With the unfortunate injury to Akiem Hicks for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the bulk of the attention from fans and the team will now turn to the Buccaneers’ top draft choice of 2022 to see just what they have.
To say that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had an eventful offseason would probably be the understatement of the century. After everything that happened, the 2022 NFL Draft feels like another lifetime ago. With that said, naturally some of the moves the Buccaneers made got a little lost in the shuffle.
During the Draft, the Bucs traded out of the first round to secure the first pick of the SECOND round. In a way, it’s a savvy move, as players always inexplicably freefall draft night, and then you get your choice of the litter for a discount. In any event, the Buccaneers wound up with defensive lineman Logan Hall out of the University of Houston as a result of the move.
Despite being the first choice the Bucs made, Hall didn’t receive as much notoriety as some of his fellow rookies that play on the offensive side of the ball. This was heightened when the Buccaneers stole Akiem Hicks in free agency to replace Ndamukong Suh in the starting lineup. It was another smart and savvy move, as Hall was able to sit back and learn from the veterans along the defensive front, without much pressure to perform right away.
Fast forward to today, and things are much different for Hall and the Buccaneers.
Hicks will now be sidelined at least a month after tearing the plantar fascia in his foot, which means Hall is in line for more work. Granted, solid veteran presence Pat O’Connor is still in the fold, and the Bucs did elevate Deadrin Senat from the practice squad while bringing back Khalil Davis to that same practice squad. Make no mistake though, this is Hall’s time to shine.
So far, Hall has played in 29% of snaps in week one, and 43% in week two totaling 20 and 29 respectively. He may have only one tackle to his name, but has shown flashes, and the coaching staff seems to agree if the increased snap count is any indication.
With the injury to Hicks, the rookie now has a chance to show his stuff, and really give the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and their fans a glimpse of what they have in the rookie, and what’s to come. The offensive line of the Green Bay Packers is banged up heading into week three, and with a talented veteran defense humming on all cylinders, Logan Hall is in a great ecosystem to really thrive. Time will tell if the decision to trade back and draft him was the correct one. If nothing else, this season just got a lot more interesting, as if it wasn’t already.