Smells Like Bucs Grab A Defensive Tackle
April 26th, 2013
Joe wouldn’t lose sleep if big ol’ Johnathan Hankins of Ohio State was picked by the Bucs at No. 43.
In the past few weeks, Joe has noticed Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik raving about how deep the cornerbacks depth is in this NFL draft. Joe also has noticed Dominik has often invoked “third round” in talking about the depth.
Now Joe has detailed the gaggle of talented cornerbacks still available; quite a few in fact.
But back to Dominik. Joe has never detected Dominik talking about the draft’s depth at defensive tackle, which is another area of need for the Bucs, perhaps more so than corner.
This is why Joe fully expects the Bucs to grab a defensive tackle at No. 43 tonight. Let’s look at who is still out there.
First, there is Johnathan Hankins, a quick, beastly tackle from Ohio State whose forte is stopping the run. We all know how Bucs coach Greg Schiano prioritizes stopping the run.
The neat thing about Hankins is that he can also play defensive end because of his quickness. Given the injury-crossed careers of Adrian Clayborn and Da’Quan Bowers, this trait shouldn’t be overlooked
Then there is John Jenkins of Georgia. Jenkins has good hands to fight off blocks, eats up double-teams to stop the run, and he can bull rush like a Mack truck. The trick is, he is likely better suited for a 34 defense.
How about monster Kawann Short, a two-time captain at Purdue (we all know how the Bucs covet captains and multi-year starters from BCS schools)? Short is a smart guy who rarely gets lured into a fake block on screens. He may not be a great pass rusher but he is good on the run.
If the Bucs are just worried about stopping the run with a new defensive tackle, it might be hard to pass up Bennie Logan of LSU. He eats up interior ballcarriers and rarely gets moved off the line.
There are other defensive tackles the Bucs could jump on including Brandon Williams of Missouri Southern State, John Simon of Ohio State and Jesse Williams of Alabama.
All these players mentioned in this post were listed by Mike Mayock among his top 100 college prospects.
April 26th, 2013 at 1:07 pm
spot on Joe.
I was really hoping Sylvester Williams would fall into the second, and he almost did, but that didnt happen. I also dont see Hankins being there when we pick, but if he is my money is on us taking him.
DL is the most important position on defense, period.
April 26th, 2013 at 1:09 pm
Im still shocked and amazed that E.J. Manuel even went in the first round.
April 26th, 2013 at 1:26 pm
IDK TE value drops more then DT from 2nd to 3rd, not to mention 49ers targeting Ertz, which leaves Escobar. After that none impress me enough to beat out Stocker.
April 26th, 2013 at 1:28 pm
EJ Manuel was simply the Bills’ guy. They did a lot of smoke screening to get him. In my eyes (and im probably in the minority) I think the Bills did a great job, snagging a gaggle of picks to move back a few spots and get the guy they coveted.
Anywho, Bucs need to grab Hankins and do some wheeling and dealing to get back into the second to get Kelce. Dom must be salivating over these late round picks he can use to bounce all over the place.
April 26th, 2013 at 1:31 pm
Someone said DT? Yes, please!
April 26th, 2013 at 1:37 pm
Sirus:
Guessing you forgot Tom Crabtree?
April 26th, 2013 at 1:39 pm
Hankins, Ryan, and Kelce are the picks for tonight.
April 26th, 2013 at 1:45 pm
Joe, not trying to be too hard on you here, but I don’t think you’ve been paying attention very closely to the Bucs moves at the NT position and the things they’ve said about that. They clearly want more QB pressure out of that position.
If we wanted to stop the run we could’ve kept Roy Miller. We also have Gibson and Landri who are both pretty good at that. This is not what the Bucs are looking for. Guys like Hankins and Jenkins are not suited to what the Bucs want out of that position as they don’t provide much in the way of QB pressure. That would be a re-hash of the road we’ve already been down. I don’t see that happening.
