Pete Prisco Lauds Mark Dominik
May 1st, 2011
The kudos continue to pour in for Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik, as NFL fans largely veg on the couch today after three days of non-stop football chatter. It’s like it’s New Years Day and nursing an ugly hangover soaking up college football (only Joe is enjoying the Rays).
Pete Prisco of CBSSports.com is on board with all the accolades Dominik is receiving after looking over what the Bucs did the past three days.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Best pick: Getting Da’Quan Bowers in the second round will be a huge steal if the medical holds up. I love the risk. Wow.
Questionable move: Taking Bowers. Because, then again, it could blow up in their faces.
Third-day gem: Safety Ahmad Black, the team’s fifth-round pick, is small for his position but he’s a heck of a football player. He should be able to excel on special teams as a rookie.
Analysis: For the third straight year, the Bucs hit big in the draft. General manager Mark Dominik is building something special down there. The first two picks of ends Adrian Clayborn and Bowers means Tampa Bay has used four premium picks on the line in the past two years.
Grade: A
Of course, it’s way too premature to judge if Dominik hit an 80-yard bomb this weekend or if he had a pass returned for a pick-six. The key to how huge this draft will be is Bowers.
As Pat Kirwan said yesterday on Sirius NFL Radio, if someone told you that you would only have Bowers for four years due to his gimpy knee but those four years would be lights out seasons, you couldn’t sign him quickly enough.
May 1st, 2011 at 6:15 pm
It seems like just yesterday that fans were screaming that Dominik and Morris were the weakest tandem in the league. I love that they both proved to be very talented, and on our team.
May 1st, 2011 at 7:54 pm
Joe,
There is honestly no way to rate this draft. Typically, it is impossible to grade a draft until 1-3 years out but because of the medical questions with the first and second rounders – it is a Major risk / reward scenario.
I believe that one, Clayborn or Bowers, will work out and one fail probably due to injury. I am not sure which one it will be. Bowers has a very badly degenerative knee but put up huge numbers on his way to knee surgery. Clayborn’s erb palsy can flare up at any point and many teams / docs took him off their early board b/c many believe he shouldnt play with his nerve damage.
However, the problem with Clayborn was productivity; see this analysis by the Sports Exchange for Cbssportsline on Clayborn:
“Clayborn’s senior season was not what he hoped it would be statistically (seven TFL, 3.5 sacks). . .His inability as a senior to be the regular force in the backfield that he was in 2009, even when not drawing double-teams, has put concerns in the minds of some NFL scouts about his ability to be a true difference-maker at the next level.”
Bottom Line: I think there were some HUGE risks taken, and Clayborn even if healthy struggled against Big10 O lineman last year. Bowers will be productive if his knee lets him and I kind of liked that gamble – particularly with all of the Clayborn questions.
Mason Foster should be okay, Black is a special teams player, the rest; who knows? I think Dom did okay but I think you sheep are getting a little giddy over one over-achieving but hobbled d end and another talented but broke-down one. Either way: both will be much better than the rookie abortion that is GMC.
May 1st, 2011 at 8:06 pm
thomas, if its impossible to grade a draft in the first 3 years then give it a rest on the gmc thing. also, if you can point out a particular time when this erbs palsy thing affected clayborns play then i urge you to share.
May 1st, 2011 at 8:21 pm
@thomas 2.2 – It seems Tampa drafts 2 to get one ? They did this with GMC and Price last year, and did it again this year. Regardless, one of the 2 D Ends should make it, and instantly make GMC better. We still don’t know what we have, or don’t have with Price. On paper, we look very very good.
May 1st, 2011 at 8:27 pm
Thomas can you shut up already. We drafted 2 run stopping DEs (which we needed) that could have an impact in the pass game. Any DEs are upgrades IMO. We drafted a strong OLB that can rush the passer but will come in and stop the run, which we needed. We drafted a TE that can block and catch, but arguably the best blocking TE in the draft. Then we went out and got Black who was extremely productive in a SEC school. Then we fixed our short yardage issues which lost us a game last year with Bradford. Then we went out and got a TE with great hands that will probably play ST and have a chance to play later. Then we got a CB with equal size to Barber that can sit back and learn from one of the best undersized CBs that has played football both in run support and pass.
This has filled holes and is another exceptional draft for the team. Thomas if your not a bucs fan then Get the F off the site
May 1st, 2011 at 9:22 pm
Love the draft. feel we got some very good players not drafting a CB until 7th round just makes me wonder if that is cause Talib will be back after the suspension or they really beleive in Lewis
May 1st, 2011 at 9:45 pm
In some ways, you’re right, Joe. This draft COULD hinge on how Bowers turns out. But Even if we missed on him, hitting on Clayborn, Foster, and Stocker would qualify the draft as a success in my book.
I think, as with most drafts, this draft’s success or failure will depend mostly on how our first round pick (Clayborn) turns out.
