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Well, that sucked. With the 7th Overall pick, the Bucs did exactly what I didn't want them to do in selecting Vincent Jackson-clone Mike Evans. Then things went bad-to-worse when Lovie Smith declared to all the world that "Mike Glennon is our quarterback of the future here, so why would we want a third quarterback?"
To which the entire press cover raised an eyebrow and thought, "did you see that kid play like a galloping giraffe?"
Well, let's hope Day Two goes a heck of a lot better than Day One did.
With that in mind, here's my wishlist for Day Two.
1. Lovie Lies.
Lovie Smith stood in front of the media in his introductory press conference and proclaimed, "Darrelle Revis has a place in this defense." Then at the start of free agency the Bucs released him. Lovie told all the reporters at the NFL Owners meetings that beleaguered wide out Mike Williams wouldn't be released or traded. Two weeks later, he was dealt to Buffalo for a late round draft pick.
Lovie loves his misdirection. At this point, we can only hope that Jason Licht and Lovie Smith haven't lost their marbles and think Mike Glennon can be anything more than a very competent backup in the NFL. Maybe this was Lovie's way of hiding the Bucs' intentions to move up in the second round to get Carr or Garropolo. Or to drive up Mike Glennon's value, letting teams know he's still a part of the Bucs' plans and you'll need to pay a bit more than your offering to change their minds.
Regardless, if the Bucs don't secure a quarterback in the second or third round, they've failed the future. Sure, maybe they'll be other quarterbacks and other drafts and for this year, they can make do with McCown and Glennon - but if all goes according to plan, your picks aren't going to be very high in the next few years. If you're going to get a QB - this was the draft to do it.
Maybe I'm wrong, maybe they really do think Glennon is the answer at QB. I just wonder - what's the question? Because it certainly isn't "Which young QB has the best chance to win the Super Bowl for Tampa Bay?"
Would I take Derek Carr over what we already know with Glennon? Yes, absolutely. Murray? Yes. I've always liked the kid. Garropolo. Maybe, I need to know more about him. Mettenberger? No. He's an immobile Glennon-clone and not an upgrade.
So after Lovie's statement, my faith in L&L took a bit of a hit. Let's hope it's the smokiest smokescreen of them all.
2. Address the offensive line.
Be it in the second round or the third, the Bucs need to give the interior of their offensive line some love. There's still plenty of good options out there, like some I mentioned in my What's Next article. The Bucs simply can't leave the first three rounds of 2014 NFL Draft without delivering a big body to start at the guard position.
3. Still need the speed in space.
My biggest problem with the Mike Evans pick was that Evans isn't a fit for what Jeff Tedford needs in his offense. He's said on multiple occasions that this offense requires speed in space. The Bucs still don't have that. Some mentioned Louis Murphy, Chris Owusu and Latrelle Hawkins - but none of these guys have shown the ability to produce consistently in the National Football League.
Maybe the Bucs will use Jeff Demps at wide out to give them that speed quotient but let's face it - does anyone truly believe Demps is the next Darren Sproles?
4. I can accept defense today.
Yesterday, it was all about the offense and while I think the Bucs should still focus on that side of the ball, I can accept the Bucs addressing depth on the defensive side in these two rounds.
5. Be amazing.
I have to admit, I was a little envious of first year Cleveland general manager Ray Farmer working the NFL in Day One.
Not only did Farmer get one of the top corners in the draft to help Joe Haden, he acquired a 2015 first round pick and then traded up to grab a potential franchise QB in Johnny Football. What a day.
Then Rick Spielman, GM of the Vikings makes a bold move trading up to the end of the first round to secure Teddy Bridgewater.
I didn't see any moves of consequence from Jason Licht. The Bucs sat where they were and picked a receiver that didn't fit their offense. Then with quarterbacks to be had at the end of round one, he couldn't make a deal - if he even tried.
It left me with a very underwhelmed feeling after months of anticipation for yesterday. Don't get it twisted folks, on September 7th I'll be cheering like a madman for Mike Evans to do great things. If he is a Jackson clone, if he puts up Jackson type numbers the Bucs' offense will be much better for it.
Hopefully it's not the case where the only thing the Bucs have to show for this draft is V-Jax's eventual replacement.