Grading Day 2 Picks
April 25th, 2020
Bucs GM Jason Licht.
So Joe decided late last night to surf the net to see what NFL pundits think of the Bucs’ Day 2 draft picks.
Antoine Winfield, Jr.
Winfield Jr. is about as diminutive as his father: He was 5’9″ and 203 pounds at the combine, where he also ran a 4.45-second 40. He’s also a film junkie who looks at times like he’s reading the quarterback’s mind. On the downside, he shares his father’s aggressiveness as a tackler but doesn’t wrap consistently (a real problem when you are always hitting guys bigger than you), and he has a history of foot and hamstring injuries.
Winfield fits best as a matchup defender against quick slot receivers and Alvin Kamara/Christian McCaffrey types. If he stays healthy, his speed, film-room chops and aggressiveness will keep him in the NFL for a long time.
The Buccaneers are absolutely crushing this draft, along with their Bradyfication.
Grade: A
A couple of years ago, the Buccaneers were widely criticized for passing on Derwin James in favor of Vita Vea. It turns out that Vea became a tremendous run defender for the Buccaneers, but James has been better for the Chargers, at least when healthy. However, the Buccaneers may have made amends for that mistake. Antoine Winfield is a tremendous play-maker who will pair with an improving cornerback group. He could’ve been chosen in the first round, so I love this value.
Grade: A.
Safeties are important in defensive coordinator Todd Bowles’s scheme. Incumbent 2017 second-rounder Justin Evans flashed decent range in 2018 but spent last season on IR. Versatile 2019 third-round pick Mike Edwards is intriguing, but was taken off the field at times in passing situations. Jordan Whitehead, a fourth-rounder in 2018, has some coverage versatility and at times flashes good closing speed, but he can’t quite be viewed as a cornerstone starter at this point. By drafting Winfield, the Bucs—theoretically—stabilize one safety spot, which, given their decent options in the players outlined above, makes it easier to stabilize the other safety spot.
GRADE: B+
How about this safety run, you guys?! The Bucs now have drafted seven DBs since 2016, and they have a similar style of player there already in Mike Edwards, who had a solid rookie season. But Winfield can be a deep safety and a solid nickel, and has the playmaking chops, toughness and intelligence to upgrade that secondary.
Grade: B-.
The Bucs had a need for a dynamic safety given the concerns about Justin Evans’ health — he missed all of last season and six games in 2018 with foot injuries. They could also use some more ball-hawking in their secondary. Winfield, whose father Antoine Winfield, Sr. played 14 seasons in the NFL, fits the ball. He’s versatile, he’s a ball hawk (he tied Minnesota’s single‐season record in the modern era with seven interceptions in 2019) and he’s tough, with excellent instincts for the game. He doesn’t have the range of Evans, but he can cover, he’s solid in run support and he can blitz, which Todd Bowles loves to do with his defensive backs. This is the second year in a row that the Bucs have selected a safety on Day 2, selecting Mike Edwards out of Kentucky in 2019.
Ke’Shawn Vaughn.
Vaughn also rushed for 130 yards and two touchdowns in a 66-38 loss to LSU in September. But in between his mammoth games are lots of ordinary ones, albeit for the conference’s academic powerhouse against a brutal schedule. [He] doesn’t always see cutback lanes and will unwisely bounce plays outside. When he finds a crease, however, he displays a remarkable combination of power and straight-ahead speed.
Vaughn made strides as a receiver in 2019, and he’s an alert, physical pass protector. Those skills will keep him on a roster and in a rotation. His upside appears limited, but he’s capable of having some Chris Carson-esque seasons as the rugged all-purpose guy if called upon. And on the Buccaneers’ stacked offense, a Chris Carson type will look very, very good.
Grade: B+
The Buccaneers finally get their running back. Ke’Shawn Vaughn runs with some nice power, and he makes sense as a third-round pick, but I’m not sure about the fit. Tom Brady wants running backs who catch passes out of the backfield very well. Vaughn can do that, but it’s definitely not his forte.
Grade: B.
Vaughn was a straightforward, one-path runner at Vanderbilt, which means the Bucs see him as a base down player. Is he here to add backfield depth? Or does Tampa Bay’s brass envision Vaughn challenging Ronald Jones?