May 1st, 2011 at 10:06 pm
What happened to “joeboltsfan.com”?
May 1st, 2011 at 10:20 pm
How hilarious is Thomas “2.2 inches” says you can’t grade a draft for 3 years and yet he hasn’t stopped calling McCoy a bust since before the 2010 draft?
Come on D-Bag, at least do us all a favor and stick to some kind of consistent reasoning when you feel the need to go all blowhard on JBF.com
May 1st, 2011 at 11:28 pm
Bin Laden Dead! what a great day for all. Great past 4 days id say.
May 1st, 2011 at 11:45 pm
Ditto!!
May 2nd, 2011 at 12:27 am
May 1, 1945: Hitler confirmed dead. May 1, 2011: Bin Laden confirmed dead. Don’t mess with America!
May 2nd, 2011 at 1:01 am
Remember in college when you had a huge dorm party and everyone was having a great time? Then there’s that one guy that hears everyone having a great time, and then proceeds to call security to kill the party because they can’t hear their TV show. That one guy is Thomas.
May 2nd, 2011 at 1:05 am
Thomas,
As everyone else pointed out, you just made a huge contradiction of yourself within one post! How stupid do you have to be to do that? You are not contributing an opinion, you are just spewing nonsense out of your pure hatred for everything this team does. Get a life dude.
May 2nd, 2011 at 1:35 am
@ hawaiian buc – hahahaha!
In clayborn’s junior year (the year where he had like 11.5 sacks) his main focus was to rush the pass. As a senior he was asked to play more of a 2 gap scheme, which is awful for getting sacks. That’s why his ‘sack’ numbers were down.
May 2nd, 2011 at 4:28 am
Both DEs are a big risk. Clayborn’s production DID decrease significantly his senior year. And we dont know what is going to happen with Bowers’ knee. Both could work out. But both could also blow up in the Bucs faces.
May 2nd, 2011 at 7:34 am
gotbucs: to answer your aforementioned question re: “point out a particular time when this erbs palsy thing affected clayborns play?” The answer: 2010.
gotbucs and others: I said “1 to 3” years first, I provided that range because some players prove a lot in year 1 like Mike Williams, others like Freeman take 2 etc. Also, I said that GMC “sucked” in year 1 and I have acknowledged that he is not a bust YET. If he has two more similar years he will be a bust. I expect some improvement this year. My problem with GMC was that he was a third overall.
Archetti, we did not draft run stuffing ends you fool. We drafted ends to, mostly, improve the leagues worst pass rush. The teams sack leader had 4 sacks. Yes, we did stink in stopping the run also. Mason Foster is not goinng to play OLB – so you are wrong again.
Why are you sheep SO afraid of acknowledging the risk with these two picks? It may pay off but we dont know. I saw some draft sites, two of five, had Clayborn listed as a 2nd round grade.
May 2nd, 2011 at 8:41 am
T 2.2…of course there is a risk, just like taking Freeman and Williams were risks. Most of the pros love both the Claiborne and the Bowers pick. Some on here seem to think they know more than the team doctors. At 51 Bowers is worth the risk. If you watched Claiborne play, he was still a force, he just did not have as many sacks as 2009. I think you have been known for ragging on Benn as well. You did say 1 – 3 years though, but you have not given Benn or McCoy this time frame. I have yet to hear a respected football expert say these two picks were not wise, so why should I listen to you. Especially after all the crap you spew on this site…Oh, and I still think you owe “Admin Jo” a few answers about Morris.
May 2nd, 2011 at 9:12 am
I don’t think Thomas is completely wrong. I don’t think he understands Erb’s Palsy though. It’s not something that “flares up”. It’s something he’s had since birth and it affects the length, range of motion, and strength of one side (arm). It’s not degenerative, it’s not something that “flares up”. What we don’t know is if NFL Tackles will be able to take advantage of his disability more than college Tackles did. Bowers is a risk and Foster won’t start for at least a year or two. Stocker will be pretty good, and the rest are backups/practice squad fodder/gonna get cut. This is understandable, since the talent level on the team has improved over the past couple seasons. It’s becoming harder to make the 53 man roster.
I honestly think we got 1 starter (2 if Bowers knee is 100%), a #2 TE, a couple backups/special teams players and about 3 players that will be practice squad or cut.
May 2nd, 2011 at 10:13 am
I was really liking this draft other than the 2nd TE, but if Prisco likes this draft we might be in big trouble. That guy is NEVER right.
May 2nd, 2011 at 11:47 am
Thomas I said that if anything these DEs will help in run support from their position and have a potential to play a big role in Pass rushing. But if anything else will play a role in run support. Your the fool. And unless you blew raheem last night and heard him talking No one knows where Foster will play and not all signs point to MLB you moron. In fact IMO MLB would be the worst position he could play here. Stop throwing out your retarded ideas and stop talking.