Predict the Buccaneers’ First Pick: A Roundtable Discussion
With the NFL draft just hours away, we fire the cannons to predict who the Buccaneers will choose in the first round.
The wait is finally over…almost. In just eight short hours, the NFL draft will begin. All of the speculation will end, the questions will be answered, and futures will be decided. Will the Buccaneers make a move with the ninth pick? Will they stay put? It will all be answered very soon.
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But for now, we continue the speculation.
This afternoon, we decided to discuss the pick as a group. We went around the table, with each staff member making their prediction. What did everybody think? Let’s find out.
In my personal opinion, I believe that the ninth overall selection for the Bucs will be Joey Bosa out of Ohio State. The reason I believe this is because I predict Bosa will fall.
The first two picks in the draft will be quarterbacks, obviously, leaving the Chargers with the opportunity to draft the best player available. They will have the choice between Jalen Ramsey or Laremy Tunsil. I believe the Chargers will want to replace Eric Weddle with a guy who can play both safety and corner.
Next would be the Dallas Cowboys. They seem to have loved Bosa, but I believe if Jerry Jones has his way, they will be selecting Ezekiel Elliot. After the Cowboys, I believe the only other team that could grab Bosa could be the Jaguars. The Jaguars love Myles Jack, but is the knee issue gonna bother them? I don’t think so.
The Ravens and 49ers both could use tackle help, leaving the selection of Bosa down between the Browns and Bucs. I just don’t believe the Browns will target the edge rusher knowing that they now have a dismantled offensive line in front of RGIII, leaving Bosa to Tampa Bay. The Bucs are starved for a sack master, and to have this type of player fall directly into their laps will be great.
This pick will be made after a trade down, and I have a really good feeling that it will be with the Titans. With three 2nd round picks, and the ability to come up and grab one of the three top tackles in the draft, along with Jason Licht’s relationship with new Titans’ GM Jon Robinson, it just makes too much sense. Bucs trade 1(9) to Titans for 1(15) and 2(45).
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Licht has shown over the past two drafts that he isn’t scared to take the character concern players as long as the background and talent matches up. Spence is the premier edge rusher in this draft class and while his combine performance left a lot to be desired, the talent on the field is what makes this pick. Spence dominated the Senior Bowl looking basically unblockable during the entire time in Mobile. He has a good array of pass rush moves and holds up well against the run despite his size. With our current depth chart we could feature Spence primarily as a pass rusher in obvious pass situations. He can rush with his hand in the dirt or standing up, and that type of versatility will give new defensive coordinator Mike Smith and his multiple look defense a much need edge rusher to pair with Jacquies Smith.
The Bucs trade ninth pick to the Tennessee Titans for the 15th and 45th picks.
The Titans have three 2nd round picks and are likely to use those assets to make moves on draft day. Titans’ general manager Jon Robinson is good friends with Bucs’ GM Jason Licht and they work together to make a move both teams like. Tennessee gets to move up back into the top ten to grab the offensive tackle they like, be it either Tunsil (if he falls), Stanley, or Conklin. The Bucs make the move because the top player they want doesn’t drop to them and they pick up a mid second rounder to only move down six picks.
With the 15th pick in the 2016 NFL Draft the Tampa Bay Bucs select Robert Nkemdeche, defensive lineman, University of Mississippi. Some of you may be questioning this pick because he has had “off field issues.” False, he had one incident that some people can’t seem to look past. He has never failed a drug test and has never been arrested prior to the incident in December. He’s a fantastic athlete and is a top-ten talent. We don’t know how the interviews went but as a pure football player he’s as good as they come. I t won’t be the first time Jason Licht drafts a player with some controversy (Jameis Winston). He can line up inside or outside and would significantly improve the Bucs’ defensive line.
In 2015, the Bucs got their quarterback and two lineman who look poised to usher in a new era of offensive ability never seen in Tampa. As an added bonus, the team also found their quarterback on defense when they took linebacker Kwon Alexander in the fourth round.
For this year’s draft, the team needs to shore up the same spots, just on the other side of the ball. With Alexander in place, the team can look to strengthen their defensive line and draft Ohio State defensive end Joey Bosa. With his burst off the ball, fast hands, and repertoire to keep his opponent guessing, there’s no doubt Bosa would bring an edge presence the team has been needing for a while.
The combination of Robert Ayers, Gerald McCoy, Bosa, and whatever defensive tackle earns the last spot the Bucs would have a formidable defensive line and begin to look like real contenders for the NFC South crown.
The fall of Joey Bosa is no longer a pipe dream, it is a legitimate possibility and one the Bucs will take full advantage of. Desperate for a pass rush, Bosa is the obvious selection here to line up along side Gerald McCoy.
Bosa is the most well-rounded pass rusher in the draft this year and although his ceiling may not be quite as high as some players, his floor also isn’t nearly as low. With Bosa, you know what you’re getting and that’s one helluva football player.
Bosa watched his numbers dip a bit in 2015, but that’s nothing to be alarmed about. Considering he was suspended for the first game, and Ohio State didn’t get the two playoff games at the end of the year, it’s not a matter of a dip in production, it’s simply a case of fewer opportunities.
If Bosa isn’t there, I like trading down and still addressing defensive line, whether that’s with a tackle or end, but at this stage it appears as though the pass rush powers that be are smiling down on the Bucs as one of the top-four prospects of 2016 falls into their lap.
Ultimately, I believe the pick will end up being Shaq Lawson, unless they trade out of the pick. At number nine, Lawson sneaks into the top ten.
My sense is that Bosa actually won’t make it to number nine. Myles Jack will scare people off. Knee injuries, despite the health reports, are tough to handicap. Jack is not a known commodity in the pros, so he doesn’t have a body of work for teams to fall back on. In the search for the next star, teams look to players with the best odds of success, and the expectations grow in the top ten. With that, Bosa isn’t available to the Bucs, unfortunately, at number nine.
DeForest Buckner won’t be there either, so the decision will come down to Noah Spence vs. Shaq Lawson. Spence’s stats are far larger than Lawson’s, but that is in part because of the fact that Lawson was a backup until the end. When on the field, Lawson was a star. In this case, despite Licht’s history taking players with off the field problems, he opts for the safer choice, and that is Lawson.
Next: 'Twas the Night Before Draft Day
Who do you guys think the selection will be? Have one of us picked the right guy, or is there someone we missed? Sound off in the comments below.