Grade: C+
This feels like a reach to us, but Vaughn had some nice moments in his college career. He profiles as a sturdy third-down option, although he’s not a quick or decisive runner and he isn’t the big-play runner he thinks he is. Vaughn’s work in pass protection was pretty good, and he caught a decent number of passes (he started his career at Illinois), but in our eyes Vaughn was a Day 3 talent.
Grade: C-.
Vaughn is capable of filling that [pass catching] role, catching 67 passes for 664 receiving yards in four seasons (two at Illinois and two at Vanderbilt) but there’s something lacking in his tape, and it’s not just that he didn’t have a varied route tree in college (that’s a function of the offense he played in and not his fault). The Bucs believe he can be a three-down back but he’s very stiff in the hips and lacks ideal speed, clocking a 4.51 at the NFL combine.
He was, however, one of just two running backs to rush for over 1,000 yards in each of the last two seasons in the SEC along with D’Andre Swift, so he was productive — but doesn’t scream “threat” at the next level. He does do a nice job of remaining upright after contact and he’s got some lateral agility. I don’t see an upgrade over recently departed Peyton Barber or Dare Ogunbowale, though. I also don’t see someone who can really push Jones on all three downs, although he is a much better pass protector. I think this pick was a reach after many other running backs had already come off the board.
April 25th, 2020 at 5:17 am
Winfield was a decent choice although his health is a concern, where have I heard that before? Vaughn is nothing special and looks like a dependable back that should have gone in the 5th or 6th round. It’s pretty obvious he is going to be a third down back and is not going to challenge RoJo. Kind of looks like Barber the way he runs and is not going to break anything to the outside. Second day = disappointment.
April 25th, 2020 at 5:17 am
Sounds like Jenna might have been on the rag or something.
Anywho the more I read about these guys, the more I like them. Often in recent years that wasn’t the case, so this is an improvement!
April 25th, 2020 at 5:17 am
I really thought Moss was the pick but I won’t be a butt hurt baby like the Derwin James and Dalton Cook crowd. I hope this Vaughn kid balls out, I definitely will consider the stacked SEC and them not having a great Oline.
I know we need a WR but can we just grab G Netane Muti and it won’t really matter who the RB is.
April 25th, 2020 at 5:21 am
I give Antoine Winfield, Jr. a B+ and Ke’Shawn Vaughn a C
Winfield just add depth to a young but talented group of secondary players Jason had added over the last 3 seasons. He can play either FS or nickel CB. So let him battle Edwards and Adam for the FS spot plus battle SM3 for the nickel. Plus will still have Evans who might come back which will just add an extra body to the competition.
Vaughn is somewhat of a surprise cause I was expecting more of a receiving back but I do like that he is good at pass protection which is something Jones is still learning. Don’t no if I count him as a 3rd down back but he will at least take some off the load from Jones during the season.
I wouldn’t mind seeing an Center, middle LB and NT as are last picks
April 25th, 2020 at 5:40 am
Dion Lewis. Light can’t draft running backs. UF Perine today with FIU Morgan and Michugan Runyon, RB, QB and Guard/center/tackle. Passed on elite defenders except Winfield. only stiffs left, can do ok after draft, sign a bunch of stiffs, cut them by pre season and say they tried. Seen this movie several times.
April 25th, 2020 at 5:44 am
I thought we would go with Dobbins at #45 but I like the Winfield choice. He seems to play bigger than his size suggests and he has great ball instincts. He’ll also add really good value on special teams. His body fragility is a concern however he certainly improves the secondary.
Vaughn is one who I find hard to assess. Without doubt he was a reach in the third but he played in a team way out of their depth in the SEC and still posted very respectable numbers on the statistic sheet. However, I don’t see the fit with the Bucs. If we wanted a receiving RB, surely there were better options available? Looks like a tough son of a bit#h though. Let the coaches work their magic
Mixed emotions on Day 2.
April 25th, 2020 at 5:59 am
If they liked Vaughn they should have traded down. He would have been there in the 4th round. Hes a good RB but would have been available later.
April 25th, 2020 at 6:35 am
There is no question we drafted for need…..OT, S, RB…….those three positions have been a consensus for weeks.
