The Ultimate Wild Card
April 26th, 2015
Would the Tampa Bay Buccaneers dare draft a stud left tackle prospect who is coming off a blown ACL less than five months ago?
A renowned draft guru thinks so. That would be former scout and current NFL Network draft freak Daniel Jeremiah. In a recent two-round mock draft, Jeremiah pegged Texas A&M tackle Cedric Ogbuehi as the Bucs’ second-round pick, No. 34 overall.
“Probably a top-15 pick if he doesn’t get hurt at the end of last year,” Jeremiah said of Ogbuehi. “You could make a case he’s the most athletic tackle in the entire draft.”
Ogbuehi, 23, played guard and right tackle at A&M before moving to left tackle last season. At 6-5, 305, he’s got the size, explosiveness and good feet to be versatile. Ogbuehi was projected as a first-round pick last year but opted to return to college for his senior season.
He blew out his knee in the second half of the Liberty Bowl. There’s a reasonable chance he will miss at least half of the 2015 season.
Man, Ogbuehi would be a huge gamble for the Bucs that early in the second round. Picking him would almost force Tampa Bay into drafting an offensive lineman with their next pick.
Four years ago, former Bucs general manager Mark Dominik famously proclaimed that the Bucs know knees, meaning they know how to manage and evaluate dudes with knee issues.
Joe would prefer the Bucs leave shaky knees to other teams, or save the question-mark picks for later in the draft.
April 26th, 2015 at 11:08 am
WR DeAndre Smelter too (torn ACL). Could probably grab him in the 4th….and he’ll have time to heal 100%.
Im not so sure we have a lot of time for a LT to heal 100% though. We need a plug in player ready to go on O line. Maybe if he drops to the 3rd and we’ve already drafted a Guard.
April 26th, 2015 at 11:08 am
Sounds like a perfect injury history for lovie. Can they trade up too. Let’s be consistent in gambling.
Not only should a player have a history of injuries we must overpay! – Lovie Smith
April 26th, 2015 at 11:12 am
Every time we draft players coming off an injury guess what? It happens again!
April 26th, 2015 at 11:13 am
Every time we draft a player coming off an injury guess what? It happens again!
April 26th, 2015 at 11:17 am
I think it depends on the talent evaluator’s judgement. If this kid is a true “franchise LT” then you have the draft him. You need on planning on not having him until 2016. He’d have to be a special talent to warrant that kind of investment. But it is possible. Again if you think he has the look of a “pro bowl” LT it would be worth the sacrifice. But if we’re just talking Demar Dotson level talent, a guy I respect as a solid professional right tackle..won’t beat you…but won’t dominate either…if that’s all this guy would bring then no deal.
April 26th, 2015 at 11:18 am
This pick is a lock if he’s got a predisposition for MRSA. Write it down!
April 26th, 2015 at 11:23 am
I have noticed over the years that many draft gurus tend to award the Bucs questionable players. It’s like “we don’t know what to do with this guy, so let’s give him to the Bucs.” Of course an O-lineman is our second greatest concern, we are going to prabaly have to ask one to start for us, so let’s use our number 2 pick for a guy that might play 8 games. With 34 we should get a great prospect.
April 26th, 2015 at 11:24 am
I’d wait to see if he drops to the 3rd round….we should have many good options at the top of round 2.
I’m starting to think we go Oline 2 & 3.
Lovie brought in all defensive players in FA……DE, DT, LB, S, CB
So…Lovie’s draft history with the Bucs could be 9 offensve players in a row.
April 26th, 2015 at 11:38 am
Let’s see Pup list designated to return? Or a possible Paul Gruber type LT for 12 years for a 2nd Rd pick. Hmmmmm…. Easy answer if you ask me.
April 26th, 2015 at 11:44 am
Im very interested in that Div 3 kid Marpet. They say he played Madden his whole life always as an OL. He is smart and ran a 4.98 at the combine. Fastest OL man. He is projected 3rd round. I hope we take a good look at him
April 26th, 2015 at 11:49 am
Yup, Ive been all about drafting Ali Marpet….and when I first started looking at him, he was projected 4th….now he’s probably going late 2nd.
April 26th, 2015 at 12:00 pm
Sounds like a bad idea to spend such a high pick on a player who will not be able to participate in training camp and wouldn’t be ready to play until later in the season. Even then he wouldn’t be 100% until next year.
Pass.
April 26th, 2015 at 12:10 pm
I take him if he’s there in round 3. No injury prone players in round 2.
April 26th, 2015 at 12:15 pm
The last time we selected a talented potential top ten player with bad knees it blew up in our faces… We need immediate help not a player who “hopefully” will be ready next year… We are not in the position to take ANY risks in this years draft…
Select a player with less potential and healthy knees who is able to come in and start at either guard or tackle right away…
We will never know what D. Bowers could have been capable of if his knees weren’t shot before coming out of Clemson… But we paid a hefty price for a failed gamble…
April 26th, 2015 at 12:16 pm
ACL injuries have become standard short term setbacks. The Bucs would need to sign a capable veteran for 2015 but long term if he was top 15 worthy before the injury he remains so after. Long term he sounds like a perfect player for a team with as many holes as the bucs
April 26th, 2015 at 12:19 pm
If we had a settled lineup and could stuff the roster with projects and in-waitings — then fine. But the Bucs are not in that position and have to pass.
