Apple Picking
January 22nd, 2016
Cornerback Eli Apple?
Tis’ the season, the very early season, to starting naming names.
January mock drafts are about as telling as evaluating a woman wearing a veil and a dress two sizes too big. But it’s still a necessary exercise.
NFL Draft guru Daniel Jeremiah, a former college quarterback and NFL Scout, has chimed in with his first offering of the season. With the No. 9 overall pick, he has the Bucs drafting Ohio State cornerback Eli Apple, the defensive MVP in the Buckeyes’ Fiesta Bowl win against Notre Dame.
Interestingly, Bill Landis, who covers Ohio State for Cleveland.com, recently wrote about how Apple might want to stay in school to become first-round material. But Jeremiah has Apple (6-1, 198 pounds) as the second corner off the board behind Florida State’s Jalen Ramsey at No. 7 overall to the Ravens.
Apple is just 20 years old.
Joe applauds the kid for turning pro. Joe would jump at the money and worry about everything else later. And Joe also can’t blame Apple from running away from the new Ohio State defensive coordinator, Greg Schiano. That’s a scary dude when you don’t know him, and sometimes when you know him.
Yeah, the Bucs need a cornerback upgrade, if you believe Lovie Smith was a keen evaluator and coach of cornerbacks.
Some might think the Bucs would be in fine shape with three young veterans in Alterraun Verner, Johnthan Banks and Sterling Moore, if he’s re-signed, and they’d prefer to draft a corner in later rounds.
January 22nd, 2016 at 9:24 am
Don’t think the Bucs would pass on Hargreaves or Alexander. But great early DB talent, regardless.
January 22nd, 2016 at 9:27 am
i love this pick. big game corner from big time school
January 22nd, 2016 at 9:29 am
Is he invited to the Combine? Or is that still just for played that used up all 4 years of eligibility? We can use some speed in the back of the D. As well as WR.
January 22nd, 2016 at 9:31 am
The top CBs are much better than the top DEs in my opinion this year
January 22nd, 2016 at 9:41 am
RO
All draft eligible people (within reason) are invited to the combine.
January 22nd, 2016 at 9:43 am
If Hargreaves, Alexander and Apple are all there at #9….perhaps the Bucs could trade down a couple of picks and still get one of them.
January 22nd, 2016 at 9:47 am
Eli Apple could be good, but I’ve only seen one site so far that has him as a first rounder. I’m pretty high on Mackensie Alexander. Raw Physical talent and some say he’s better than Hargreaves due to his ball skills ( :D) and he plays with a little aggression like norman or Sherman. We’ll see. Alot of experts as of now have us taking Shaq Lawson, but Im a bit skeptical of Clemson de’s. Maybe Deforest Buckner, he’s big, strong and does not get pushed out of his gap, like our dline did all last year vs run. As for Bosa, theres just something I dont trust. He has been berated for taking plays off like Clowney two years ago but then again so was Hargreaves, so are many so who knows. I do know the Titans would be better off drafting Laremy Tunsil, a franchise lt to protect their franchise qb.
Oh yea, I wonder if Licht would consider Nkemdiche. He has gotten in trouble, fell out of a window etc but some say his talentt is too good to pass in the top ten. Yet some (local guy) swear up and down to stay away. Idk. But de seems like our biggest need and they are more scarce this year, whereas cb’s will be plentiful into the third.
January 22nd, 2016 at 9:57 am
Emanuel Ogbah, Oklahoma state. Look him up on walter football and tell me he’s not exactly what we need at ninth
January 22nd, 2016 at 10:17 am
Buckner the Buccaneer 🙂
January 22nd, 2016 at 10:21 am
we need to sign moore
January 22nd, 2016 at 10:22 am
Big buckeye fan here. Would be shocked if Apple goes 9. He was a solid corner, but by no means a shut down corner. He did progress as the year went on, but I would try grab him in the 2nd or 3rd. The Florida kid (Mackenzie?) is the #2 corner in my book.
It
January 22nd, 2016 at 10:38 am
I was thinking the same thing, Largo. I’ve never seen him in the first round, then all of a sudden he’s in the top 10? I guess that’s like Buckner. When the mocks first came out, I saw him in round 2 a lot. Now he’s in a lot of top 10s. Still too early to say where anyone will go. Last year at this time a lot of mocks had Winston going 10 to the Rams.
