“Pour Picks Into The Secondary”
April 18th, 2025
Would Todd Bowles be happy with a defense-only draft?
Joe can just hear Bucs fans chanting Thursday night, six days and counting before the start of the 2025 draft.
So what’s the chant?
Defense [stomp, stomp]… defense… [stomp, stomp] defense…
And Joe is all right with that. There is no question that the defense failed the Bucs in the playoffs and too often in the regular season. The offense is set.
It’s the defense that needs work.
Ben Solak of ESPN, typing about what the perfect draft would be for the Bucs, summed up his feelings perfectly after he threw out names the Bucs ought to target. For Solak, it’s a singular focus for the Bucs. Defense.
Get one of the top two linebackers and pour picks into the secondary. Let’s build a team that can push to the Super Bowl.
Joe is spooked by Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell’s shoulder surgery. The Bucs are hoping to make a run at the Super Bowl. So, in theory, Joe would think the Bucs want their rookie first-round pick to be on the field for rookie minicamp and the rest of underwear football season, plus training camp and the regular season.
When will Campbell be back on the field? No one knows. And the Bucs have a bum shoulder inside linebacker as it is (SirVocea Dennis). Just a hunch they’d rather not have two.
The secondary? Yes, please. Joe wouldn’t shed a tear if the Bucs got an inside linebacker, defensive tackle or an edge rusher at No. 19 and the rest of the draft was nothing but safeties and corners.
April 18th, 2025 at 12:27 am
It’s a good plan. Still want some beef or speed or both up front OLB/DT early though. Game is won in the trenches. After that go ahead and flood the back 7.
April 18th, 2025 at 12:30 am
“There is no question that the defense failed the Bucs in the playoffs.”
“There was and isn’t anything wrong with the offense.”
– Fake news
April 18th, 2025 at 1:27 am
Secondary. Give YaYa and his top 5 in pressures that extra moment to turn those pressures into sacks . Jadae Barron . William Johnson, Malaki Starks, Hairston etc..
April 18th, 2025 at 1:50 am
I do not at all disagree with that idea Joe. However in the first round if one of the BPAs happens to end up being a Top player not considered a need? RB, TE, DT, O line? This is where I would not want Jason’s job. Trade Back and get those extra picks? For CBs?
Go Bucs!
April 18th, 2025 at 2:46 am
there were some bad moments with backups in the secondary no doubt need quality depth there
April 18th, 2025 at 3:48 am
Unless a top Edge is there, trade back in the 1st if you can and maybe the 2nd also. The Bucs goal should be 5 picks in the top 100 even if they have to trade up with their 5th and 7th to get there. Build the trenches first (Edge, DT and ILB) and then the secondary.
Edge I like Ezeiruaku but probably should trade back for Scourton from A&M
DT Sanders from SC or Collins from TX in 2nd or Alexander from Toledo in 3rd
Bryant CB from Kansas or Nohl Williams from Cal in the 3rd
ILB Knight from SC in 2nd, Bassa ILB from Oregon, Chris Paul Jr from Ole Miss or Carter from Clemson all should be there in 3rd round
Safety PSU Winston Jr or TX Mokuba in the 3rd or Reed PSU in 4th.
April 18th, 2025 at 3:50 am
There is a notable drop off in large bodies in the 3rd round so get them early. There will be a lot of very good secondary players available in the 3rd round.
April 18th, 2025 at 4:21 am
To bad we have two of the worst secondary coaches in the league, Ross, and Rapone. Both of these guys should’ve been replaced the way our secondary performed last year. Injuries aside, there were to many communication breakdowns. To many times receivers were wide open, and players looked at each other like, I thought you had him? Rapone was Todd’s college coach, Ross was his college teammate. Both should’ve been fired, but Todd is to lyal, or stupid to do it. Draft all the DBs you want, but don’t be surprised when they’re staring at each other while a receiver scores untouched.
April 18th, 2025 at 4:27 am
Joe says:
“Joe wouldn’t shed a tear if the Bucs got an inside linebacker, defensive tackle or an edge rusher at No. 19 and the rest of the draft was nothing but safeties and corners.”
Me neither.
However, if we go ILB at 19, we should still snag a DT in the next round or two, and vice versa.
Vita, who is 31, would benefit from a good back up/sidekick playing alongside him, and it’s highly likely LaVonte hangs up his cleats after this season.
April 18th, 2025 at 6:51 am
I’m ready for breakfast, I’m ordering two ILB’s with my DB’s and DL. I’m not sold on SVD.
April 18th, 2025 at 6:52 am
There’s no ILB worthy of the #19 pick.
Go Edge or DT at 19. A trade down from 19 would be best in this draft – but Jason already kinda said he expects that won’t happen…. so get the best trenches/pass rusher guy you can early – then concentrate on filling other needs.
Bucs need 1 of everything on Defense in this draft.
Picks 1>5 will hopefully look something like….
1st – Edge
2nd – CB
3rd – ILB
4th – NT/DT
5th – Safety
April 18th, 2025 at 7:55 am
What Pickkgrin says…
Plus I hope we find an Izien type in an UFA … not necessarily a safety, just that caliber of a player. Would be icing on the cake.
April 18th, 2025 at 7:55 am
For the last several years, the Bucs have gone from knowing all about knees, calves, hamstrings. Maybe this year, they will know all about shoulders.
