Would The Bucs Again Go Defensive Lineman In First Round?

February 16th, 2022

Houston defensive lineman Logan Hall.

Generally, teams don’t draft the same position in the first round in back-to-back years. In a dart-throwing exercise (one of thousands between now and the draft in April), one mock has the Bucs doing just that.

Joe normally doesn’t believe in drafting at the same level of a defense (or offense) with a first-round pick in consecutive years. Spread the wealth. But on Bleacher Report, they threw stuff on the wall and guessed (this week) that Houston defensive lineman Logan Hall would be selected by Tampa Bay.

Hall is virtually the same size as Will Gholston, who is a free agent.

What caught Joe’s eye in Hall’s breakdown? Think Ryan Jensen on the defense.

— Leg drive is impressive. Constantly churning his legs with a nonstop motor and power behind each step.

— Heavy hands. Can jolt offensive linemen off balance with his first punch.

— Bully mentality. Stronger and more violent than his opponents, and makes sure to let them know it.

That tells Joe this guy has a hungry demeanor. Joe will take a gnarly, mean defensive player any day of the week.

The best thing Joe read about this Hall is that he is versatile. Doesn’t matter if it is a 43 defense or a 34 defense — tackle, end, he can play everywhere up front.

Would a versatile, mean lineman attract Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht?

Joe doesn’t think an interior defensive lineman is off the board at all. Last year Licht was asked why he didn’t draft a defensive tackle and he said he didn’t like the lesser crop in that draft.

This year is supposed to be a deep class of defensive tackles. Joe heard NFL.com draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah say a team can get very good value with a defensive tackle in the third round.

38 Responses to “Would The Bucs Again Go Defensive Lineman In First Round?”

  1. Cannon Says:

    You can never go wrong with drafting a bad ass D lineman.

  2. Robert Says:

    Gholston should stay. He is coming into his own. solid.

    that said, we need more…so yes please.

  3. zzbuc Says:

    I like this pick Joe….Do you think he makes it to #27?

  4. Craig Says:

    If Licht thinks he is the best guy on the board, why no? Suh will be gone soon, as might Gholston.

  5. Tim Looten Says:

    @ZZBUC,

    He aint a 1st rounder. I suggest taking Bernhard Raimann from Central Michigan at #27. Only played 2 years as an OT after switching positions from TE. He’s a project Lichts like and has top 10 tackle upside after sitting a year behind Smith/Wirfs.

  6. Marine Buc Says:

    The draft will depend on what happens in free agency.

    If we lose both Cappa and Jenson we might be drafting a lineman.

    If we lose Godwin we could be drafting a WR.

    If Davis walks we could be drafting a CB in round #1.

    Mock drafts are all over the place right now. Most of them have the Bucs drafting a CB in round #1.

    Even if Godwin returns I would still draft a WR with our first pick. We need a serious #3 WR in this offense. Johnson, Miller and Darden are not going to cut it…

  7. Mike Says:

    You win in the trenches. If we have to replace Suh, it makes sense.

  8. Beeej Says:

    Need to address TE

  9. fern Says:

    yep

  10. Joe Says:

    zzbuc:

    Can go by what Joe has read but it seems he’s a late-first-round pick.

  11. Chris@Apple Roof Cleaning Tampa Says:

    I agree that The Draft will depend on what happens in free agency.
    That said, you can never have too many defensive linemen, and Logan Hall looks like a good one.

  12. Tampabaybucfan Says:

    Agree Marine Buc

    FA will determine the draft….along with who is on the board at 27.

    I don’t look at Dline and OLB as the same position….

    We could be drafting a TE, WR, CB, DT, OLB, OLine, RB in the first 3 rounds.

  13. Bucsfanman Says:

    I agree on the FA situation dictating the draft.

    In short, yes. The Bucs will most likely need to replace Suh or Gholston, and JPP. Consider that we’ve had a real short preview of JTS.

  14. SlyPirate Says:

    Hall is a great, practically can’t miss prospect.

    That said … Nakobe Dean

    The same mock drafts that have the Bucs taking Hall have Nakobe Dean going next. I’d take Nakobe over Hall all day every day.

  15. D-Rome Says:

    The Bucs have to get younger on defense in the front 7. Suh will likely be gone. Same with JPP. I hope Gholston retires a Buccaneers but who knows. I think the Bucs need to draft a d-lineman in the first or second round.

  16. HC Grover Says:

    Theres the Beef. I like all Beef Draft.

  17. Red86 Says:

    Man I remember somebody saying we shouldn’t draft Aaron Donald. Now look at those two players now. I think Licht will make a great decision. Personally I hope we find a middle linebacker or outside linebacker that can cover. Maybe move Devin White at outside linebacker. This along will help our zone blitzes coverage.

  18. SRQSalt Says:

    It’s early but think they reached & missed at DL last year, I think they go OL with the likelihood they lose Cappa or Jensen or both.

  19. Steven007 Says:

    Red, we picked Mike Evans instead of Donald due to need. I think we did okay with that pick.

    Sly, I like Dean too, but he’s really a completely different position. He does fit our linebacker profile though. As has been said above, kind of depends on who we resign and how free agency plays out.

  20. Swampbuc Says:

    As long as Bowels runs the defense, the Bucs should just draft guys who can blitz effectively. His silence has been due to his new defensive concept, called “Blitz 13” wherein he sends all 11 plus sneaks in two extra guys from the sideline to play edge.

    From now on, no fewer than 9 rush the passer and if Blitz 13 works, he’ll add personnel groupings for 14 and higher.

  21. D-Rome Says:

    Red, we picked Mike Evans instead of Donald due to need. I think we did okay with that pick.

