Cheb's Official Post Free Agency Mock 2018

[Cheb]

Let's get into it. First, we'll start off with the top six selections prior to the Bucs' pick at seventh overall.

For the purposes of this mock draft, I'm going to refer to the top four QBs (Darnold, Rosen, Allen, Mayfield) as QB1 through QB4. It doesn't matter which one goes where in that subjective ranking. If that order gets your panties in a twist, feel free to rearrange them until you are properly untwisted.

1 - Browns - Saquon Barkley, RB - But Cheb, why would the Browns pass on their choice of a quarterback? To force the Giants next move. If Saquon makes it to 2, there's a good chance that he's a Giant, and it would be a hard thing to convince them to trade out of that selection. However, with Saquon gone at first overall, the Giants would be a threat to select a quarterback. But Eli is still committed to playing, so the Giants aren't pressured to immediately take a top quarterback. Cleveland goes with the best overall prospect on their board. Besides, Cleveland would likely already be on the phone with the Giants about the next pick…

2 - Browns - TRADE - Sam Darnold, QB - Cleveland trades up from fourth overall to second overall, giving the Giants both of their second rounders in the process. Cleveland selects Sam Darnold, the presumed QB1, and the designated savior of the franchise. Cleveland views this as a win by selecting the two best offensive prospects in the draft, guys they think will be lifelong Browns. Cleveland would also make NFL history by making the first two selections in a draft. The Browns are making aggressive moves to win now, and this fits right in with the rest of their offseason. From the Giant’s perspective, they view this as a win by picking up two second rounders to move down only two selections, where they can still pick up a quarterback if they want to. The Giants would now have the top three selections in the second round, believe it or not, a huge win for a team that needs a talent infusion at multiple spots.

3 - NY Jets - Josh Rosen, QB - The Jets pick QB2, Rosen, as they have been posturing to do all offseason. If they select any position besides a quarterback, I’ll be amazed for a short spell, then shake my head at the Jets for spending a ton of draft capital to trade up to number three overall for not-a-quarterback. In that case, Jets gonna Jet. As is, getting the second best quarterback in the draft would be a big win for them.

4 - NY Giants - Josh Allen, QB - The Giants select QB3, Allen. The Giants are unlikely to be in this position to select a high quarterback again in the near future, and they take full advantage after their trade down. Allen sits behind Eli for a year or two learning the ropes before taking over when Eli inevitably retires. Is QB the greatest need on the team, debatably not, but they figure they could overdraft a quarterback to redshirt behind Eli and address their other holes with the top three selections in the second round.

5 - Bills - TRADE - Baker Mayfield, QB - The Bills trade up to fifth overall to select QB4, Mayfield, in the process losing both of their first rounders and maybe a bit more. Earlier this offseason, the Bills traded away their starting left tackle and their starting quarterback to obtain enough draft capital to make a bold trade up for a quarterback. They’re getting nervous, knowing that the last of the top-tier quarterback is there for the taking and they may miss out on him. From the Broncos perspective, they get both of Buffalo's first rounders and probably a second or third rounder to sweeten the pot. They have Case Keenum in place for at least two years and they are paying him $36 million dollars in that time frame, and they trust him to succeed. They can afford to trade back and stock up on talent at multiple positions, which is exactly what Elway chooses to do.

Now, the above scenarios may not happen. I may be way off in predicting some of these things; most everyone likely will be. HOWEVER, I strongly believe that the top five selections are going to be Saquon Barkley and the top four quarterbacks in some order. Who goes where, and who pays what to do it, I may be way off base, but I feel that the fundamentals of that top five are likely, maybe even probable.