If the Bucs draft a DT you can look for them to focus on someone who gives more pass rush than what they already have, as well as a guy who can spell McCoy at the three-tech spot. If it’s in the second round it’ll be Kawann Short. If it’s in the third or fourth round probably a guy like Bennie Logan or Brandon Williams. Fifth round Dontori Hughes. If we’re talking sixth to seventh round someone like Josh Boyd or similar.
In other words, I would be shocked if the Bucs went and drafted a run-stopper with the moves they’ve made and the statements that have come out about wanting more pocket push from that position and more tackles behind the line of scrimmage. I’m pretty confident you can scratch Hankins and Jenkins off the board for that reason.
April 26th, 2013 at 1:49 pm
I really like Hankins and Short, I would be very happy with either of them. Joe I don’t understand how you can say Short isn’t much of a pass rusher, when he has the most sacks of any DT from a big school. I think Brandon Williams has more, but he’s from a very small school. The knock on Short isn’t his lack of pass rush ability, but his lack of consistency and he doesn’t exactly have a high motor like someone like Sheldon Richardson does. If they go another direction like CB in round 2, I’d lime to see Williams in round 3.
Also, John Simon is NOT a DT. In fact, many people have been saying he might be undersized as a 4-3 DE, as he is no more than 260 lbs. He’s considered a classic 4-3 DE/3-4 OLB tweener.
April 26th, 2013 at 1:52 pm
IMO i think we need to take a hard look at Margus hunt. He has the ability torush inside and out. It would really help the NASCAR spine package
April 26th, 2013 at 1:55 pm
Joe,
Where are you getting your information? Hankins is NOT quick enough to play DE. He is painfully slow, lazy, and gets crapped on by anybody that has watched him play.
Short’s forte IS rushing the passer. He’s got more career sacks than any of the other DTs you have listed… he probably has more career sacks than any DT in the draft.
John Simon is, and never has been, a DT. He is a 266 lb DE/OLB tweener. Where are you getting your information? If you’re going to write about the draft, at least show some knowledge other than something you’re regurgitating from a six year old.
April 26th, 2013 at 1:58 pm
I think ertz makes more sense miller was able to fill the need at DT last year so I think Gibson should be able to as well and TE is a more pressin need
April 26th, 2013 at 1:58 pm
c-spann Says:
April 26th, 2013 at 1:52 pm
IMO i think we need to take a hard look at Margus hunt. He has the ability torush inside and out. It would really help the NASCAR spine package
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Seriously? If you were a GM you would make Matt Millen look like a genius. Hunt is 26 years old and was merely above average for Conference USA. If there were 20 DLinemen at the Senior Bowl, Hunt was the 20th best. He is horrible. Who cares about measurables when the dude flat out can’t play?
April 26th, 2013 at 1:59 pm
Margus Hunt…he can be a hybrid, playing DT and DE when Bowers or Clayborn needs a break.
April 26th, 2013 at 2:00 pm
But yeah, Im for Ertz in the 2nd.
April 26th, 2013 at 2:02 pm
TWO Cbs right away Logan Ryan and the Honey Badger tha secondary would be sick and gives insurance in case Ronde doesnt come baack or When Eric Wright bolts after the season… If the Honey badger wasn kickded out for smoking weed which everybody does now a days. he would have bee picked before Millner. And Logan Ryan is Rutgers guy with great size and has worked out all Summer with Revis
April 26th, 2013 at 2:04 pm
Brandon:
Joe never wrote that Hankins is the next Simeon Rice, just that he has and could play defensive end.
Additionally, Mike Mayock has John Simon listed as a defensive tackle, one of the better defensive tackle prospects in fact.
Sorry, but Joe’s gonna guess Mayock studies more film than you do.
April 26th, 2013 at 2:05 pm
@ Brandon
Agreed 100%. Look at my previous post. I think Brandon Williams had more sacks than Short, but he’s the only one. Although I don’t think you need to be so harsh about it lol, to each their own I suppose….