    Agreed and it would have been foolish to draft a DT at that point when the Bucs already spent premium picks on Gerald McCoy, Clinton MacDonald, and Akeem Spence. Mike Evans was the correct pick despite protests from Joe, Dick Vitale, and other talking heads about drafting Johnny Foosball. Thank the lord we didn’t draft that bust.

  22. Swampbuc Says:

    Any D-lineman Licht drafts, Bowels will just ruin.

  23. Pewter Power Says:

    Interior pass rush will make our corners elite with what we have coming off the edge

  24. SKBucsFan Says:

    I agree with that pick. Can never have too many bullies on yoir lines. Can draft a CB in the 4th…where they should be drafted

  25. Buccos Says:

    I would also go WR in the 1st rd. We had the best WR corp in the NFL with Evans, Godwin and Brown. We need to replace Brown and hopefully not Godwin who should be franchised again.

  26. Pryda...Sec147 Says:

    I hope we go defensive line in 1st round

  27. Cobraboy Says:

    Hard to say now. Wait until a couple of weeks into FA to start predicting the draft.

    It’s hard to overdraft at #27 unless you have idiots in the GM office, and I don’t think the Bucs have that issue…

  28. Cobraboy Says:

    That said, I love the Big Uglies.

    A team can never have enough.

  29. stpetebucsfan Says:

    Mock drafts are always all over the place. But one that I read pretty much came up with the same kind of player just a different guy.

    They claim the Bucs will go with Texas A&M DL DeMarvin Leal..another stud although Mel “The Hair” Kiper says he’s barely a first rounder who should go around 27th. This means the Bucs would have a legitimate shot. I like D picks early this year. If we keep the OL in tact we’ll be fine on offense…not great…but OK and if the D is great the balance should work out.

    Meanwhile that same draft had us taking Mississippi State’s CB Martin Emerson projected to go high in the 3rd meaning he’ll also be available at the end of the second round.

    I do not follow College Football nearly close enough to know which players are for real but I would be happy if we drafted a DL followed by a CB.

    Even if we retain Davis..he and SMB and Dean are weak in a critical ability…AVAILIBILITY. When all three are healthy…when has that been…they along with our outstanding safeties form a solid defensive backfield.

    Given their frequent injuries we need more depth there, unless you’re enarmored with Russ Cockrell…a solid backup but as a starter?

  30. Tony Says:

    We should consider having somebody from the old D from 20 years ago run the D. This way they probably won’t be doing anything stupid. Since that D was smarter.

  31. Tony Says:

    I don’t think I’d have Sapp run the D because he’d probably bring in a bunch of hookers & he’d probably see the white chalk on the field as cocaine instead.

  32. steele Says:

    Bucs’ QB dilemma will determine how the top of the draft goes. If not for that, absolutely go defensive line and offensive line. You can never have too many pass rushers.

    Arnold Ebiketie, Myjai Sanders, Perrion Winfrey, Sam Williams….

  33. catcard202 Says:

    If there’s an opportunity to deal out of the #27 pick – back into the early 2nd & collect more draft capitol in 3rd/4th….The FO needs to do that!!!

    The FO could then likely pull 1 of DL DeMarvin Leal, Logan Hall or Cameron Thomas early in the 2nd + a guy like DL Eric Johnson (Missouri State) on Day 3 (late 4th rd)…Any of those guys would solve a big Front 7 question in a hurry, but getting 2 would go a long way in solving long-term questions.

    This draft class is VERY deep & the 2022 roster will need a boost after a remodeling job that ends with Bucs maximize Comp Picks for 2023 – by signing very few outside UFA’s….(FO target should be gaining 4 Comp Picks for 2023)

    Signing your own guys does not hurt but expect big $ UFA’s to be allowed to sign elsewhere after only very team friendly deals are offered to Godwin, Jensen, Cappa, Whitehead, Suh & JPP.

    The FO working to sign a handful of Bucs Tier 2-3 / BU level UFA’s will not hurt in this regard.

  34. David Says:

    Either that or DB. Both are deep in the draft so it all depends on value at the time of picking.
    They will also need to draft another receiver and running back in the mid rounds

  35. Tim Looten Says:

    If we only re-sign Godwin and Davis as premier free agents, we will get a boatload of 3rd and 4th round compensational picks. With those picks in this deep DL/WR/LB draft we can get scary good looking at the future.

  36. Tim Looten Says:

    Or we tag and trade Godwin for the Jets 10th overall pick and draft Derek Stingley Jr, as i think he will get that far with 3 OTs, 2 EDGE and 1 QB taken before that. That combined with a #27 DE would make our defense crazy. Just imagine this defense:

    Stingley Jr* – Winfield – Whitehead – Davis
    Tryon – David – White – Barrett
    Gholston – Vea – Hall*

    1.10 Derek Stingley Jr (trade Godwin to Jets)
    1.27 Logan Hall

  37. teacherman777 Says:

    The Trask pick still drives me nuts.

    We need a DT/DE or OLB last year!

    We might lose JPP, Suh, and Gholston!

    And we drafted Trask???

    The Darden pick annoys me too!

    We needed another OLB or DT or Guard!

    FYI- MJ Stewart was a starter for the Browns last year!

    I wanted to convert him to a MLB to backup White and LVD.

    I think we should have a dime package with only 1 LB. we don’t need White and David on 3rd and long.

    We need to have a SS/LB like MJ on 3rd and long.

    Sometimes we should run a dime defense with only 1 MLB on the
    Field.

  38. Buczilla Says:

    If there is no qb worth taking at 27 then yes please.