6 - Colts - Bradley Chubb, DE - With all the top quarterbacks gone, the trade market cools considerably. The Colts need a lot of help. The fundamental debate with them is whether to draft Nelson or Chubb. After trading down with the Jets earlier this offseason, the Colts have three second round selections, two of them after the Giants three straight picks to start the second round. They can obtain a quality guard at one of those spots easily if they so choose. It’s much harder to find an impact pass rusher, especially one that checks every box as Chubb does. The drop-off in talent from Quenton Nelson to a likely second round interior lineman like Billy Price or James Daniels is much smaller than the drop-off from Bradley Chubb to a likely second round pass rusher like Rasheem Green or Kemoko Turay.

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Enough about everyone else. Onto the Bucs.

First Round, Seventh Overall - Bucs - Quenton Nelson, OG. Decisions, decisions, decisions. The Bucs could go a lot of ways with this selection. They could add a secondary player in Fitzpatrick or James to take over the other starting safety position, or maybe add Ward to take over a corner spot. They could add a pass rusher, like Marcus Davenport or Vita Vea. Ultimately, I believe that the Bucs will select Quenton Nelson at seventh overall in this scenario for nine reasons.

Firstly, reps at defensive end are going to get hard to come by. JPP has never come off the field very much throughout his career; last year he played the second most defensive line snaps in the league. When asked about JPP’s likely snap counts yesterday during the league meetings, Koetter said that he would try to get JPP some rest, but he’d still play a ton of snaps, likely upwards of 80%. We also signed Vinny Curry, who is being paid upwards of $7 million per season to be a full-time starter for us. So there are your starters on the left and right sides, respectively. Behind them on the depth chart we have Will Gholston, a strongside stalwart, and Noah Spence, who is now relegated to be the designated third-down rusher he always was meant to be. Do we overdraft a defensive end who wouldn’t see the field much? I doubt it.

Second, the same point holds true for defensive tackle. Gerald McCoy isn’t going anywhere, and he will continue to be the ironman in the middle for us. Beau Allen is being paid $5 million per year to be our starting noseguard. Mitch Unrein is our third defensive tackle, presumably backing up McCoy. Stevie and Siliga are going to fight for the backup nosetackle job. Just like with Defensive End, are we going to spend the seventh overall pick on a guy who would be fighting for reps? Doubtfully.

Third, we have made a solid effort to solidify the lines throughout this offseason. Just look at our new acquisitions; four defensive linemen (Allen/Curry/JPP/Unrien) and a center (Jensen), which makes five of our seven new arrivals, the others being Cameron Lynch back from the Rams and our shiny new kicker Chandler Catanzaro. We aren’t targeting skill position players, presumably because we feel confident in our skill position guys that we have.

Fourth, per Jenna Laine at ESPN.com yesterday, JR Sweezy still hasn’t been cleared from injury. Are we willing to count on a chronically injured guard, a guy who we paid a ton of money to miss an entire season before he even got a snap for us when he got here, to come back from injury and even be a ghost of a shadow of his former self he showed in Seattle? That’s a good question. Koetter, when asked about Sweezy, was non-committal yesterday, stating that JR’s not in the building so he doesn’t know much about him medically or otherwise.

Fifth, JR Sweezy can be cut or traded before June 1st with a cap savings of nearly $6 million this season. Given that we are getting to be hard up against the cap, saving that kind of money isn’t insubstantial.

Sixth, the money we would save by cutting Sweezy would easily pay for a safety of starting quality, assuming they want to upgrade strong safety from the formidable duo of Chris Conte and Keith Tandy. A free agent like Tre Boston or Tyvon Branch or Kenny Vaccaro or Eric Reid would be paired with our promising young draft pick Justin Evans, making safety into a relative strength. Drafting Nelson would allow us to upgrade two spots if they went down this route.

Seventh, if we drafted Nelson and placed him at left guard next to Donovan Smith, subsequently cutting JR for the dead weight that he may well be at this point, that would allow Ali Marpet to go back to right guard, a position where he has two years of NFL starting experience and showed flashes of dominance.

