Now This Is More Like It
March 28th, 2024
Florida State edge rusher Jared Verse.
Joe is trying not to start hitting up mock drafts for another few days. The longer Joe waits, the better.
The days of mock drafts from legends like Mike Mayock and Joel Buchsbaum, who took pride in their mocks and strove for accuracy, only publishing one and releasing it right before the draft, are nearly gone.
Joe has only mentioned or highlighted three or four mocks, mostly because they were so obnoxious they were hard to ignore — like yesterday’s from former Jets and Dolphins’ shot-caller Mike Tannenbaum. He had Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht selecting a tweener defensive back from Iowa at No. 26 despite Tannenbaum still having Florida State beastly edge rusher Jared Verse and underrated Georgia receiver Ladd McConkey on the board.
Can you imagine?
Well, another guy with a Jets connection, former Jets analytics spreadsheeter Arjun Menon, isn’t that dumb. Menonm crunched numbers to do a mock draft and he has Licht pulling the trigger on Verse at No. 26.
If somehow this Verse makes it to the 20s, Licht better be working the phones like his life depends on an organ transplant to move up and grab Verse.
Joe doesn’t know how Verse slips to late in the first round short of him pile-driving a cop in a Publix parking lot in broad daylight because the store ran out of chicken tender subs.
Menon 1.01. This was hard pic.twitter.com/PcnqKCQxtQ
— Arjun Menon (@arjunmenon100) March 28, 2024
Jared Verse wants to wreck you. pic.twitter.com/f0lbJu2WsM
— Lance Zierlein (@LanceZierlein) March 21, 2024
March 28th, 2024 at 8:26 am
Mock drafts are dumb. Brock Purdy proved why.
March 28th, 2024 at 8:31 am
A couple years ago, right after the draft, looked at the accuracy of the major mocks, and Drafttek was the best
Drafttek has Laiatu Atu, Verse, or Powers-Johnson being available to us at #26.
March 28th, 2024 at 8:33 am
It’s so off thatvKool-Aid McKinstry has fallen out of round 1 when last month he was a top 20 pick
March 28th, 2024 at 8:42 am
It would be shocking if Verse is still on the board at #26. Only real downside for him is he is an older prospect. Bucs and other non-QB needy teams are helped that it looks like five QB’s will be drafted early in the first round.
Bucs largest hole is obviously at guard, but that position can easily be filled in the 2nd or 3rd round if the Bucs make a move up to draft Verse.
March 28th, 2024 at 8:59 am
1st 4 picks and half of them will be busts maybe even 3 of them. I use to think Williams was a sure fire NFL QB. Saw him melt down in USC games too often. It may be the mental thing that takes him down.
March 28th, 2024 at 9:00 am
One thing I’ve noticed is that there’s just no rhyme or reason to the picks anymore. Just a few years ago almost all the mock drafts were nearly identical. Now, except for the top few picks, it’s like they put all the names in a hat and pull them out blindfolded. There is never a consensus anymore.
March 28th, 2024 at 9:05 am
There doesn’t seem to be a huge disparity in talent from 1-26. I don’t see our NFCS foes improving more than the Bucs simply via draft status.
March 28th, 2024 at 9:06 am
I think JTS will have a big year. Anything on top of that is gravy.
I do not expect this scheme to suddenly produce some insane DE stats. Just hope the inside and blitzes can get pressure.
March 28th, 2024 at 9:11 am
Mock drafts from NFL analyst and people are like rear ends everybody has one. But they are fun to check out
March 28th, 2024 at 9:20 am
On face value, fully agree with you. Heard an interview with Daniel Jeremiah years ago on SiriusXM NFL Radio and he talked about how much he hated mock drafts and he was ordered to do so many only because of the eyeballs those things got.
While Joe respects Jeremiah a great deal and knows who he talks to with the Bucs (ahem), wouldn’t put too much weight on his mocks until maybe two weeks before the draft. That’s when he starts taking his serious.
March 28th, 2024 at 9:20 am
Speculation is just that … speculation!!