It’s quite obvious that by the time we got to RBs many were gone…..so the debate is over Vaughn vs someone else….
Or the debate is over S vs RB in round 2.
I’m OK with Gronk but the 4th round pick cost us last night……we needed to be able to move up to select one of the premier RBs & couldn’t…..
The one thing I will say about Vaughn is that he had very good production against the worst run-blocking Oline in the FBS.
April 25th, 2020 at 7:00 am
And now we don’t picknuntil the 5th rd. We missed out on some very good DTs. Looks like the Bucs are keeping OJ unless Licht gives him away.
April 25th, 2020 at 7:24 am
damn rod..lol about spit out my cheerios
April 25th, 2020 at 7:28 am
Alaskan
Thanks. You were a huge butt hurt #3
April 25th, 2020 at 7:31 am
Disgusting comment Munch. Jenna’s the best reporter out there. She knows the Bucs better than any of those other guys and I think her take is dead on. Especially on Vaughn. How are we now better at that position?
April 25th, 2020 at 7:49 am
JL another disaster pick in the 2nd rd. Dalvin Cook scenario all over again! We are sitting there at 45, and Dobbins and Akers sitting there and we take another damn DB…a 5’9 S. C’mon man.
April 25th, 2020 at 7:58 am
I’m fine with the Winfield pick because he’s a playmaker. He reminds me of a diminutive Ed reed, always around the ball. He’s the reason his team the gophers were competitive this year. I had no doubt that Vaughn would be available 5th or 6th round. Should’ve taken Brady’s replacement for the future, qb Jacob Eason in the third n taken rb lamichael perine out of Florida in the 5th a guy that will make u miss n has great hands out of the back field.
April 25th, 2020 at 8:08 am
I am not sure they could have drafted 2 more stiff players. They both look like 40 year old men with very little flexibility.
April 25th, 2020 at 8:22 am
Hey! I resemble that remark 👆🏼
April 25th, 2020 at 8:51 am
C-
Safety is definitely something we needed to address… but IMO in Free Agency and not the draft. Our secondary is already young AF and we saw last year how long it typically takes to develop young DBs. If we are serious about going ALL-IN then RB would have been the better choice for our 2nd round pick.
That being said, I think Antoine Winfield can be a great safety, but will it be this year? I’m not so sure of that. I hope he proves me wrong.
Also, Ke’Shawn Vaughn might compliment Ronald Jones in the backfield and strengthen our running game but I don’t believe he’s the missing piece for this offense. What this offense really needs is a complete back who can out of the backfield. A RB with great hands to catch a check-down pass is such a valuable asset.
April 25th, 2020 at 9:03 am
Winfield had a great senior year but only 8 games in sophmore and junior year. Junior year foot injury hmmmm sounds familiar.
April 25th, 2020 at 9:04 am
I preferred RB 2nd then Safety 3rd but not mad at the picks!! At least they addressed the two other needs.
At the end of the day, Licht and his staff are the professionals. No fan on this site did more research on these players. You gotta just trust the work they put in that made them decide to go this way!!!
With that said, I hope they bring in a vet RB to compete. And maybe a vet CB we don’t need no more young DBs.
April 25th, 2020 at 9:09 am
My bad it wasn’t Winfield senior season it was his sophmore season he was reshirted 2 years which I didn’t realize was possible.
April 25th, 2020 at 9:18 am
@ Rod
Lol. I agree. I like both our picks. People are hating on Vaughn because they don’t know him. He was the second best back in the SEC last year and had one of his best games against LSU. He will match up nicely with Rojo.
April 25th, 2020 at 9:20 am
Winfield was being discussed as one of the top safety prospects. He’s a good, solid pick. It means we have an abundance of safeties now, though. Someone is going to have to go.
Vaughn was someone we hadn’t heard of. He played in the SEC against far superior competition and put up decent numbers.
We can nitpick all day long but, I think we did okay.
Round #5 here we come!
April 25th, 2020 at 9:20 am
The foregone conclusion was we needed a third down back. What we needed and drafted was a first and second down back that replaces Barber and can protect Brady in pass protection. RoJo was originally drafted as a third down, pass catching, change of pace. How quickly we forget. Winfield will immediately make our secondary better. He is a student of the game and will help Bucs avoid blown coverage. Very solid day two. Also Bucs need some replacements to make other players expendable to get cap space. Justin Evans won’t save much, but he will no longer be needed when the season starts. Go Bucs!