Eighth, drafting a corner isn’t necessarily the wisest choice. Brent Grimes is solidified at one outside corner spot, and isn’t going anywhere for this year, assuming he’s healthy. Koetter said yesterday that the Bucs’ top offseason priority was resigning Grimes, and I don’t think that’s hyperbole. VH3 is “at least” per Koetter our nickel corner. The staff seemingly hasn’t given up on Ryan Smith, even sticking by him after Julio Jones beat him up and stole his lunch money. I think that our top corners are set. Besides, the best corner in the draft, Denzel Ward, plays his best football close to the line of scrimmage, which for whatever reason is not the kind of defense we appreciate. Still, I'll admit that if Grimes goes down we are a hot mess, and if/when he retires next year, we should have a succession plan in place. More on that in the second round (spoilers).

Ninth, Nelson is BPA. As has been said ad-nauseum, he has All-Pro potential. He may be the best player in the draft, when it’s all said and done, perhaps the top guy in this class to be wearing a gold jacket at the Hall of Fame the soonest. He’d be the best blocker on our team day one. He would keep Winston’s jersey clean, and he would open massive holes for whomever is running the ball for us. In a vacuum, he’s a massive talent, and he just so happens to be a massive talent that fits our current situation very well.

But yeah. I like him alot. I think he's a stud. Here's some line-porn for you.





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Second round - Isaiah Oliver, CB. This selection has a possibility of being a running back but given the depth of the running back class and the potential of these corners available at the top of the second round, I think that the Bucs made strides to improve their woeful pass defense. Enter Oliver. You guys are going to love him. He’s a collegiate decathlete with athleticism and potential for days. On his better snaps, he looks like a young Patrick Peterson. He’s tall, he’s fast, he has excellent ball skills, and he has the potential to be a true shutdown corner in the NFL. He gets a PBU about every seven targets, and allows a less than 45% completion percentage. There are some aspects of his game that need cleaning up from a technical standpoint, and he can sometimes suffer from Primetime syndrome in that he occasionally doesn’t feel the need to be as physical as he can be, but I feel that with good coaching he could be fantastic. Here he is being largely ignored by Sam Darnold and Josh Rosen.




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Third round - Jason Pierre-Paul, DE. Stop complaining.



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Fourth round - Deshon Elliot, S. Unanimous first-team All-American, Thorpe finalist. Can hit, can run, can cover. Six interceptions with two returned for touchdowns last year, as well as 63 tackles, three forced fumbles, and nine pass breakups. Sure, he'll miss a few open field tackles, and he needs to play better from the neck up. However, he can run step-for-step with a receiver, and he can give you good snaps in backup duty, and great ones on special teams. He needs work on his game, and he likely won’t be starting next year, but he has size and tools to him. He would be groomed to be our heir apparent at strong safety. If he wins the starting strong safety job, more power to him, but I don't expect him to do so in his rookie season.




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Fifth round - Levi Wallace, CB, Alabama. I have been banging his drum all year. He was a walk-on corner at Alabama. By all rights, he should have been buried on the depth chart his whole career, if he even made the team. And yet, he flourished. As the starting left cornerback on a team loaded with talent, he allowed a 32.7% completion percentage against him this year, knocking down 15 passes and getting three picks. He also got 48 tackles (good for eighth on a very stacked team) and 2 sacks. Yes, he's undersized at 180 pounds, but the man can cover and he’s a fiery competitor. He’d at least compete for nickel/dime reps early on, and he would offer excellent special teams reps as a rookie.




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Sixth Round, first selection - Josh Adams, RB, Notre Dame. We reunite Quenton Nelson with his college teammate. Josh Adams was talked about as a Heisman candidate and potential first round pick during the regular season. He ran for over 1400 yards this year at nearly 7 yards per carry. Yet people don't like him because they think he isn't fast. Oh really? Tyreek Hill, widely acknowledged as the fastest dude in the NFL, had the fastest play in the NFL last year, running 23.24 miles per hour on a kick return. Adams ran 22.37 mph against North Carolina State this year; this would have been the third fastest play in the NFL last year. Adams is big, he's powerful, he can find open holes, and he’s built like a ****ing tank. The dude runs like a young Eddie George. NFL.com thinks that he's a sixth or seventh round runner, mostly due to him not offering much in the passing game, is a one-speed runner, plays high, and is EXTREMELY north/south. Still, I'll buy what he's selling for a sixth rounder.