April 18th, 2025 at 8:02 am
Devin White left a Bad taste in my mouth for first round Diva Linebackers I’ll take Linebacker after the first please…
April 18th, 2025 at 8:25 am
Joe, you love repeating this speculative trope about Campbell’s health when in reality his condition and return time ate unknowns. It’s almost as if your trying to drive down his draft value single handedly so the bucs can land him. And tbh, I’d be happy to see a fresh (all be it green) Campbell coming onto the field 4 wks into the season for the first time when Dennis is inevitably hurt. I think this guy is the future and David n Walker can mind the gap until he is ready.
Also, enough of this snake bitten conjecture about Devin White leaving a bad taste for an ILB in the first round. Ridiculous! What taste lingers in your mouth from Brooke’s or David as an upper half 2nd rounder. Campbell is a safe longer term bet and I’m betting he will fully rebound before the stock market does
April 18th, 2025 at 8:36 am
2 DL/OLB, 1 ILB, 1 S, 2 CB
April 18th, 2025 at 8:51 am
It’s early to start drinking. But never too early.
April 18th, 2025 at 8:57 am
History shows that middle linebackers taken in the first round often **underwhelm** compared to other positions. While guys like Roquan Smith and Devin White are considered a good pick thats how poor 1st round MLBs are they have had moments, many — like Reuben Foster, Jarrad Davis, and Kenneth Murray — **never lived up to the hype**.
Meanwhile, elite LBs like **Bobby Wagner, Fred Warner, Lavonte David and Matt Milano** were found in **Rounds 2–5**.
**Why?**
– Lower positional value
– Easier to find talent later
– Modern defenses use hybrid roles
**Bottom line**: Drafting a middle linebacker in Round 1 is risky — the smart value’s usually later.
April 18th, 2025 at 8:57 am
pretty much joe
April 18th, 2025 at 9:37 am
I want to hit all 3 levels of the defense based on BPA. This draft is deep enough at DT/edge that I will be sad if we don’t grab one of those guys at some point, but ultimately if they add 3-4 starting/impact capable defenders that’d be huge regardless of the positions.
April 18th, 2025 at 9:42 am
Josh
Every pick has risk. Add Derrick Brooks to that list. We’ve seen sure thing 1st round picks flop and Mr. Irrelevant do extremely well. Lance vs Purdy. Talent is one thing, but it comes down to how a player fits within the system and character habits.
April 18th, 2025 at 11:02 am
Joe,
I get your concern about Campbell and his shoulder, and SVD’s shoulder.
Is it possible we draft Campbell, and by some miracle, BOTH of their shoulders are completely healed and we have 2 healthy good LB’s not named LVD??
Wouldn’t that be amazing? I mean, we’ve had the injury bug lately, so the law of averages state that maybe THIS is the year the team stays mostly healthy?
April 18th, 2025 at 1:44 pm
You’re absolutely right, OR Buc. I guess I’ve just been trying to be nice about it—I don’t want to outright call the kid overrated. To me, he’s not better than Stutsman or Bassa.
Jihaad Campbell is an athletic marvel, but his rawness is still a concern. While his physical traits are impressive, he often relies more on his athleticism than on instincts and technique, which could lead to inconsistency at the next level. Instead of spending premium draft capital on a potential project like Campbell, trading back to acquire more picks and targeting linebackers like **Danny Stutsman**, **Jeffrey Bassa**, or **Barrett Carter** makes a lot more sense. **Stutsman** is NFL-ready with elite football IQ and leadership, making him a reliable starter from day one. **Bassa** offers great versatility with a safety background, excelling in coverage and bringing physicality to the linebacker position. **Barrett Carter** is a dynamic, versatile linebacker with great coverage skills, elite athleticism, and the ability to contribute in all phases of the game. Later in the draft, you could also look at **Carson Schwesinger**, who has elite processing speed, high football IQ, and solid tackling consistency. With these options in the 2025 class, trading back to gather more picks and targeting these players would provide a stronger return than reaching for Campbell. He’s a better edge rusher than linebacker ala Hassan Reddick…
April 18th, 2025 at 2:13 pm
@Pickgrin
As usual agree with you and I think all of your selections are spot on.
April 18th, 2025 at 3:12 pm
Don’t hear much about Kazir White. Isn’t a FA fix the way to solve the immediate problem while increasing draft flexibility?
April 18th, 2025 at 5:14 pm
Front seven in first and second then dbs next three rounds.
April 18th, 2025 at 6:14 pm
This Draft seems to have some good ILB’s that’ll be there in the middle rounds, so I don’t believe the Bucs need to take one of the top 2. I do think the Bucs should take an Outside CB in the first 2 Rounds.
April 18th, 2025 at 6:18 pm
I have the weirdest feeling they are gonna pick a WR in first round…which if he is an absolute stud, I wouldn’t be super upset…Baker either
April 18th, 2025 at 6:41 pm
Agree wth this -Get the fat boys first. Go DT (Grant) or EDGE (Ezieruachu) in 1st round, whichever got passed over in 2nd round, ILB in 3rd round (Knight or Chris Paul Jr) then load up on CB, S and grab a swing OT wth the remaining picks
“Saskbucs Says:
April 18th, 2025 at 12:27 am
It’s a good plan. Still want some beef or speed or both up front OLB/DT early though. Game is won in the trenches. After that go ahead and flood the back 7.”
April 19th, 2025 at 8:58 pm
Best Receiver, D line, L Backer or Db Avail ……. Trade back , trade back , Trade Back and trust your Scouting !! Very rare draft , there will be the same rated ( Bucs board) player at 26 or 27 as 19 ……… BC edge is the pick at 19 …….. doubt he’s there though !! Go Bucs
NO Shoulder risks !! Shoulders are like feet ,, Hard to get them back to 100 percent !! Ask Louis Oliver And Carl Nicks