Buccaneers Potential 2nd Round Targets – Patrick Robinson

Dustin Staggers — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 18:34:35 +0000

Patrick Robinson

Chart from ESPN.com’s Scouts Inc.

Defensive Corner specific Traits
Fluidity	3	Above-average balance. Does an adequate job of opening hips when forced to turn and run but feet are quicker than hips and he can lose too much momentum getting in and out of breaks.
Closing Burst	2	Needs to do a better job of sinking hips but drives off his back foot and shows good burst coming out of his backpedal. Shows above-average closing speed when receivers catch the ball in front of him. Flashes functional recovery speed when tracking the ball downfield.
Ball Skills	2	Reads the quarterback’s drops fairly well and flashes the ability to break on the ball before it leaves the hand. Interception total dipped substantially last year but he missed three games and teams did not appear to test him as often. Played some receiver at the high school level and will not drop many passes he should catch.
Instincts/Mental Toughness	2	“Confident and doesn’t appear to dwell on mistakes. Gets teammates in proper alignments before the snap. Physical, but too aggressive at times. Needs to do a better job of extending arms when re-routing receivers at the line of scrimmage (see: 2008 Colorado game). Reads routes well and is not afraid to jump up, but he can get caught gambling and can be beaten by effective double moves. “
Run Support	3	Willing run defender with adequate upper-body strength. Can shed blocks quickly. Adequate tackler but not a big hitter and will have problems getting big backs to the ground.

Trait Scale
1 = Exceptional	2 = Above average	3 = Average	4 = Below average	5 = Marginal

Robinson was second team All ACC last season. He also finished with a career high 47 tackles. Although a couple corners may have passed Robinson with their combine numbers, Robinson was a steady hand in FSU’s defense all season long. He was a 4 year player for FSU and a 3 year starter.

The Bucs Need To Call The Jets

Dustin Staggers — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 22:38:43 +0000

With the draft just about 3 months away, and the evaluation process for most teams underway, there are a lot of players with teams that probably will be released or traded in the offseason. Kerry Rhodes, the SS for the Jets could be one of those players.

While Eric Berry would be a great addition for the Bucs, would trading a 3rd round pick for Rhodes and taking a LT, DE, DT or CB players who generally influence the outcomes of games much more than SS’s at the 3 spot be a more prudent choice?

LT Russell Okung, DE Carlos Dunlap or Derrick Morgan, CB Joe Haden, or LB Rolando McClain all might be players more justified of the big dollars that come with being a top 3 pick. Listen, I love Eric Berry, I think the guy has a big future in the NFL. Let’s face it though, paying a SS that kind of money just seems ridiculous to me. If this were a slotted NBA or NHL style system, I say draft Berry.

In 5 years, Rhodes has 15 INT, 6 FF and 327 Tackles.

Would you rather have Berry, than be dealing with a weaker set of DE’s, DT’s and LB’s, or would you rather take a Derrick Morgan or Carlos Dunlap (who will shoot back up the boards after the Combine) take CB Patrick Robinson and WR Arrelious Benn in Round 2 and then move that third for Kerry Rhodes?

There are a bevy of possibilities that the Bucs have at their disposal, and while I love Berry, I’m just not sure that I could justify drafting a SS at the number 3 pick.

The Pewter Plank » Patrick Robinson

Buccaneers Potential 2nd Round Targets – Patrick Robinson

The Bucs Need To Call The Jets