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Sixth Round, second selection - JT Barrett, QB, Ohio State. Barrett is the only three-time team captain in Ohio State history, which tells you something about his leadership abilities. He’s won a shitton of games, albeit with a very talented supporting cast. He has guts, he has grit, and he's a winner. True, his accuracy can be iffy, especially on the deep ball, and yes, he is a bit on the short side, and yes, he often takes the easy short throw instead of going through his progressions for deep shots (likely related to his deep ball inaccuracy). But we aren’t drafting him to start Week One, we would be drafting him to be the career backup to Jameis. JT would be number three on our depth chart this season, with an eye towards replacing Fitzmagic if/when he doesn’t come back next year. A dual-threat QB with a winning pedigree that you groom towards being your backup of the future is a good use of a sixth round pick.




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Seventh Round - BPA. I dunno. Another running back? To pick a name out of a hat, why not Lavon Coleman, RB from Washington. He has admirable traits.

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Questions? Thoughts? Concerns? A great gnashing of teeth?

[Bootz2004]

Good draft for us. But those Browns shenanigans at 1 and 2 are nonsense. Giants didn't stay put to draft a RB. Cleveland can have their QB at 1, stay put and get Barkley at 4. Trading up from 4 to 2 is stupid and a waste.

[Cheb]

Good draft for us. But those Browns shenanigans at 1 and 2 are nonsense. Giants didn't stay put to draft a RB. Cleveland can have their QB at 1, stay put and get Barkley at 4. Trading up from 4 to 2 is stupid and a waste.

You may be right. We'll see

[Jason Bourne]

agree with bootz on the browns stuff, but I like the JT barrett pick

[GameTime]

From your writeups, that would be an amazing draft. Regarding Barrett, that's the one pick I would have changed! But it's a 6th. I just see more value in a special teamer there, just don't trust Barrett

[Mountaineer Buc]

Great write up and explanation of your reasoning.

Only one B1G player? You forgot to homer it.

[Cheb]

From your writeups, that would be an amazing draft. Regarding Barrett, that's the one pick I would have changed! But it's a 6th. I just see more value in a special teamer there, just don't trust Barrett

Drafting a developmental quarterback is always good business, especially in the sixth. Like I said, Barrett would be a third stringer if he were on the Bucs today. As he should be. I wouldn't trust him on Sunday either just yet. He needs to appreciate the finer details of quarterbacking.

Oliver, Elliot, and Wallace would all be doing work on special teams. Probably Josh Adams, too, if we're honest.

[GameTime]

Drafting a developmental quarterback is always good business, especially in the sixth. Like I said, Barrett would be a third stringer if he were on the Bucs today. As he should be. I wouldn't trust him on Sunday either just yet. He needs to appreciate the finer details of quarterbacking.

Oliver, Elliot, and Wallace would all be doing work on special teams. Probably Josh Adams, too, if we're honest.

I don't keep up with it as much as most, I just don't see Barrett as a good developmental guy. Maybe he is, just the fact that osu never topped out with him scares me. He seemed to regress as he got older. Who knows though? Like I said, it's nitpicking on a 6th. Imo, a prostyle guy would be better to attempt to develop

[real bucs fan]

Oliver looks like a good prospect on paper... great length and athletic traits, seems like a perfect fit.

But man, is some of his tape ever ugly. The guy is pretty much afraid to tackle.

