Bucs Nation Podcast - Season 3 Episode 3

This is the Episode 3, Season 3 of the Bucs Nation Flagship Podcast.

As we approach the 2021 NFL Draft, we’re starting to see some of the biggest analysts in the industry come out with their mock drafts. While some are exciting and others are fun, there are others that make you want to say, “hmmm?”

Peter Schrager of NFL Network’s Good Morning Football and NFL on FOX sideline analyst just released his first mock draft. He has the Patriots trading up to take the number four pick away from the Atlanta Falcons so they can get Justin Fields (QB, Ohio State). He also has Ja’Marr Chase (WR, LSU) as the first wide receiver off the board heading to Cincinnati. Probably one of the more befuddling picks, Schrager speculates that Najee Harris is picked over Travis Etienne. Not only is he picked before him, but Etienne is actually no longer in the first round.

Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

What has Bucs fans, and even analysts scratching their head is the pick at number 32. Schrager has the Buccaneers picking Davis Mills, quarterback from Stanford. Not only is he not worth a first round pick, but there’s so much other talent the Bucs could get. Jason Licht and Bruce Arians have stressed the desire for speed on defense, and they want to take the approach to take the best player on the board. Mills would not be the best player on the board, especially if Etienne is still there.

Even though this is a head-scratcher, Schrager must know a lot more than we all do and sees some signs pointing the Bucs toward a quarterback. Especially if the draft has quarterbacks being taken off the board one through four, there may be a need. Plus, coach Arians could also be seeing something in Mills that others don’t. Let’s not forget that Brady was the 199th overall pick in 2000, and now he’s going down in NFL history as the great of all time.

The league owners met in March to discuss the extension of the season to 17 regular season games which passed with no issue. This started back prior to the 2020 season during the renegotiation of the collective bargaining agreement between the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) and the league.

The agreement paved the way for the extra game. It didn’t extend the total amount of games though. They removed the final pre-season game, which the NFL had no issue justifying after conducting extensive research. They discovered there are more injuries in the final pre-season game than any other.

The extended season was allowed because the players were able to receive an additional media rights deal which includes player distribution of 48.5% of shareable revenue. The additional game will generate $150 million in additional annual revenue for the league.

Some players didn’t like the news, although they’ll get paid handsomely for it. Alvin Kamara called the move out on Twitter saying, “Sh** dumb... as hell...” Green Bay Packers saety Adrian Amos also tweeted, “We really let this happen?”

Outside of the extension of the regular season, the league owners are expected to reconvene prior to the NFL Draft to vote on the remaining rule proposals. Some of these proposals include expanding jersey number options for certain positions, and penalizing players for blocking below the waste outside five yards of the line of scrimmage. They’ll also be voting on eliminating the sudden death overtime format, and how the ball placement is handled in overtime.

The overtime ball placement rule is an interesting proposal. Basically, one team will opt where they want the ball placed. The opposing team will then opt whether they want to defer or take possession. Supposedly, it gives both teams the ability to choose the end result.

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