The Bucs And Avery Williams
April 2nd, 2021
It’s fun to puff your chest out, bark at your annoying Browns-fan neighbor and declare Tampa Bay has no needs entering the 2021 NFL Draft.
It’s a fair statement. But there’s always room for improvement and adding stiff competition at a position is almost always a positive.
That’s one thing that made the Bucs’ 2020 run to the Super Bowl so intriguing. They gifted starting jobs in the secondary to a bunch of young kids and it all worked out perfectly.
Still, Joe would love to see the Bucs bring in more talent in the defensive backfield and preferably a guy who could be a dangerous return man. The Bucs tried to make recently-departed Ryan Smith that guy back in 2016. But as a rookie he turned out to be horrendous as a kick returner, averaging less than 17 yards per attempt, which is hard to do.
Enter 2021 draft prospect Avery Williams, a too-small cornerback out of Boise State. At 5-8, 195 pounds, he’s an explosive force who scored nine special teams touchdowns in college and blocked five kicks/punts. A 4.4 40-yard-dash time this week has opened more eyes to the two-time Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Year.
Joe would love to see the Bucs select an interesting project like Williams late in the draft, a guy who potentially could be a difference-maker returner immediately.
April 2nd, 2021 at 11:12 am
We have the liberty of taking the best available players who might be a year away
April 2nd, 2021 at 11:27 am
Kick returns have become rare. I hope we can find a punt returner!
April 2nd, 2021 at 11:31 am
Ray Calais (UDA) last year possibly could have filled that role. But he was stolen off our practice squad almost immediately. I hope the KR/PR lack is addressed sometime in the draft. This guy Williams sounds pretty good. Wonder what round?
April 2nd, 2021 at 11:41 am
ST’s are the team weakness, coverage and returns. There needs to be a lot of focus there.
April 2nd, 2021 at 11:56 am
Cobraboy agree completely with you. A glaring hole on an otherwise solid roster.
April 2nd, 2021 at 12:02 pm
If he was like a 5th or 6th rounder, maybe, if we’ve already addressed our other needs. Personally, I see those Boise State uni’s and I have bad memories of Jeremy McNichols. Just like Clemson after Gaines Adams and Da’Quan Bowers. The Clemson discomfort has mostly gone away, but not Boise.
April 2nd, 2021 at 12:26 pm
No, thank you. He reminds me of the bad Dexter Jackson.
April 2nd, 2021 at 1:02 pm
Lord heavens can we please have a legit return game!!!!
April 2nd, 2021 at 1:40 pm
If he’s available in the 6th round I would pull the trigger. Could he be any worse than Mickens?
April 2nd, 2021 at 1:44 pm
Absolutely true Cobra.
April 2nd, 2021 at 3:35 pm
Check an interesting YT video on Tevon Jenkins called “This is the most violent man in college football.”
I like violent Big Uglies.
April 2nd, 2021 at 6:31 pm
@Mike Honcho- you nailed it brother. Between the Molly Hamster and Snoop Mcplaybook as Joe likes to call him, I’m hard passing on anything from Boise St.
April 2nd, 2021 at 7:37 pm
The kickoff return game is an NFL remnant at this point. There is next to zero reason to focus on it.
Hell, I’d be happy to do the job. I can guarantee 25yds on every kickoff.
In BA I Trust!
April 4th, 2021 at 2:01 pm
I’m cool on Boise running backs for now… But if we draft him let’s rock out