And then there's the whole waiting until Day 3 for a lottery ticket RB again. We simply can't afford to make that mistake again. Our RB position is by far the weakest position group on this roster- it's not even close.

This is why I don't think we can afford the luxury of a guard at #7. It just puts us in a hole for the rest of the draft.

[Cheb]

Great write up and explanation of your reasoning.

Only one B1G player? You forgot to homer it.

Khalid Hill and Ty Issac are my secret homer priority free agents.

[Deuce]

Nice job. Regarding the top few picks. Everyone thinks it'll be QB, QB, QB. I have a strange feeling that they're wrong. I'm personally thinking Barkley to the Giants at 2.

Anyway, this is a solid mock with long explanations and even videos. This will be hard for anyone to top this off-season.

[theBKwhopper]

I like this draft a lot. Josh Adams in the 6th seems like good value.

[pewterpirates]

Excellent explanations on why we need to take Nelson. If he's there at 7 and we don't take him, I'll be highly pissed.

Before reading your post, I was actually starting to think we weren't going to take him. I was starting to tell myself that with Marpet-Jensen-Sweezy, I'm sure the Bucs brass feels good about the interior OL. But I'm done with Sweezy. He was a bust. Add Nelson and we'll have one of the NFL's best interior OLs.

[DreadNaught]

Great job Cheb. I like all those players and Elliot is good prospect that hasn't been discussed enough here imo.

[Bootz2004]

Great job Cheb. I like all those players and Elliot is good prospect that hasn't been discussed enough here imo.

I really like Elliott long term. I think once he cleans his game up he will be a good safety in this league.

[Super K]

I like this draft a lot. Josh Adams in the 6th seems like good value.

Couldn't agree more...

I kept waiting for the RB, because we HAVE to take one at some point, and then BAM...

Nice steal...VERY nice steal.

Another big boy too...I like it (no OOCA)....

[mdb1958]

Its a good draft as long as 2,4,5, and the first 6 dont go earlier.

[beardmcdoug]

very interesting and sound reasoning with those first two picks. well done, cheb

[Cheb]

Oliver looks like a good prospect on paper... great length and athletic traits, seems like a perfect fit.

But man, is some of his tape ever ugly. The guy is pretty much afraid to tackle.

And then there's the whole waiting until Day 3 for a lottery ticket RB again. We simply can't afford to make that mistake again. Our RB position is by far the weakest position group on this roster- it's not even close.

This is why I don't think we can afford the luxury of a guard at #7. It just puts us in a hole for the rest of the draft.

As far as Oliver is concerned, I agree his lack of physicality is concerning. However, he's probably got the smoothest off coverage in this draft, and we play a stupid amount of off. You can line him up eight yards deep and Oliver has the movement skills and athleticism to make plays. If he's a king of coverage, I'm okay with subpar run stopping.

How does selecting Nelson "put us in a hole for the rest of the draft"? Because unless the Bucs draft a first round running back, he certainly does not. Which by logical extension means that you're saying that since drafting Nelson puts us in a hole, to not be in a hole, we are forced to draft a running back in the first round. Even with Barkley already gone, and us drafting at seventh overall? That's bold. Do you advocate reaching for Derrius Guice, or someone similar, in the first round to address "by far the weakest position group on this roster"? If so, that's a silly proposition, and I wish you good luck with that.

Like I said in the mock, the Bucs could very well draft a running back in the second round, and I wouldn't be shocked if they did. I would have thought that double dipping on running backs with Josh Adams and Lavon Coleman would be up your alley, but I guess not. In part the selection of Oliver over ANOTHER second round runner was an exercise in looking for good prospects who would fit the Bucs, as opposed to doing the same old same old same old.

Also keep in mind that if we jettison JR Sweezy, the savings could very well be used on a free agent band-aid at running back. Alfred Morris is still available, and he averaged 4.8 yards per carry last year. Orleans Darkwa is still up for grabs, and he averaged 4.3 ypc for the shitacular Giants. Charles Sims is still waiting for a phone call. Ditto with Kenjon Barner, DeMarco Murray, even AP if you're feeling frisky. After the draft and with $6 million per season in savings, take your pick.