April 26th, 2013 at 2:09 pm
I, personally, would like to get John Jenkins. He is HUGE. Would call for the double team every play which would get McCoy some freedom.
April 26th, 2013 at 2:12 pm
I respect the hell out of Mike Mayock, but I will say that either he made a mistake or I just flat out disagree with him on that one. There hasn’t been a 255-260 lb DT since the 1960s-70s. He would get run out of the league faster than Pacman Jones at a strip club.
April 26th, 2013 at 2:13 pm
1st choice is Short, fallback option is Hankins. 3rd round pick we will grab a CB. 4th round we will take a RB and a WR.
April 26th, 2013 at 2:21 pm
LOL Joe’s going to totally steal that, but the way Pacman makes it rain, guessing he’s allowed to stay in the club but he can’t bring his gun-toting posse with him. 🙂
April 26th, 2013 at 2:36 pm
Joe
I ment a legit pass catching TE, not a blocking TE who was cut from the Packers. He wasn’t worth keeping there, so doesn’t make me all that sure that he’ll be worth keeping here. You have to agree that Ertz or Escobar is better then Crabtree and Stocker. I’m just saying DT has better value in the 3rd over TE in the 3rd.
April 26th, 2013 at 2:53 pm
@Brandon
I just like his versatility. It is My opinion. He jumps off tape, and seemed unblockable at times. But i’m fine with hankins
April 26th, 2013 at 2:55 pm
Brandon Says:
April 26th, 2013 at 1:58 pm
Seriously? If you were a GM you would make Matt Millen look like a genius. Hunt is 26 years old and was merely above average for Conference USA. If there were 20 DLinemen at the Senior Bowl, Hunt was the 20th best. He is horrible. Who cares about measurables when the dude flat out can’t play?
Hunt is a baller, and at 26 who cares?
Obviously you are narrow sighted and lacking in accepting the view of others.
April 26th, 2013 at 3:01 pm
I pointed out in that bleacher report article where catergorically speaking EJ won out out of all the QB’s. They called it pretty much.
April 26th, 2013 at 3:08 pm
Haha glad to help Joe, I’d love to see that make an appearance some day
April 26th, 2013 at 3:17 pm
Brandon’s an a** talking to Joe like that
April 26th, 2013 at 3:38 pm
I want either CB Jamar Taylor or the best overall DL player on their board.
April 26th, 2013 at 3:56 pm
Big Marlon-You’re right. Brandon WIlliams had 25 sacks, Short had 18 over the course of their careers. I wasn’t really including Williams because it wasn’t against Div 1-A competition… still sacks are sacks.
April 26th, 2013 at 3:59 pm
Love the kid from Purdue–the Short kid, but would take any of these.
April 26th, 2013 at 4:09 pm
stevek Says:
ApHunt is a baller, and at 26 who cares?
Obviously you are narrow sighted and lacking in accepting the view of others.
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He’s not a BALLER as you call it. He’s a bum. 53 games against C-USA opponents and 15.5 career sacks and you think he’s “balling”? Did you watch him ever? I did… solely for the purpose of scouting him for myself… and he’s terrible. Two sacks in the bowl game… against a freshman RT…for Fresno St.
Then he went to the Senior Bowl and was the worst DL peformer there. Was that “Balling”?
What does 26 matter? Well, for one, his body and mind are far more mature than the players he played against in college. There’s a big difference between a 26 year old that’s been training against a 20 year old… in terms of physical strength, mental preparedness, explosion, etc.
Gaines Adams was in his 6th year out of HS before he dominated in college… the Bucs were stupid enough to pick him high. How did he do when he finally went against guys that weren’t underdeveloped physically and mentally?
DT Peria Jerry was 25 and drafted in round 1 for the Falcons… when is he going to start playing with the speed and power he showed in college? Oh wait, that’s right, it’s not as easy when the guy’s a man playing against something other than boys.
