Bucs Lock Up Athletic Freak

May 13th, 2014

The Texas A&M man who caught balls from Johnny Football and chased him in practice — and one of the few who could catch him — is now a Tampa Bay Buccaneeer.

That would be linebacker Nate Askew, the freakish converted wide receiver.

Lovie Smith openly craves speed at linebacker and treasures elite athletes. Askew brings all of that, with 4.46 speed from his 6-4, 241-pound frame with a 38-inch vertical leap.

Yet another guy ready to suit for the NFL’s best basketball team.

Askew was one of 11 undrafted free agents and the only linebacker inked by the Bucs over the past few days.

Why wasn’t Askew drafted? Well, Askew wasn’t much of a linebacker, but he only played the position one year in college. As a receiver for the Aggies, the drops plagued him, so don’t look for a conversion there, though he might make quite a receiving target for trickery on special teams.

Really, special teams is Askew’s ticket to making the Bucs’ final roster.

17 Responses to “Bucs Lock Up Athletic Freak”

  1. pablo Says:

    I actually think this guy may stick & make the final 53… We lost some depth at linebacker with the departure of Watson and Hayward. Don’t know how many LBs we will carry, but I can see this guy beating out Munoz or Lansanah for a backup spot.

  2. pablo Says:

    Lol @ Joe still mentioning Johnny in every post

    Actually, Joe really hasn’t written about Johnny Football at all. Feel free avail yourself of the archives. This post is not about Johnny, and the reference is thoroughly releveant. –Joe

  3. Tampabaybucfan Says:

    We do need LB depth & help on special teams…with his size and speed…he should be good there….

  4. William Says:

    now we got the best out of Texas A&M.

    I bet if he turns back to WR he wont drop passes from our QBs.

    I trust Lovie & Licht to get us the best available players. We’ll probably see Askew catching every pass from Glennon in preseason. Then it will be clear why L & L did not draft the QB that went to Cleveland. you know Connor Shaw…

  5. ToesOnTheLine Says:

    Lovie loves him some Texas A&M guys, he certainly did his due diligence on them

  6. Brandon Says:

    Outside of Fletcher, our LB depth is almost zero. Between Munoz, Lansanah, and some of the other undrafted free agents, Askew is very likely to make the top 5 or 6 if he can prove value on special teams.

  7. Couch Fan Says:

    Maybe it’s just me but he doesn’t look anywhere near 6’4 in that pic next to Manziel.

  8. Patrick in VA Says:

    @pablo – You didn’t think it would end did you? (Remainder deleted. None of what you wrote was remotely true. Lying about Joe is not acceptable. Thank you.) —Joe

  9. buc4lyfe Says:

    @Joe-and one of the few who could catch him

    Johnny football has breakaway speed?

    Well, that’s what the game film revealed. He wasn’t exactly an easy guy to catch and bring down. Damn, so many of you are so obsessed with Johnny Fooball. It’s not like he will ever be a Buccaneer this season. –Joe

  10. William Says:

    @ Pablo & Patrick
    Nov. 2 Bucs @ Cleveland Joe will have plenty of Manziel then. It all be interesting if Glennon is our starting QB then. Lol

  11. BuccaneerBonzai Says:

    I really doubt Askew will make the final roster. As Joe said, the kid wasn’t much of a linebacker and as WR he had too many drops.

  12. FLBoyInDallas Says:

    Dekoda Watson-ish athleticism at linebacker…Joe’s right about the special teams angle.

  13. Buc1987 Says:

    “Damn, so many of you are so obsessed with Johnny Fooball.”-Joe

    That’s HILARIOUS!

  14. Nick H Says:

    That’s a large, fast man to be a bearing down on kick/punt returners. Already scary enough without such freaks coming after you.

  15. Sweets Willie Says:

    Caught Johnny’s balls and chased him around? Didn’t this happen on a visit to One Buc?

  16. MR.T Says:

    Agreed, if he’s good on special teams he has a shot to make it.

    @Joe
    Hope springs eternal, however it would have been more realistic to leave the “this season” part off

    It’s not like he will ever be a Buccaneer THIS SEASON

  17. BarberBucFan Says:

    Stay in the game make a name or yourself on S.P.