“Watch Out For Jeremy McNichols”
June 16th, 2017
New chatter on the Bucs’ rookie running back. (Photo courtesy of Buccaneers.com)
The way the accolades are flowing for the Buccaneers’ 2017 draft class, general manager Jason Licht might be the greatest Tampa Bay thief since Michael “Ghost” Johnson.
Across America, the experts are still in disbelief that tight end O.J. Howard fell all the way to Tampa Bay at No. 19 overall.
Chris Godwin, the third-round pick, is drawing exceptional reviews, including almost over-the-top praise from defensive coordinator Mike Smith. Keep in mind Smith is usually very measured when discussing players.
And Joe will throw rookie running back Jeremy McNichols into the mix. The fifth-round pick out of Boise State was held out of spring practices after winter shoulder surgery, but former Ravens personnel man and Browns GM Phil Savage doesn’t need to hear what McNichols looks like in shorts.
Savage runs the Senior Bowl, via which he is acutely aware of the draft stock and teams’ grades on players.
Speaking on SiriusXM NFL Radio this week, Savage issued a warning for those writing off the Bucs’ fifth-round pick.
“Watch out for Jeremy McNichols, a lot of people thought he might be a second- to fourth-round pick,” Savage said, adding McNichols has the talent to be a starter and full-time player.
Maybe it was just McNichols’ healing shoulder that spooked teams and led to McNichols becoming the 17th running back drafted this year? That might be the best-case scenario for Bucs fans.
Regardless, that’s all ancient history. McNichols is scheduled to be unleashed when training camp begins. And he should get a fair shot to be the opening day starter.
If McNichols can run between the tackles, then it seems he would already be a well-rounded and polished player, per the glowing of the resident draft burglar, Jason Licht.
June 16th, 2017 at 12:49 pm
lawd please stop with this non-sense. Watch the tape and take the homer glasses off for this guy. He can’t hit a hole to save his life.
June 16th, 2017 at 12:50 pm
we’ll see once the pads come on and bullets start flying…..GO BUCS!!!
June 16th, 2017 at 12:51 pm
@shouldhave…^…don’t tell me he’s sims 2.0!!!…GO BUCS!!!
June 16th, 2017 at 12:53 pm
Nothing against all our other RBs, but I really want McNichols to be on the active gameday roster. Although he is unproven at this point, he could literally be both Martin and Sims. So he could easily be the backup to both or replace both in the future.
I know that is pewter colored glasses that I am wearing, but it is what I am hoping for at this point.
June 16th, 2017 at 1:02 pm
shouldhavedraftedeifert Says:
June 16th, 2017 at 12:49 pm
lawd please stop with this non-sense. Watch the tape and take the homer glasses off for this guy. He can’t hit a hole to save his life.
______________________________________________________
I think we all got a little ‘homer’ in us. Nothing wrong with that. We’re not coaches, management or owners.
June 16th, 2017 at 1:06 pm
@813bucboi not even, at least Sims can catch and has a move or two. Nichols doesn’t lower his pads, no patience for the hole to open because he’d rather bounce it outside but he’s no Chris Johnson, good luck with that in the NFL. He doesn’t even try to find a seam when going outside, he thinks he can’t beat an NFL corner, WE SHALL SEE! When he does go inside he’s got no pop or acceleration. If you watch Payton Barber that guy gets burst through the hole, and punishes on the way through it, Nichols just flounders around with no extra gear in the second level. His 40 time was great but no burst. Not a strong runner at all.
June 16th, 2017 at 1:08 pm
@BoJim, you are right, hey I’m a homer for Payton Barber so…
June 16th, 2017 at 1:09 pm
Stats over the last two years for 2 “versatile” RBs drafted in 2017 NFL draft :
Christian McCaffrey (#8 pick) 4.48 40 yd dash – $4.4M per year contract
Rushing – 3622 yds – 21 TDs / Receiving – 82 catches. 955 yds, 8 TDS
Jeremy McNichols (#162 pick) 4.49 40 yd dash – $650k per year contract
Rushing – 3046 yds – 43 TDs / Receiving – 88 catches, 924 yds, 10 TDs
Per standard “draft trade chart” – pick #8 worth 1400 value points – pick #162 worth 26.6 value points.
One NFC South team grossly overpaid for their versatile new back – the other (our beloved Bucs) got one hell of a steal for a very similar player who not only has TWICE as many rushing TDs as the “dynamic” CMac – but is also a vastly superior pass protector.
In retrospect – which rookie back would you rather have on our team right now seeing their College stats side by side and knowing the price paid for each?
Duh……
June 16th, 2017 at 1:10 pm
Don’t change your style, but pay attention to how the former Bronco practices and runs, if he wants that opportunity
June 16th, 2017 at 1:27 pm
McNichols will be the starting running back and will supplant the unreliable doug martin. with the boise state connections maybe mcnichols will be a good dude and hire the unreliable martin to mow his yard. molly and booze can add up. his relapse will happen it’s just a matter of when not if. rehab is a huge scam and always has been.
June 16th, 2017 at 1:28 pm
You basically eliminated any semblance of a rebuttal Pick.
June 16th, 2017 at 1:31 pm
But to piggy back I agree with the above poster,I like the burst Barber has flashed thru the holes.
June 16th, 2017 at 1:56 pm
Did I mention that Licht hit another Grand Slam with this draft. I know, they havent played a down yet, but time will bear this statement out.
June 16th, 2017 at 2:38 pm
@No Balls on Sat- Beta Male on Sun
Where’s my money?
