dupree, Kentucky; Nate Orchard, Utah - This is the only position that I could see us going with in the 2nd instead of OT. Getting another edge rusher is extremely important, and these 4 should be available. If Orchard fell to the 3rd, I'd love to be able to snag him.

Round 3 (#68 pick)

Here's where things could get fun. Value in the G position is apparent in the 3rd round, but we also need to address our needs at DE and Safety. I predict rounds 3-5 (total of 4 picks) go in some kind of order of G, DE, MLB, S. With that, here's out 3rd round talent with each of those positions.

G

Aundrey Walker, USC; Jarvis Harrison, A&M; Laken Tomlinson, Duke. - Youth and talent at the G position is needed desperately. Aundrey, Jarvis, and Laken all project to go somewhere in the 3rd, and I don't think we should pass on them, given our lack of talent and depth at the position.

MLB

Eric Kendricks, UCLA; AJ Johnson, Tennessee, Ramik Wilson, Georgia; Hayes Pullard, USC - All 3 of these players would honestly represent instant upgrades over Foster at the MLB position. I'm having such a hard time swallowing my dreams of pairing any of these 3 with LVD to form our LB corps for years to come in favor of the unsexy pick of a Guard.

Safety (FS and SS)

Kurtis Drummond, FS Michigan St; Durrell Eskridge, FS Syracuse; Tyler Hunter, SS Florida St; Jaquiski Tartt; Samford - Again, this is going to come down how much Licht/Lovie value improving the line play. This group could go anywhere from the 2nd round to the 4th.

DE

Whoever falls from the group in round 2. - seems lazy to say that, but it's the honest truth. The drop off in talent at DE from rounds 2-3 on gets pretty thin, quick. That's why I'd prefer to take whichever of the DE's that fall from the 2nd round. I'm praying it's Nate Orchard from Utah.

Round 4 (#104 )

QB? Check. OL? Check. Round 4 is where I expect us to go with defense, almost certainly. I'd go with the BPA for either a DE, Safety, LB, or CB. We need talent all over the board, so getting value with this newly acquired pick with BPA is a fairly solid strategy. I think it'd be a mistake to go anything other than DE, Safety, or G given our recent performances and trade moves.This is where Bucs fan would me most eager to see what a Round 4 haul could bring - because it's essentially what we traded for Barron. Whoever it is, it'd be someone who is expected to start or be in heavy competition for playing time.

DE

Frank Clark, Kentucky; Za'Darius Smith; Kentucky; Corey Crawford; Clemson; Owamagbe Odighizuwa, UCLA - Since I have DE as our #2 need, I'd be a little upset that we waited this long to take a DE. I'd prefer to get one in the 2nd or 3rd.

Safety

Jeremy Cash, Duke; Byron Jones, UCONN; Corey Cooper; Nebraska - Following a theme of introducing guys that have potential to go 3rd round, but could easily drop. Again, BPA.

Guard

John Miller, Louisville; Christian Lombard; Notre Dame; Adam Shead; Oklahoma - Lombard (6-5, 311) has been extremely solid as a G for ND. 3 year starter at a big name school with a strength in run blocking. I like that fit as a 4th round value.

Round 5 (#148, 157)

Given that we received a 4th round pick, AND an additional 5th round, I see this where we address the last of our starting needs, then go after the position in need of the most depth.

CB

Cody Riggs, Notre Dame; Tim Scott, North Carolina - Riggs and Scott could both be plugged in as starters at the Nickel CB position - one that we've now essentially benched Leonard Johnson for.

Safety

Jermaine Whitehead, Auburn; Adrian Amos, Penn St; Justin Cox, Miss St - Justin Cox intrigues me mightily. He played JUCO ball for 2 years, showed off some nice stats with interceptions and knockdowns, and continues to do the same at Mississippi St. The Bucs have lacked a ball-hawking safety, and Cox could be that guy.

OLB

Derrick Malone, Oregon; Dyshawn Davis, Syracuse; Norkeithus Otis, North Carolina- I'm going to be plugging Dyshawn Davis constantly. Dude is an animal. Watch the tape here: Dyshawn Davis Highlights

Conclusion

With the exception of 1st round, our draft strategy should be Best Player Available. BPA, BPA, BPA. I hope Lovie and Licht get the message. We have so many holes with our o-line, d-line, LBs, and secondary that we really just need to take the best player available. One more time everybody, Best Player Available.

If Mariota or Winston are there for us to take in the 1st couple picks, we need to do it. I'm back on the "Glennon isn't the answer" wagon.

My Projected Mock Draft

1st Rd - Jameis Winston, QB - Florida St

2nd Rd - Cameron Erving OT/G - Florida St (frankly, whatever the best rated OT is, I'd want)

3rd Rd - Nate Orchard, DE - Utah (or whatever DE falls from the 2nd Round)

4th Rd - Christian Lombard, G - Notre Dame

5th Rd - Dyshawn Davis, OLB - Syracuse; Justin Cox, S - Miss St.

6th Rd - Punter?

7th RD - Crapshoot.

What say you, Bucs fans?

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