As far as crapping on the day three runners, did you know that all seven of the running backs in the Superbowl this year were third day draft picks or went entirely undrafted? Food for thought.

[terrytate]

I can buy what you are selling. I don't know much about Oliver but I could live with the guy you describe. Same with Josh Adam's. If we draft Nelson, we should be able to open holes for a powerful but one dimensional runner to work with.

I'll admit though, I was hoping to get a DT in the second as insurance and McCoys eventual replacement. I guess the Dline injuries we seem to inevitably get have me jumpy.

[Super K]

I'd like a DT too, however we are pretty "stacked" there now..

McCoy
Allen
Urine
Stevie T

Not to mention Gholston and Curry can slide inside some..

We lost 2 and added 2..

[terrytate]

I'd like a DT too, however we are pretty "stacked" there now..

McCoy
Allen
Urine
Stevie T

Not to mention Gholston and Curry can slide inside some..

We lost 2 and added 2..

We have some DTs, but of the bunch only McCoy fits the bill of "explosive 3 tech". Guys like Bryan or Hurst would fit that bill if they are there to be had in the second. We do need that corner though, and if Oliver is the player Cheb says I wouldn't cry about it.

[Super K]

I'd like a DT too, however we are pretty "stacked" there now..

McCoy
Allen
Urine
Stevie T

Not to mention Gholston and Curry can slide inside some..

We lost 2 and added 2..

We have some DTs, but of the bunch only McCoy fits the bill of "explosive 3 tech". Guys like Bryan or Hurst would fit that bill if they are there to be had in the second. We do need that corner though, and if Oliver is the player Cheb says I wouldn't cry about it.

I'm with ya man..

Vea
Settle
Hurst
Sheperd


I'd jump for joy if we added any of them....imagine that kind of talent replacing Steve T in the rotation?!?...

[real bucs fan]

Oliver looks like a good prospect on paper... great length and athletic traits, seems like a perfect fit.

But man, is some of his tape ever ugly. The guy is pretty much afraid to tackle.

And then there's the whole waiting until Day 3 for a lottery ticket RB again. We simply can't afford to make that mistake again. Our RB position is by far the weakest position group on this roster- it's not even close.

This is why I don't think we can afford the luxury of a guard at #7. It just puts us in a hole for the rest of the draft.

As far as Oliver is concerned, I agree his lack of physicality is concerning. However, he's probably got the smoothest off coverage in this draft, and we play a stupid amount of off. You can line him up eight yards deep and Oliver has the movement skills and athleticism to make plays. If he's a king of coverage, I'm okay with subpar run stopping.

How does selecting Nelson "put us in a hole for the rest of the draft"? Because unless the Bucs draft a first round running back, he certainly does not. Which by logical extension means that you're saying that since drafting Nelson puts us in a hole, to not be in a hole, we are forced to draft a running back in the first round. Even with Barkley already gone, and us drafting at seventh overall? That's bold. Do you advocate reaching for Derrius Guice, or someone similar, in the first round to address "by far the weakest position group on this roster"? If so, that's a silly proposition, and I wish you good luck with that.

Like I said in the mock, the Bucs could very well draft a running back in the second round, and I wouldn't be shocked if they did. I would have thought that double dipping on running backs with Josh Adams and Lavon Coleman would be up your alley, but I guess not. In part the selection of Oliver over ANOTHER second round runner was an exercise in looking for good prospects who would fit the Bucs, as opposed to doing the same old same old same old.

Also keep in mind that if we jettison JR Sweezy, the savings could very well be used on a free agent band-aid at running back. Alfred Morris is still available, and he averaged 4.8 yards per carry last year. Orleans Darkwa is still up for grabs, and he averaged 4.3 ypc for the shitacular Giants. Charles Sims is still waiting for a phone call. Ditto with Kenjon Barner, DeMarco Murray, even AP if you're feeling frisky. After the draft and with $6 million per season in savings, take your pick.