March 28th, 2024 at 9:23 am
I remember Mike Mayock having the best mock draft after the fact when I looked one time. He got more right than anybody else. What good is a mock draft if none of the mock picks end up being who the team actually picks?
March 28th, 2024 at 9:25 am
Thank you!
Joe remembers not that long ago Todd McShay got one pick right in his mock draft. Here was a guy who was paid six-figures solely for college football research and mock drafts and he got ONE right. ONE! LOL
March 28th, 2024 at 9:29 am
A liver transplant would be a good idea. Not for Jason, but for myself.
March 28th, 2024 at 9:33 am
Lol… at the end of all the Joes professionalism they are just like the regular ham an egger football fans.
I cruise through YouTube mocks every night and saw the one that had the Bucs taking him . I had never seen him slip to the Bucs.
Round and round it goes, where it stops no one knows, hence we are all glued to the www searching for tidbits supporting our wishful thinking.
Gonna be a long month.
OBTW in my www surfing I saw a crazy kickoff proposal where all but the kicker and punt/ KO receiver line up about 10-20 yards from each other and don’t move until the ball is caught… something like that.
Don’t NASCAR my NFL !
March 28th, 2024 at 9:48 am
Can’t wait for the annual Joel Buchsbaum article on JBF. Mr. Buchsbaum actually put in the work and was way ahead of his time.
March 28th, 2024 at 10:25 am
Why doesn’t anyone play DEFENSIVE END anymore? EDGE is a job now? So was Lawrence Taylor still a LB or was he a Hall of Fame EDGE now? These agent driven titles are stupid.
March 28th, 2024 at 10:29 am
DL
OL
DB
LB
P
K
Ladd McConkey
March 28th, 2024 at 10:43 am
Jose, all you do is talk about the draft. How is a mock draft any different than what you are doing? Spoiler: it’s not.
March 28th, 2024 at 10:44 am
Turner
Verse
Latu
Powers-Johnson
Barton
Any 1 of those 5 players makes it to #26 and he is our guy.
I would be happy with any of those choices and so would the Bucs I believe….
March 28th, 2024 at 10:47 am
Actually, Joe doesn’t. You may be thinking of a lesser publication.
Joe believes you strive for accuracy. If someone has to change their mocks more than they change their underwear, they clearly are not trying to be accurate (in fact Joe had a mocker who currently works for BSPN tell Joe to his face he’s not concerned about accuracy at all). So then, what the hell is the point?
That, kind sir, is the difference.
March 28th, 2024 at 10:49 am
WAY ahead of his time!
March 28th, 2024 at 11:01 am
Watch good players go to other teams while Licht reaches on a player NOBODY heard of!!! JASON STOP TRYING TO BE THE SMARTEST GUY IN THE ROOM PLZZZZZZZ🤬
March 28th, 2024 at 11:19 am
Dear Boss, what in this world today that makes you think JTS will have a great year? I think your prediction is on the same level as these BS mock draft.
March 28th, 2024 at 11:20 am
Not sure the massive amount of hate for mock drafts. The days of Dr. Z are gone — no one is looking to these for reality. They are about as real as your fantasy line-up is to being an actual team. It’s a game, and one that helps the layman learn about the breadth of college players coming out, as well as who is making waves throughout the pre-draft process. It’s a conversation starter, and clearly a good one.
March 28th, 2024 at 11:25 am
Didn’t DJ project the Jets to trade up for Harrison Jr. and a day later they had Keenan Allen? Haha
March 28th, 2024 at 11:25 am
JTS had better step it up big time this season or else he might be out of the league the following season. It’s now or never Joey.
March 28th, 2024 at 11:28 am
I mock ANYONE who actually thinks mocks are supposed to be serious predictions.
March 28th, 2024 at 11:31 am
@Jack nailed it there buddy it’s a perspective thing, to me at times it seems very similar to what’s being complained about.
March 28th, 2024 at 11:43 am
Would be really happy to see Verse in a Buc uniform next season.
Give that young man a couple years to adjust- and he could be a force of the Edge!
March 28th, 2024 at 11:51 am
king joel b……from south brooklyn….rip
his whole life was football
March 28th, 2024 at 11:55 am
@bucsfaninOregon
good question.
