Buccaneers Draft Comparative: Corey Davis and John Ross
WINNER: JOHN ROSS, WR, UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
By the math of these four areas of evaluation it would look to be a tie, but we can’t do that because we aren’t covering the Redskins we’re talking about the Buccaneers. Believe me, this is tighter than it might look to most.
Davis presents the better package of receiver skills entering his first season, and his record setting production at Western Michigan is no joke.
Ross has blazing speed which can transform an offense overnight and open the field for guys like Mike Evans and Cameron Brate to run in with less traffic holding them up.
In addition, Adam Humphries would be more effective from the slot with Ross lining up next to him as defenders play back to contain the speedster allowing Humph some space to get into the open field where he does his best work.
For me, this comes down to doppelgangers. While he’s not as tall as Evans or as slow, Davis is more like Evans than he is like a Cooks or DeSean Jackson. The Broncos have one of the most lethal duos in the NFL with Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders, but they’re so successful together because they complement each other.
With nearly the same amount of yards and touchdowns this season, Sanders did it with 11 fewer receptions while Thomas filled the role of the more reliable – and taller – target for his young quarterback.
The Buccaneers have their tall and reliable target in Evans, now they need their speedy Sanders clone who can go out and take 79 catches for over 1,000 yards. Now, it won’t happen overnight by any means, but given two or three years and we could be looking at the best receiver duo in the league because of how they make defenses easier for each other.
When the Cleveland Browns drafted Corey Coleman from Baylor last season they were looking to combine his speed and downfield acumen with the talents of Josh Gordon and Terrelle Pryor.
The open spaces Coleman should have been able to find with those other two on the field would all but assure him the room to make catches and turn them into big plays.
Instead, Gordon was suspended, the quarterback was injured and even the rookie himself played in just 10 games netting 33 catches for 413 yards and a longest play of 58-yards.
Winston has proven to be more durable than he probably should as he has survived a barrage of hits early in his career due to the lack of quick play ability and up-front protection.
Corey Davis simply doesn’t provide what’s missing to this offense, while John Ross has the inside release to exploit soft coverage and the downfield speed to burn press. Winston’s longest passes of the season in 2016 went for just 45-yards.
With Ross, the chances are pretty good he breaks that number easily in 2017.
So who do you want in 2017 and why? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter to discuss.