April 25th, 2020 at 9:21 am
Some of you want the Bucs to pick 3 1st round choices in the 2nd and 3rd round
There is a Reason No one pick them in the first round
Bucs need a RB and A Safety if the took a RB in the second y’all would ask what about a safety
We gave up our 4th rounds and got a Tackle and Gronkowski (a 4th for Gronkowski awesome) but some say we can trade up
There are only so many picks you have to take the Best for you at the time
Bucs Look awesome making smart picks ( No Fing Kickers in the 2nd)
April 25th, 2020 at 9:23 am
Wirfs was an easy choice.
Perhaps Licht believes picking Winfield will help the defense enough that Brady won’t have the extra stress of carrying the team more than a Cam Akers type RB would.
Vaughn I have no clue.
My grade on draft B- to C+.
April 25th, 2020 at 9:24 am
The Vaughn pick may turn out nice as well. Guy seems he could be another David Johnson. He is capable of catching out the backfield and can block as well so I’m guessing he’s a third down back all day. No threat of taking carries away from RoJo either as again he looks to be just a third down option which the Bucs needed to improve wildly. I say the remainder of the draft they should go for Guard, Nose tackle, and a some WR and CB that can return kicks and punts. We need some blazing speed out the late rounds of this draft. I would also like the team get another RB or edge rusher for quality depth
April 25th, 2020 at 9:31 am
Don’t forget everyone mad about the runningback. Winfield was rated as on of the top safeties in the draft hard to pass on that. We can still go after freeman and Lamar Miller after the draft. I’m sure freeman would love to come play with Brady and catch 80 balls this year. Wouldn’t surprise me at all if we sign him Monday or Tuesday.
April 25th, 2020 at 9:36 am
So I saw in one comparison he was compared to Swift. After watching film I like the pick and he didn’t have two linemen blocking for him that were taken in the first round Thursday. My friends that are UF grads loved the pick because “he always shredded the Gators.”
April 25th, 2020 at 9:38 am
Sounds like Winfield is the second coming of J. Evans. (injury prone) Well at least we still have Whitehead & Edwards. IMO safety was not a priority unlike RB or even another OL. But thats Licht. Winfield by far was not the best safety on the board. And don’t even get me started on Vaughn. The 14th based RB. Hey Licht if you want to learn how to draft take lessons from the Ravens who I think really nailed it. Especially where they were drafting. Same crap every year.
April 25th, 2020 at 9:39 am
Have the Bucs made the playoffs once since Jason Licht became GM? Have they drafted a series of reach/failures at DB? Yet Licht is surprised that he is questioned for reaching for yet another undersized DB…….
April 25th, 2020 at 9:41 am
Free agency is over for the bucs, except for the undrafted players. The Bucs could not have signed a veteran safety because they don’t have the cap space.
Same goes with RB.
There won’t be trades for veterans either for the same reason. We can’t take on their contracts.
April 25th, 2020 at 9:56 am
TPABay – You may want to look of the definition of a reach. He was projected to be a first round talent by many experts.
April 25th, 2020 at 9:58 am
While day one was a home run day two was a disaster. We could have had a big time running back in Cam Akers instead we have a midget safety that can’t tackle. I’m not sure about the running back but the highlights I have seen aren’t very impressive.
April 25th, 2020 at 10:02 am
@Buccaneer Bonzai
You sound like Jason Licht with your excuses. There’s always wiggle room. There’s always fat to trim, players to trade, and so on. If there’s a will there’s a way.
A veteran Safety was a must-have, as far as I’m concerned. You can’t just keep throwing rookie DBs in, hoping one will stick. Look how many teams went after WRs this draft. Look at the quality of the WRs in the draft and in the league. The bar continues to get higher. A good secondary is NOT a luxury… it’s a MUST HAVE.
Unfortunately, we don’t have the luxury to wait to develop more DBs. We don’t know if we will have Gronk beyond this year. We will likely only have Brady for 2 years, the time is now, not 2 years from now.
Don’t give me that crap we don’t have the money.. you want to win? You find the MONEY!