January 22nd, 2016 at 11:02 am
Go look at the bowl game from Ogbah before you think we have to have him at 9.
January 22nd, 2016 at 11:03 am
Keep an eye on a kid named Deondre Hall out of Northern Iowa. Major ball hawk who can play corner and safety, punt return skills too. 6′ 2″ 200 lbs, he’ll probably run high 4.4-low 4.5. Will play in senior bowl and work out at combine.
January 22nd, 2016 at 12:00 pm
I’m a huge Buckeyes fan, born and raised in Ohio. Eli Apple is one of the worst CBs th Bucks have had in years. Being a Bucks and Bucs fan, I hope he doesn’t come to Tampa!
January 22nd, 2016 at 12:04 pm
No offense Bucs Koetter, but Ohio State gets way too much run. This is why I agree with you. I don’t recall a whole lot of spectacular play from this kid. There’s better talent there than Apple.
January 22nd, 2016 at 12:47 pm
Like the pick, but I agree with you Joe. Verner Moore, and Banks…in a system not run by Lovie Smith…are absolutely starting quality CB’s. Would rather see us take a shot on a pass rusher and grab someone like Fuller, who could fall into the 2nd round.
January 22nd, 2016 at 12:55 pm
Ogbah or Calhoun.
January 22nd, 2016 at 1:02 pm
Grab him and put him on one side. Put Moore on one side. Verner at nickel and move Banks to safety.
January 22nd, 2016 at 2:31 pm
No. 9 is too high for a cornerback…..Josh Norman was found in the fifth round….Ronde Barber was third round…
January 22nd, 2016 at 2:38 pm
Calhoun is not a first rounder. I like him in the 3rd. I see alot of mocks with him in the 2nd.
January 22nd, 2016 at 2:39 pm
Bring in Eric Weddle and Sean Smith and draft a DE. BOOM I fixed the defense
January 22nd, 2016 at 3:24 pm
feelthepewterpower
And that’s what people were saying about QB last year. Deion was taking at 3 and Patrick Peterson went (I think) 5. It’s ridiculous to suggest that we should pass on a position bc there’s a guy out there who went in the 5th round that’s really good now.
On another note, I agree with a lot of the other posters here about Alexander. I’m as big of an FSU honk as there is, but I think Alexander is going to be the best CB to come out of this draft.
January 22nd, 2016 at 3:50 pm
May have to move up to the 5th or 6th spot but Im still saying Ramsey….CB and Safety, you can move him around.
January 22nd, 2016 at 5:53 pm
BPA on the Bucs board with 9th overall pick please.
If he doesn’t play QB, RB, under tackle, Will or Mike Linebacker – we can absolutely use him. If BPA happens to be a DE or Defensive back – great – but I’d rather pick the highest guy on the board no matter what at #9 overall. And if the best player is OL or WR – that works too. We just need more TALENT – period.
Get-r-done Jason Licht. If you can find 3 solid starters in this year’s draft to follow up your grand slam from last year – you would absolutely be deserving of a “rock star” type moniker.
January 23rd, 2016 at 12:01 am
The issue with drafting a CB this year is that there are only 8 projected in the first three rounds. Of those 8 two suffered knee injuries last year. There are the “big” three, Vernon Hargreaves III, Jalen Ramsey and Mackensie Alexander. Eli Apple falls in the second tier. He has great size and is a solid run defender but is not a shutdown man to man corner. There will be a run on CB’s early with the limited talent pool early on. Yes, Josh Norman and Richard Sherman both were drafted in the 5th rounds so lets go after DL help and a Safety. The draft is loaded with Safeties. I really like SS Jeremy Cash Duke (6-2 210) in the second round. He is a baller.
1) DT Andrew Billings Baylor (6-2 310)
2) SS Jeremy Cash Duke (6-2 210)
3) CB Artie Burns Miami (FL) (6-0 190)
4) K Roberto Aguayo Florida State
January 23rd, 2016 at 10:38 am
Pewtereport.com has a very good line up for the first 4 picks