To grab a stud at No. 19, there has to be some luck involved. Sometimes good, sometimes bad. And maybe, Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht should be exploring the bad? Perhaps?
We all know the Bucs strive to find quality people. And in the past eight drafts or so the Bucs have done an excellent job of doing that. No, Devin White didn’t turn out. That really had nothing to do with being a bad egg in the community. Far from it, in fact.
The way humorist/columnist Mike Tanier sees it, maybe to get a steal in this year’s draft to help get the Bucs to at least the NFC title game, maybe, Tanier thinks, Licht should choose to be more reckless, as Tanier typed on his Substack page, Too Deep Zone.
All of the Buccaneers’ recognizable players date back to the Tom Brady era. The closest thing to a new star they have is running back Bucky Irving. The Bucs should take risks on players with yellow flags who could slip to them in any given round – penalty-and-tantrum prone Mizzou receiver Luther Burden, nad-punching Texas A&M defensive tackle Shemar Turner, one of the many 6-foot-3 cornerbacks with 4.3 speed who spent six years in college for various reasons – in search of superstar upside. Because if Mike Evans, Lavonte David and one or two others get old/injured at the same time, the Buccaneers could quickly slip into Titans-level irrelevance.
Tanier has some solid points, specifically about injuries. The defense, as it is currently constructed, is OK. Maybe good against the run (Joe will spare people’s blood pressure and won’t mention the pass defense).
If Lavonte David, 35, goes down along with Mike Evans or Chris Godwin, things could get ugly. They sure did when the Bucs lost both Evans and Godwin last year.
As far as Texas A&M defensive tackle Shemar Turner, for a defensive tackle to blast a guy in the sack, Joe considers that a trait, not a demerit. If that’s the only thing bad about him, then Joe wants the guy.
(Everything Joe reads about Turner is that Turner simply has no idea how to rush the passer. THAT is a demerit!).
If Licht didn’t have such a good record at drafting good guys, then Joe would agree with Tanier. But yeah, it would be nice if Licht found a Pro Bowler in the draft. Not sure he needs to bring in an a-hole.
