The Bucs wide receiver depth chart was Mike Evans, DeSean Jackson, Adam Humphries and then…..
So when the team drafted a receiver in the third round, perhaps fans shouldn’t have been as surprised as some of you I saw on Twitter and Facebook were.
This is a passing league, which is why quarterbacks like Mitch Trubisky get reached on so often. However, as we’ve seen with Jameis Winston, it’s hard to find consistent success if you don’t have guys for your quarterback to throw to.
The Bucs have had some good receivers in their history, but recently, it’s been Evans or bust.
Vincent Jackson has struggled to stay healthy since the team brought Winston on board. Humphries showed some talent in 2015, but didn’t cement his slot role until last season.
With Jackson injured again in 2016, Humphries’ role was forced outside of his real comfort zone, and his effectiveness suffered at times because of it.
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Seferian-Jenkins was once a young tight-end on the rise, but after his crappy DUI incident, his days in Tampa were done.
Brate was a nice surprise to most, but beyond these less than exciting options, there wasn’t much to work with.
How do you fix it as a general manager? Signing Jackson and drafting Howard were both good starts, but ignoring the back end of your depth chart just leaves you open to a one injury collapse in your passing efficiency.
Enter third round pick Chris Godwin from Penn State.
While at State College, Godwin contributed with 154 career receptions, totaling more than 2,000 career receiving yards.
He topped out in his final season with 11 touchdowns giving him 18 in three seasons as he closed out his second-straight season with nearly 1,000 yards receiving.
All of this was done, mind you, with Christian Hackenberg and freshman Trace McSorley as his quarterbacks.
Coming in as the team’s fourth receiver this season, he’ll have limited, but solid impact on the offense.
If Jackson runs into injury problems which many fans are worried he will, the we may see Godwin thrust into regular action sooner than most would like.
With good strength in his 6’1” frame and better speed than most give him credit for, Godwin has future starter written all over him.
A solid pick for a solid player, even if it fills a need which may have been a bit further down most folks’ boards for the Bucs.