As far as crapping on the day three runners, did you know that all seven of the running backs in the Superbowl this year were third day draft picks or went entirely undrafted? Food for thought.

It's like this: right now we have major holes at RB and in the secondary. We need to address those needs early and often (in the case of DB). It's not ideal, but it's the situation we're in. The argument for Nelson is that he's BPA, but taking a Guard 7th overall when you don't need one is not a luxury we can afford. That said, if Sweezy is done it would make sense, but I'm hoping for a world where he's healthy and we sign a SS and thus are able to go CB/RB with those first 2 picks.

Bottom line: If Sweezy is the walking dead, the pick makes sense. I just hope he isn't.

[real bucs fan]

As for Oliver, I definitely get the logic. Having 2 stud run defending ends would help him out too. I just hate seeing soft play- especially on defence.

[DreadNaught]

It's like this: right now we have major holes at RB and in the secondary. We need to address those needs early and often (in the case of DB). It's not ideal, but it's the situation we're in. The argument for Nelson is that he's BPA, but taking a Guard 7th overall when you don't need one is not a luxury we can afford. That said, if Sweezy is done it would make sense, but I'm hoping for a world where he's healthy and we sign a SS and thus are able to go CB/RB with those first 2 picks.

Bottom line: If Sweezy is the walking dead, the pick makes sense. I just hope he isn't.

Imo it's incredibly optimistic to think Sweezy will ever regain his form from his Seahawk days and what we thought we were signing back in the 2016 offseason. It's likely that what we saw from him last season is the best version he has left and this with assumption he is healthy. Sweezy being healthy still means he is our worst starting Olinemen.

Sweezy or no Sweezy, Nelson is younger and better player that upgrades the Oline.

I don't view it as a luxury at all. Getting Nelson (along w/ Jensen) addresses the rushing attack which is the larger issue than focusing in on the RB position as the cure to what ailed the rushing attack. So not drafting a RB in round 1 or 2 doesn't mean we're ignoring the run game.

The Bucs have various needs. RB is certainly one, CB and SS are others. But we could certainly use an upgrade over Sweezy as well. I think you're getting too wrapped on what you perceive as the biggest need (and I'm not saying you're wrong) and narrowing the options.

If you have faith in Sweezy than what is wrong with having faith in Ryan Smith and VH3? They were not any worse than Sweezy last year and at least neither of them have back issues and lingering injuries and both are still young with room for growth. Sweezy is topped out imo and moving on sooner rather than later would be wise.

[real bucs fan]

I thought Sweezy performed well last year, considering he was returning from back surgery, until he went down again. His new injury is a leg injury, and not related to his back. I think assuming Sweezy is done is very premature. That said, I'm not a doctor and have no idea what his medical is looking like right now. But I do know we have a massive hole at CB and RB and waiting until Day 3 to address those needs is a very risky proposition.

Normally I wouldn't be so adament about it, but I truly believe we are entering a critical year for this franchise and it's franchise QB. We have defined needs and we need to fill them.

[Bootz2004]

When someone says Solidifying the offensive line is a luxury a team can't afford, that level of stupid can't be reasoned with.

[Teitan]

When someone says Solidifying the offensive line is a luxury a team can't afford, that level of stupid can't be reasoned with.

Yeah, if there’s any group on the team that you can’t have enough good players at, it’s the lines.

[terrytate]

When someone says Solidifying the offensive line is a luxury a team can't afford, that level of stupid can't be reasoned with.

Yeah, if there’s any group on the team that you can’t have enough good players at, it’s the lines.

I would add corner to that list just after the lines. Imagine if our corners were good enough to send blitzes in addition to our current crop of dlinemen.