Linebacker was easily the most consistent unit for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2017, yet the team decided to spend their 2018 sixth-round selection on one anyway. What will he bring to the field?
When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Jack Cichy out of Wisconsin with the 202nd pick of the 2018 NFL Draft, there were certainly some fans and even media members who were a bit confused.
Not to great lengths mind you, as late round picks rarely elicit overly dramatic responses. However, the question still remained: Why would the Bucs draft a player at a position of strength who is coming off two serious injuries?
Well, one reason could be the future. See, with Lavonte David and Kwon Alexander already having had Pro Bowl season’s in their careers and second-year linebacker Kendall Beckwith coming off a rather impressive rookie campaign, there’s a need to look to the future.
If all three continue the paths of development and performance they’re on, then all three are going to demand some nice coin when they become unrestricted free-agents.
Of course, this isn’t too close a problem to spend a day one or even day two pick on, but day three is a nice place to find underestimated talent.
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Cichy was one of the Big Ten’s up-and-comers in 2016 coming off an impressive Holiday Bowl performance against the USC Trojans and future NFL quarterback Cody Kessler.
In the game, he had perhaps one of the best series’ in bowl history when he came up with three sacks on three-straight snaps.
The Badger linebacker finished the game with those three sacks and nine tackles, earning defensive honors in the game and staking claim to his chances for a full-time starting roll in the upcoming NCAA Football season.
And start he did. For seven games, until a torn pectoral muscle sidelined him for the rest of the year. In those games, Cichy racked up 60 tackles with seven going for a loss and still made the conference’s honorable mention list despite playing in barely more than half the year.
In a 2016 profile of Cichy and his older sister Tessa, their father Steve Cichy – a former Notre Dame defensive back – recalled comments about the fire both siblings had on the playing field.
"“They were totally different people (the coaches) and they came up to me and my wife Lisa at separate times,” he related. “But they both said, ‘Your kids play this sport like they need it (to survive).'”"
This character trait is certainly evident when you watch the newest Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ linebacker play the game. Problem is, you’ll have to back a couple years to do it.
Prior to the 2017 college football season, during a practice, Cichy injured his knee and was out for the year before he even got it going. Obviously, he decided to enter the NFL rather than apply for a medical redshirt.
But is Cichy carrying the same fire once written about over two years ago? In his first conversation with Bucs media, Cichy said this,
"“I’m really a relentless competitor and a relentless defender. I really try to have good instincts and when I diagnose a play, I like to try and make it 100 miles per hour. I think that that’s just one of the best things about my style of play, just being able to be relentless.”"
It’s not a bad self-description. Despite being undersized as a linebacker when he arrived in Wisconsin, he worked to earn his shot at big stage opportunities and a starting job.
Then, when it was taken from him due to injury he worked incessantly to get back and rebound in 2017 only to suffer another season-ending injury. Following his second injury, he bet on himself and entered the NFL Draft.
Now, Cichy has vowed to be 100% and feels confident about his health and playing ability. Pay attention Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans. Relentless players are what we’ve been searching for. There are already some on the team, and Jason Licht just found another.
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How do you think the pick is going to work out? What kind of future do you see for the Bucs’ sixth-round pick?
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