What happened to the last two overaged prospects? QB Brandon Weeden (28) and OG Danny Watkins (27)? Well, after flopping in the NFL not only were their head coaches fired, but their GMs too… both less than two years after wasting first round picks on overaged bum prospects.
Finally, you say, “lacking in accepting the view of others.” Yeah, it’s called not being a sheep. Just because some laptop jockey that knows less about football than a strong percentage of fans says something, doesn’t mean I can’t go back and look at recent history and see that they have no clue what they’re talking about.
I love measurables (i.e. NFL Combine) as much as the next person. But Hunt can’t play. Sure, he’s tall (probably too tall), he’s fast (but he doesn’t know how to use his speed-he tries to bull rush every play-ineffectively I might add), and he has an impressive bench (but plays weak), but he is terrible. The only reason he was as moderately successful as he was was because he was so superior athletically to everybody else. What do you think will happen when he plays against other 26 year olds that are also excellent athletes? He already showed he can’t beat the good 22-23 year old good athletes at the Senior Bowl.
April 26th, 2013 at 4:12 pm
Order of preference-Short, Jesse Williams (raw but good motor and great measureables and motor), Brandon Willams…and a little bit later, a guy out of Samford named Nick Williams. 6’5 304 4.84 40… He’s a project.
BTW, for those of you wanting the 350+ space eaters like John Jenkins, Kwame Geathers, TJ Barnes, etc… if Schiano wanted a space eater on his DL he would have given some indication he liked them last season. He likes smaller T-2 style DTs. These guys couldn’t even pass the training camp conditioning tests.
April 26th, 2013 at 4:17 pm
As far as Hankins “rushing the passer”. Kawann Short had more than Hankins’ 4 career sacks in 3 of his 4 seasons and more than Hankins’ 15.5 career tackles for loss in 2 of his 4 seasons. Same conference, worse players around him. I think that’s a big win for Short. Even Ohio St. fans aren’t big on Hankins.
April 26th, 2013 at 4:17 pm
@Brandon. Agree with just about everything except the lazy comment about Hankins. He works. He is slow so that will make him appear lazy but he moves his big ass as much as he can lol.
April 26th, 2013 at 4:20 pm
I’m not sure where the Hankins being a pass rusher is coming from. The dude is a run stopper. Still a need but don’t expect him to rush the passer.
April 26th, 2013 at 4:36 pm
Gus,
Maybe not lazy, maybe tired late in games I watched where he took plays off… or was really slow. Read report just now that he measured in with 27.2% body fat at the Combine. Maybe he isn’t lazy, just really fat. I guess it’s hard to push 320 lbs of jelly around for 60 minutes. He doesn’t seem like a good fit in an attacking style D.
April 26th, 2013 at 4:45 pm
SirustheVirus Says:
April 26th, 2013 at 1:26 pm
IDK TE value drops more then DT from 2nd to 3rd, not to mention 49ers targeting Ertz, which leaves Escobar. After that none impress me enough to beat out Stocker.
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TE class is far deeper than the DTs this year. Vance McDonald is special and could be the next TE chosen. Nick Kasa, Dion Sims, and Kelce are all total package types. Levine Teloloilo is very intriguing being 6’8 and running okay. Chris Gragg and Jordan Reed are move types that can be good pass catching types. Later on there’s Joseph Fauria, Lucas Reed, Zach Sudfield, and a few others that would have a good shot at playing time.
DT pretty much starts and ends with the Williamses. Short, Jesse W., Brandon W., later Nicholas Wiliams. There’s a few in the middle, but after Brandon Williams the rest are all projects or poor fits.
April 26th, 2013 at 4:49 pm
Margus hunt, damontre moore
April 26th, 2013 at 5:38 pm
Lotta hatred getting sprayed around here today!
Lots of good DTs to choose from.
But a TE would be a smart move, too!
Logan Ryan is a very good prospect at CB. Hope we get him
And a couple others