Joe has to confess to still walking around in a daze, thinking life is a weird episode of the “Twilight Zone” after hearing Todd Bowles talk about the benefits of scoring points from the owners meetings two weeks ago in Palm Beach.
“I learned that you win by scoring points,” Bowles said. “I don’t ever want to bypass a very good offensive player. I can figure things out enough on defense to keep us competitive.”
While that is certainly to hear from Bowles, would he actually put that statement into practice next week when the draft gets underway?
Joe brings this up because it seems the No. 1 full-time receiver on draft boards, Tetairoa McMillan of Arizona, seems to be losing luster off of his stardom, as Joe has heard from analysts. They say he may not be the non-diva that Mike Evans and Chris Godwin are. (And it appears Jalen McMillan may be a non-diva as well).
Additionally, Tetairoa McMillan doesn’t love football the way some guys do, per the analysts. Sometimes — Joe’s words here — McMillan may half-ass it on the field.
On the flip side is folks who claim the 6-4 stud McMillan was playing hurt all year.
Good guy Brian Baldinger of NFL Network hopped on VSiN to chat with Nick Kostos and Femi Abebefe, co-hosting “You Better, You Bet.” There, Baldinger said McMillan might not even be the second full-time receiver selected.
Baldinger seems to think Texas stud Matthew Golden will be the first receiver not named “Travis Hunter” off the board, possibly followed by Ohio State’s Godwin clone, Emeka Egbuka. That would very likely push McMillan down the board at No. 19 where the Bucs pick, despite McMillan’s serious talents.
So if McMillan happens falls to the Bucs, does Bowles back up his words from the owners meetings and beg Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht to turn the card in on McMillan? Or, are McMillan’s hangups too much for Licht and the Bucs to gamble on?