I think players do much better in contract years because they have less to lose.
kind of like if a person has been put on notice they need to get their production up…..the boss might like it one way, but the employees likes to do it another….well, here is the point where the employee says f^ k it and does it their way as they have nothing to lose. often times they blow up, they are happy…boss is happy and now supports another way of doing things.
hope that makes sense
March 28th, 2024 at 11:57 am
Jimbobbuc is correct. Out of the mocks Draftek has been the most accurate.
March 28th, 2024 at 11:58 am
Definitely for edge rusher Jared Verse. The mock drafts get my hopes up to much. And then reality comes in at the end of April.
March 28th, 2024 at 11:59 am
remember that year mel kiper did a mock draft and nailed every single pick from 1 to 32 ???
———————————-
yeah i don’t recall it either
March 28th, 2024 at 12:01 pm
Stranger things have happened. But Verse and Latu will go in the top 20 for sure. The best we can hope for is Chop Robinson or somebody to help the O line. There are only 3 or 4 top pass rushers in this draft. They will all go in the 1st. Hope we can get one of them.
March 28th, 2024 at 12:02 pm
yeah watch sean payton grab bo nixxx
March 28th, 2024 at 12:07 pm
wow the cardinals have 3 first round picks…8, 23, 32
March 28th, 2024 at 12:09 pm
i think we can jump frpm 26 to 23 fairly easily if licht thinks it’s necessito
March 28th, 2024 at 12:09 pm
from*
March 28th, 2024 at 12:25 pm
Verse looked like a men amongst boys no way he makes it to 26.
March 28th, 2024 at 12:28 pm
Might have to hit the Oline R1 if Turner, Verse and Chop are gone. Like Powers-Johnson or Barton, then come back R2 with Trice or Kneeland on the edge. Im not a big believer in Latu, but w/e Licht does is more informed than me
March 28th, 2024 at 12:42 pm
Joe Says:
‘Jose, all you do is talk about the draft.’
“Actually, Joe doesn’t. You may be thinking of a lesser publication.
Joe believes you strive for accuracy….”
————————————————————–
Joe – I agree with you that the ‘other’ major Bucs fansite is a “lesser publication”.
Also agree that they go overboard with their pre-draft coverage and predictions and mocks…
BUT – to be fair – SR does have the best record of anyone I’ve seen over the years at accurately predicting who the Bucs will select in an upcoming draft.
That is kind of his ‘thing’ and he really pours himself into it with research, going to the Senior Bowl and East-West practices and games, etc…..
On the other hand, its not THAT hard to accurately ‘predict’ a couple of the names the Buccaneers wind up selecting when you only mock for 1 team, publish 7 total official mock drafts with mostly different names each time and also feature 2-3 players as “Best Bets” at each position….
SR loves to pat himself on the back after the fact for his ‘accurate predictions’ – but like I said – when you know the team well, pour yourself into the task of researching all the prospects you believe the team ‘likes’ and then throw out 45 or so names as your “predictions” – you’re not some kind of draft savant when the team you are making predictions for winds up selecting 2 or 3 players from the 3-4 dozen names you ‘featured’ as ‘likely selections’….
March 28th, 2024 at 12:49 pm
Verse will be gone before pick 15. Unfortunately he will not be coming to the Bucs
March 28th, 2024 at 12:55 pm
Verse is a generational talent- best player in the draft. I’d pick him #1 overall
March 28th, 2024 at 1:09 pm
Plz no Chop he is JTS 2.0
March 28th, 2024 at 2:18 pm
Yeah, not doing cartwheels over Chop.
Find it difficult to believe Verse gets past 15. If he hits 20, gotta go get him!
March 28th, 2024 at 2:34 pm
No way Verse is still there at 26… Prob need to trade up into the early to mid teens to grab him.
March 28th, 2024 at 2:41 pm
I know we need edge but honestly I want Bowers. I know he wont be there at 26. But thats who I am craving! He is going to be the next Gronk!
March 28th, 2024 at 3:13 pm
Was it the same Publix where Jameis stole crab legs from?