April 25th, 2020 at 10:02 am
You can’t judge a draft until 4-5 years down the road. Let’s re-cap and grade the 2016 draft class:
ROUND 1: CB VERNON HARGREAVES
ROUND 2: DE NOAH SPENCE
ROUND 2: K ROBERTO AGUAYO
ROUND 4: DB RYAN SMITH
ROUND 5: OT CALEB BENENOCH
ROUND 6: DEVANTE BOND
ROUND 6: FB DAN VITALE
April 25th, 2020 at 10:21 am
100 percent drAfted for need in 2016 , not one pick was the best pro prospect, pro talent or pro divisional prospect if two are rated equal !!!
The whole league got a real weight and 40 time on Spence / W shoulder problems and knew he no chance in hell against the run !! 3 rd down guy only !!
This was another 100 percent draft for need two days , I hope it turns out better !!
April 25th, 2020 at 10:29 am
@ Doctor Stroud
2016 is a solid F
Let’s look at 2014 (JL’s first draft with Bucs) and 2015 while we’re at it…
Round 1: WR Mike Evans
Round 2:: WR Marqise Lee
Round 3: RB Charles Sims
Round 5: OG Kadeem Edward
Round 6: WR Robert Herron
Round 7: OLB Randell Johnson
2015
Round 1: QB Jameis Winston
Round 2: OG Donovan Smith
Round 3: CB D’Joun Smith
Round 4: SS Clayton Weathers
Round 5: WR Kenny Bell
Round 5: FB Michael Burton
Round 6: WR Kaelin Clay
Round 7: OL Anthony Morris
You guys be the judge…
With the exception of Chris Godwin, 2017 is shaping up to be a total Cluster F too
April 25th, 2020 at 10:53 am
I hate when people say sht like oh we should have traded back or this guy would have been available stfu nostrodumbasss
April 25th, 2020 at 10:58 am
Man people are so negative. Doesn’t anybody realize that if we can at least get a 90 percent Tom Brady, Gronk, Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, it’s going to make everyone better! It’s not going to matter who our running backs are! Bucs fans just love to complain.
April 25th, 2020 at 11:03 am
I love that we got Tristan Wirfs, and cannot believe he was still there at 13/14. That being said, after sleeping on it, I still think we should have traded down and had gotten more picks. If we did, we still could have landed Isaiah Wilson, or maybe even Wirfs (depending on what Miami did, b/c that’s who I would have traded with, and maybe they actually got who they wanted at OT), we’d still get Winfield, but we could have also gotten Antonio Gibson at 56, which is a much better fit for what we needed at RB, and DaVon Hamilton at 70, who is a perfect 3-4 DL. That would have been great. Now I’m hoping Leki Fotu is there for our next pick, because he’s the only legit 3-4 DL left.
April 25th, 2020 at 11:08 am
If you simply take the time to listen to the draft pick himself you would understand this pick!
One of the first statements out of Vaughn’s piehole after getting drafted,
“I’m very comfortable there (in pass blocking). Now knowing that I have Tom Brady as my quarterback I gotta be even more serious about getting that done, and taking that more seriously as far as knowing who I got on certain plays, making sure my technique is good at all times. Because that man that’s throwing the ball, we need him at all times.”
April 25th, 2020 at 11:26 am
Go watch Vaughn vs Baylor in 2018. This guy can play and in the grand scheme of things isn’t that what’s important?
April 25th, 2020 at 11:26 am
FireJL, not sure where you got your draft lists but they’re off. We never drafted Marquise Lee, DJoun Smith or Clayton Weathers
April 25th, 2020 at 11:32 am
Rd1 A
Rd2 B
Rd3 C-
April 25th, 2020 at 12:55 pm
Rod Munch says:
Sounds like Jenna might have been on the rag or something.
so I am a gal too(59y/o), but Lol! that is so funny! Probably true! She sounds extreme snippy.
April 25th, 2020 at 6:02 pm
F mostly because the Winfield pick shouldn’t have been necessary. I’d have said a B otherwise since getting a running back in the 3rd that would have been there in the 5th is beyond dumb and brings the overall grade down. Love the Wirfs pick and I’m tired of hearing myself b!tch, so I’m going to put the horrible second day of the draft in the rear view mirror. 😜