June 16th, 2017 at 2:39 pm
@ eifert I duno what tape you’re watching… dude looks solid as hell to me and his tape is better than your boy Barber’s imo and it isn’t even close
June 16th, 2017 at 2:42 pm
Right on, Pick. I like J Mac. tmax, you’re killin’ me.
June 16th, 2017 at 2:51 pm
My area code 32805 come to Orlando and get it..
June 16th, 2017 at 2:53 pm
If you need the exact address on how to to find you got my number,hit me up when you get in town. Love to meet you f@$!boy.
June 16th, 2017 at 2:55 pm
Talkin that noise on the internet we can meet homeboy.
June 16th, 2017 at 3:08 pm
All coulda/woulda/ Shoulda. I’ll be so deyam glad when the season starts so we can truly see what our Bucs have. To let you guys tell it, we are already in the superbowl!
June 16th, 2017 at 3:09 pm
How sad must your life be that you need to try and arrange a fight on the internet instead of just being a man and doing what you said you would do?
Sad.
June 16th, 2017 at 3:17 pm
How bout this, you make a paypal account, which takes less than 5 minutes if you aren’t an idiot. Granted, it may take you a bit longer… Any way you make the account and pay me the money that you owe me.
Or you could keep acting like the petulant child you are and reaffirm the fact that your word is worth less than dirt.
June 16th, 2017 at 3:32 pm
Nole on Sat- Bucc on Sun
just ignore that little boy
June 16th, 2017 at 3:35 pm
^What a shock. A know nothing troll supporting a know nothing troll.
June 16th, 2017 at 3:53 pm
Fist fight??? I wish you would make the mistake of leaving Tampa in search of me in Orlando. Fist fighting should be thr least of your worries dude. And that’s
June 16th, 2017 at 3:55 pm
-last ima say to you. Besides ima hit the strip club this weekend wit ya so called 150.
June 16th, 2017 at 4:07 pm
Some of you geniuses should have just been draft scouts hahaha
June 16th, 2017 at 4:19 pm
Wouldn’t waste my effort and time trying to track down a pathetic, illiterate beta male with no balls.
June 16th, 2017 at 4:22 pm
I am curious about one thing, did you actually own up to any of those bets you were begging to make?
June 16th, 2017 at 6:40 pm
This guy sucks! His tape doesn’t look good he’s lucky he played such weak competition. He just bounces every run outside, which he does NOT have the speed or burst for in the NFL. I’d bet money this guy never sees the field in the regular season. Any takers?
June 16th, 2017 at 6:59 pm
Nice. Let’s make bets on a football blog.
I’ll bet you 5 trillion dollars he starts in game one.
You on tough guy?
June 16th, 2017 at 7:17 pm
Jeremy McNichols is a good RB, but he has one huge problem. He was drafted by a team with a garbage O-Line.
June 16th, 2017 at 7:34 pm
He can’t hit a hole to save his life.
Man I don’t know which tape you guys are watching. I didn’t see that. I did see a couple of plays that went wide and when it was time to take the play out of bounds McNichols instead turned it upfield to collide with the defender and get another two yards. He’s not afraid of contact!
Pickgrin did a good job of comparing McNichols to McCaffery and how about to our own RB…Doug Martin…played at the same school against the same competition.
Martin and McNichols averaged exactly the same yards per carry average 5.6.
Martin got 3,451 yards in 4 year while McNichols got almost as much in three…3205.
Martin scored 47 TD’s…McNichols 55 in one less year…we can see who can take it to the house but then we’ve seen Doug in action enough to know that taking it to the house is NOT his forte.
Receiving stats were totally dominated by McNichols..in short…McNichols performed better at Boise State than Martin. He deserves at least the opportunity to see if he can continue that performance in the NFL.
June 16th, 2017 at 10:55 pm
We’ll see this young man in training camp+ preseason games… I think he might just shock us all and beast. He can set the block then pop out and catch a screen gene, and be out!!! But….. We’ll just have to wait n see my G’s!
June 17th, 2017 at 4:20 am
Pa Privateer, you were right on
June 17th, 2017 at 12:46 pm
@stpetebucksfan
I am a huge Boise State fan. I watched every game Martin and McNichols played in college. Your number comparison just doesn’t show as much as you may think. They played for BSU sure, but for very different teams. Dougie played with Kellen Moore tearing through defenses with WR like Austin Pettis and Titus Young. Doug wasn’t relied on for TDs nearly as much as McNichols. He always got the job done when asked but McNichols has a clear TD advantage
June 17th, 2017 at 1:01 pm
Having watched both of them play in college I would definitely say Martin was more explosive and just pure impossible to stop consistently. McNichols too often would disappear against good defenses. Martin also didn’t get as much time playing his first couple years because he was running behind Jeremy Avery and DJ harper when healthy. Eventually he won the starting job over both of them because he was so good. McNichols on the other hand, had no real competition and started all 3 years he played. And again I have to emphasize that in his time McNichols was at times Boise State’s only option to score a touchdown. Our current QB is no Kellen Moore. At the end of the day McNichols had more touchdowns because he sometimes needed to score all 5 for BSU to get the W. Martin didn’t need to be given the ball in the redzone because Kellen Moore was incredible in college and would score at will on his own.
I love McNichols too but if you are wondering who is your best RB between the two. It is Martin. Especially now that he’s proven he can run against NFL defenses with a lot of success when he has something to prove.
June 17th, 2017 at 3:55 pm
3200 rushing yards in college and youre complaining he can’t hit a seem or wait for a hole?… tough crowd in here!