NFL Draft Grades: Grading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Selection of WVU RB Charles Sims

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers needed to upgrade their offense, and for most, that meant adding linemen, receivers, and maybe a quarterback. But apparently, Jason Licht and Lovie Smith had other plans.

The Bucs selected West Virginia running back Charles Sims with their third pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, adding a player to a position already loaded with more talent than the Bucs know what to do with.

So how does the pick grade out? (Hint: not well.)

Talent: C

Sims is a versatile running back with decent speed and quickness and a bigger frame than a lot of modern backs. But possibly his best trait is his pass catching ability.

The WVU product has sound hands and good vision as a receiver, and is even capable of splitting out wide to catch passes. But there's not much else that stands out.

He's an upright runner who isn't very thick for his height, so he's not going to be an every-down guy. His speed checked in just shy of 4.5, and he didn't rank highly at the Combine in any other metric.

He was productive in college, but doesn't excite as an NFL prospect.

Value: F

The Buccaneers spent a top-100 pick on a player at a position they're already deep at, and with multiple options on the board to fill a big need at right guard.

NFL.com's draft profile for Sims lists him as a 4th-5th round prospect, while CBS lists him as a borderline 3rd-4th prospect.

So taking a player at least 30 picks early at a position that isn't a need is the definition of a reach, and a disappointing value for such an important pick (the Buccaneers don't pick again until the fifth round).

Fit: D

Sims will bring a pass-catching element previously lacking from other Bucs' running backs, but there was no need to make a pick to fill that void this early in the draft.

And if Sims cannot block in the passing game, he'll not have a very big role in the offense. Doug Martin, Mike James and Bobby Rainey are all proven, capable runners, and Jeff Demps is a sub-package, pass-catching back. Where does Sims fit in all that?

Overall: F

This pick was a total failure by the Buccaneers. Selecting at a position with zero need at the top of the third round, and picking a player who would likely remain around until later is a mistake.

It's disappointing that the Buccaneers didn't wait to add a more dynamic athlete like De'Anthony Thomas or Dri Archer later in the draft, and instead opted to over-draft Sims with a valuable top-70 selection.