March 28th, 2024 at 3:21 pm
The ewe toob highlights of Verse are impressive. (Misspelling intentional).
Saw at least 2 plays where he bullrushed the tackle right into the QB and essentially tackled both players at once. He shows impressive power, and has good bend. I say get him in Round 1.
The one problem I have with watching highlight reels is they are just that: highlights. I’d like to see SOME you tubers put out content where they show high and lowlights, so we can have some balance. (There are a few analysts who break down strengths and weaknesses, which I gravitate towards.
I mean, watching JTS highlights from college, one would think he would be awesome in the league. I guess the Bucs ONLY watched his highlights before drafting him. (LOL! Sarcasm).
March 28th, 2024 at 5:17 pm
So happy to see others and the Joes not being fooled by Chop. His teammate who is also in this draft had much better production than Chop.
March 28th, 2024 at 5:43 pm
I have wondered if Chop’s name was Jeremy or something not distinctive were would he be ranked.
I would mind Blake Corum drafted
March 28th, 2024 at 5:48 pm
This team is do to draft a young explosive playmaker on offense in round 1. Its been a a while imo.
March 28th, 2024 at 6:19 pm
Hope it works out Joe. Though I’ve heard the Packers may take a pass rusher as well. They don’t often draft O linemen that high. Last one over 10 years ago.
March 28th, 2024 at 7:19 pm
Verse at 26 would be stars aligning. For those screaming for LB depth, bcuz the Bucs took SirVocea Dennis last year they whom they are high on do not need to draft LVD replacement rn. And CB is set depthwise … Safety depth can be had in Round 6. So this should be an Offensive focused draft apart from Edge
March 28th, 2024 at 7:40 pm
I hope they get Verse or Latu. Bit weary of TRice .. only because of the alliteration with TRyon lol
March 28th, 2024 at 11:34 pm
Absolutely!!!
I am all about taking the center from Oregon mainly because I think he may be there and I don’t think Verse will be.
Both are difficult positions to cement, but I would take the rusher in a heartbeat. And I don’t want to hear about Chop Robinson. The guy couldn’t produce sacks in three years at the college level so I really don’t care what his combine numbers were.
Anyway, I absolutely would take verse. I think he is 10 sacks a year. Plus can play the run for the next 10 years. But… I just can’t see him dropping that far.
March 29th, 2024 at 12:09 am
Late 1st round edge rushers being any good is well under a 50/50 shot, and they generally take time to develop.
The idea of dropping in a rookie edge rusher, as your full time day 1 starter is a big risk. At the same time, have you looked at the cap? Now me, I’d have just traded for Fields, which would have freed up $25m, but who knows, maybe I’m wrong and the Bucs will hit the lottery for the 2nd year in a row and get another YaYa that is ready to play early.
March 29th, 2024 at 8:19 am
Mayfield’s base salary for 2024 is projected at $1.25 million, and his 2025 base is projected at $1.75 million. Spotrac also projects prorated bonuses of $5 million next year (for a $6.25 million cap hit) and another $5 million plus an option bonus in 2025 (for a cap it of $11.75 million. Then in 2026, he projects to receive a $32 million base salary plus another $10 million in bonuses, and in 2027 his base projects to $35 million plus the $10 million in bonuses. His cap hit those last two years will be $42 million and $45 million, according to Spotrac’s projection
Don’t see where you are saving $25 million
March 29th, 2024 at 1:51 pm
Bucben61 – It’s $25m either way, if it’s paid this year or next year. If you signed a edge rusher, you’d do the same accounting tricks with them to bring down their hit this year. Next year Bakers hit is $35,775,000, then $45,775,000, then $11m as part of the void year scheme the Bucs use (which I’m OK with, but it is a scheme).
Not bashing Baker, but just saying if you sign Baker, you were not going to have money to address other areas of the team, even with accounting tricks as next years squad now only has $60m in cap space, and that is without Godwin or Wirfs or Winfield or David.
Personally, I’d have taken the cheaper route at QB since I’m not sold on Baker. But I honestly hope he does well, even at the time that I hope the Baker Boi(s) will all throw themselves into an active volcano.