In fact, the 49ers tried that with a much more settled lineup and a much better team. Look where it got them. Pass.
April 26th, 2015 at 12:36 pm
I don’t know about that, sounds a lot like Da’Quan Bowers. Projected 1st rounder, hurts knee, Bucs draft him. I think ya’ll know the rest.
April 26th, 2015 at 12:45 pm
Agree with Joe. We can’t be searching for value picks at the very top of the 2nd round. I would find this pick to be ludicrous considering how O Line needy we are. There is no luxury in place for us to sift value. It’s not like we are a perennial playoff contender looking to strengthen our depth. Somewhere in the front end of the draft we need to find a DE so I see the likelihood none to none that the Bucs sniff Jeremiah unless he lasts to Round 4 amazingly.
April 26th, 2015 at 12:46 pm
@holymoly,
But the Bucs are experts when it comes to knee issues. So you and I must have been witnessing a mirage with Bowers.
April 26th, 2015 at 12:59 pm
If Winston, then draft Cam Erving, Tre Jackson and Josue Matias because they played together.
April 26th, 2015 at 1:05 pm
Pass and take best healthy Tackle at top of two then best Guard at top of three. Get another DE at four unless a great Slot Receiver is still there who also returns kicks. At five get a big RB unless we have our free agent great,
At six get Garcia who can backup Guard and Center and get our last Brownie Reject off our roster. At seven get a Safety find who can also play great Special Teams.
April 26th, 2015 at 1:09 pm
I would take the walking wounded 0-linemen in the 3rd round. I would take dante fowler the gator edge rusher with the top pick. under dante’s profile on nfl.com it lists Khalil Mack as the player that he should be compared too. jon gruden has called dante the best defensive player in this draft. the bucs desperately need a top edge rusher. if the bucs want to take a risk on the edge rusher they could trade down and get randy Gregory from Nebraska. he has failed several college pot tests.
April 26th, 2015 at 1:19 pm
Nope
April 26th, 2015 at 1:26 pm
Donovan Smith – LT – Penn St.- 6’5″ 335lbs
Donovan Smith enters his junior campaign as one of the Nittany Lions’ most talented and experienced players and an All-Big Ten candidate. He brings excellent physical attributes, toughness and intensity to the left tackle position. Smith was selected first-team preseason All-Big Ten by USA Today and Lindy’s and second-team all-conference by Athlon Sports and Phil Steele’s College Football Preview. He started 11 games last year and has 20 career starts over the past two seasons, the team’s third-highest total. His passion and dedicated efforts have enabled him to add more than 10 pounds of muscle to his 6-5 frame in the strength and conditioning program since last season. Smith and senior guard Miles Dieffenbach will be counted on to provide leadership for an offensive line unit that lost three starters and two key reserves. Among one of the squad’s leaders in the weight room, he has lifted more than 400 pounds in the bench press and 500 pounds in the squat. An honorable-mention All-Big Ten choice last year, Smith was instrumental in helping Penn State gain at least 350 yards in every game, scoring at least 23 points nine times. He helped Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Year Christian Hackenberg throw for 2,955 yards and 20 touchdowns, breaking 12 school freshman and all-time game and season passing records, and Zach Zwinak and Bill Belton combine to rush for 1,792 yards. The former Owings Mills High School All-American helped the Nittany Lions rush for 250 yards or better four times last season, topped by 289 yards in the win over Purdue. Smith and the O-Line boosted Bill Belton to the team’s first 200-yard rushing effort since 2002 against Illinois (201 yards) and paved the way for 250 rushing yards and 240 passing yards in the win over the Illini. Smith is on schedule to graduate in December with a degree in criminology. Among the conference’s top returning offensive tackles,
April 26th, 2015 at 1:31 pm
Joe,
Christian hackenberg you’re a fan right? Well smith kept him safe.
April 26th, 2015 at 1:43 pm
Feel for this guy over the blown knee but HELL NO!! The right pick= Donovan Smith
April 26th, 2015 at 2:26 pm
First we should take the DE from ucla,hip surgery. Now we should gamble on this guy coming off an acl. I find this s@$! kinda funny. We in position to finally right this ship and we should be going about doing it by taking broke d@$!s? F@$! that noise. All these arseholes mad about the fact the Bay about to take over this whole damn league.
April 26th, 2015 at 3:08 pm
The knee is a concern.
The fact that he struggled with speed at left tackle, and they had to move him back to right tackle worries me more
April 26th, 2015 at 3:26 pm
Trade down, pick up another 3rd or 4th or both depending on how far we trade down. Get ogbuehi or Donovan Smith late 2nd. Get OG and FS in 3rd.
April 26th, 2015 at 4:21 pm
So if this player shows that much promise despite the knee problem and he is expected to be drafted that high, some team will have the patience and existing competent O line to take that risk. That team is not the Bucs. He has youth in his favor, but how secure is a blown knee at 100% healed? I would think a lighter weighted player might not suffer the injury again.
April 26th, 2015 at 8:51 pm
This draft is full of capable offensive linemen. I don’t see much point in using high picks on injured players when we need immediate help at that position.
April 26th, 2015 at 10:18 pm
After Bowers I would say there is zero chance of that happening…..in any round!