 |  No. 17 |
 Presented by Buc'Em Josh Freeman |
The Bucs jumped two spots to nab Freeman. They gave up their 17th overall pick and 6th round pick to the Cleveland Browns for the rights to draft Freeman. He will be the 5th Quarterback on our roster and we thought Jon Gruden liked accumulating QB’s. It’s not politically correct, but I see Freeman as the black Ben Roethlisberger based on sheer size and his ability to keep plays alive.
The deck is stacked against Freeman succeeding based on his completion percentage, td-to-int ratio, and decision making, but hopefully new Offensive Coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski can mold him into a respectable NFL signal caller. This may not be the pick you wanted, obviously with our defensive needs, but let’s support him and the staff more importantly. We have McCown and Josh Johnson sitting on the shelf like G.I. Joe collectibles, but keep in mind Raheem and Dominik are not married to them…
Per Mocking the Draft:
Josh Freeman
6'6, 250 pounds | Kansas State | Quarterback
Strengths: Incredible arm strength. Can make just about any deep throw. Puts a nice touch on passes and knows when to take some heat off throws. Great size and can take a hit. Never had the best offensive line protecting him and was pressured frequently. Showed during his junior season that he can be mobile rushing for 14 touchdowns. Cut down on his interceptions ever season but still needs to improve his decision making. Played in a pro-style offense, albeit mostly from the shotgun.
Weaknesses: Not quite ready to be a starting NFL quarterback because of his lack of technique and proper footwork. Rarely steps into his throws. Holds the ball too low when he drops back which nullifies any kind of quick release he would have. Deep accuracy is somewhat questionable. Took the majority of his snaps from the shotgun. Struggles when he has to throw on the move.
Final word: Freeman is an incredibly intriguing prospect. He has a powerful arm and good touch. However, he is very mechanically flawed and will need a patient quarterbacks coach. Threw 34 interceptions in 35 career games, which is troublesome. Still, some team will fall in love with his physical tools. At times his play is reminiscent of Ben Roethlisberger, but he's been too inconsistent to chance a first-round pick on.
I’m not saying you can’t question the pick. With Everette Brown, Michael Johnson, and Vontae Davis still on the board it’s hard not to question this pick. But understand that he is our guy now!