Value Clash At Safety
April 22nd, 2025
Who will play with Antoine Winfield, Jr.?
So for about 30 minutes at the NFL Scouting Combine, Joe hung out with former Tampa Bay quarterback Chris Simms and talked all things Bucs and NFL Draft.
Joining in on the fun was JoeBucsFan.com draft guru Sean Sullivan, who also talked solo with the NBC Sports analyst and film guru.
Simms popped his lone mock draft yesterday and put the Bucs on University of Georgia safety Malaki Starks.
Simms harped on the Bucs’ having enough quality in the trenches and desperate need to bolster their defensive backfield. In Simms’ mind, Starks is his No. 1 safety.
“Malaki Starks, really good football player, phenomenal football IQ, and then can do two different things: can play nickel, can play safety,” Simms said on Unbuttoned. “Address two different positions. We know Todd Bowles; he likes to pressure. This is a guy that can do some different type of stuff in the background. He’s also a phenomenal tackler and that’s why you’re going to trust him down in those nickel spots. I’m going to go with that here because I could see them going corner, but I feel like they’re going to ride with Jamel Dean and Zyon McCollum a little longer.”
But what about South Carolina safety Nick Emmanwori? He’s a lot of people’s top safety in the draft, including Sullivan. Emmanwori is by far the better athlete.
Yes, says Simms, Emmanwori is “a freakish long, crazy fast safety” but he believes bad tackling by Emmanwori will send him all the way to Round 2.
Would Bowles disagree and want a rookie with tackling issues — on a defense that has tackling issues? Will Emmanwori be picked before Starks?
Joe’s eager to see how the league views these two safeties. Joe knows a safety taken in Round 1 better be damn special.
April 22nd, 2025 at 12:51 pm
With Winfield’s history of missing games and really only balling out in his contract year I am all for drafting his eventual replacement.
April 22nd, 2025 at 12:53 pm
If you were to draft another safety, especially in the first round, what do you do with Smith? He doesn’t really want to play nickel and would be a very good choice to start next to Winfield.
So no, I don’t think we go safety. ILB might be our biggest need followed closely by CB and DE.
April 22nd, 2025 at 1:03 pm
I choose neither. Not sold on Starks because he doesn’t create turnovers and you brought up the tackling concerns on Emannwori. I think the better VALUE is ND Safety Xavier Watts in the 2nd round, TX Andrew Mukuba in the 3rd round or PSU Kelvin Winston Jr in the 3rd round.
April 22nd, 2025 at 1:05 pm
I would not be opposed but prefer Jihaad then Safety or CB. As far as ANY defensive player with a rep for not being a very good tackler- PASS. MAJOR PASS. The claim that “they can teach that” is nonsense. NO one goes pro and becomes a better tackler. If you can’t tackle by then, you never will. This is on High School and College coaches. WRAP UP! Not hard to do.
April 22nd, 2025 at 1:33 pm
trade down, lots of value in the 2nd and 3rd
April 22nd, 2025 at 1:39 pm
Safety? Are you joking?
We have Winfield, Tykes Smith, Izien, Merriweather and Hayes
Corners? We have Dean, Zion, Funkmaster, and Hayes
We are dangerously thin at CB.
I want DTs and CBs.
Maybe 2 ILB’s too.
April 22nd, 2025 at 1:45 pm
Yeah Mukuba is getting a lot of run in a lot of places. Worth a look there.
And NO Safety in the first. That’s overdrafting. Trade down a bit for CB Amos, grab an extra 3rd, address DE/DL in 2nd (if not Trey Hendrickson), LB and S in 3rd round.
April 22nd, 2025 at 1:45 pm
The value is certainly not there at 19 but… if Lichts guys are all gone and no trade back is available … Starks at the top of the board won’t surprise me.
April 22nd, 2025 at 1:51 pm
David … ‘NO one goes pro and becomes a better tackler. If you can’t tackle by then, you never will.’
Might be an oversimplification David, but I’ve long thought that good tackling is a combination of good instincts & good techniques. A lot of the good instincts is about reading the play & taking the right angles IMO (hard to teach), but I think that good technique can be taught. Also believe though that a lot of injuries happen because guys end up using bad angles and/or bad technique.
Probably my favorite tackler over the years was our own John Lynch. He wasn’t small (6’2″ & 220 lbs) but he wasn’t monstrous either. Nor was he particularly fast from what I remember. But danged did he ever have great tackling technique. He always wrapped up beautifully, but when he hit someone you always heard it all over the stadium.
I still remember him saying in an interview that he loved to ‘tackle THROUGH a runner/receiver’ (like he was aiming at a point BEYOND the player who he was tackling). Amazing that he lasted 15 years, had over 1000 tackles, and yet only missed an average of 1 game per season. We need more players like that nowadays.
April 22nd, 2025 at 1:53 pm
I don’t worry as much as Teacherman about it, I know they would be NCBs but Tykee and Izien, probably Starks as well could all play CB. Izien filled in decent there when we needed him.
April 22nd, 2025 at 2:02 pm
DR
As an old timer.. I’m obviously a Lynch fan.
I don’t think his hits would be allowed today.
Damn he could hit..
April 22nd, 2025 at 2:03 pm
That’s nonsense about Emmanwori’s tackling. He tackles just fine as his tapes reveal. Emmanwori will go before Starks and I hope it is to the Bucs.
April 22nd, 2025 at 2:03 pm
Teacherman … ‘I want DTs and CBs. Maybe 2 ILB’s too.’
I’d go for that Teacherman. But I think drafting a true Safety with some length & speed could be helpful. Winfield’s only 5’9″, Tykee Smith’s only 5’10” & Izien’s only 5’10”. Heck even Whitehead was only 5’10”. And none of them are particularly fast it seems. Sure would be nice to have someone back there with a combination of size & speed.
Oh wait, this guy Nick Emmanwori from South Carolina (6’3″ & 220 lbs with 4.38 sec speed in the 40) sounds like he’s tall AND fast. Hmmm. Of course, he’ll almost surely be gone long before our #19 pick.
April 22nd, 2025 at 2:15 pm
NICK EMMANWORI IS THE MAN TO DRAFT OVER MALAKI STARKS OR EDGE JAMES PIERCE JR..BUT, I’D BE HAPPY WITH EITHER OF THE THREE WHEN PUSH COMES TO SHOVE.
April 22nd, 2025 at 2:20 pm
Mercer since when do you know that Smith does not want to play nickel? That is up to the coach’s to determine where he can succeed.
April 22nd, 2025 at 2:24 pm
Joe, isn’t what Simms projects for Starks exactly the role of Smith. Idk how anyone could pass over Emmanwori for Atarks. Enough with the munchkins, tired of seeing AWJ outreached for a ball
April 22nd, 2025 at 2:29 pm
Tet at 19
April 22nd, 2025 at 2:51 pm
grabbing watts in the second would be dreamy
April 22nd, 2025 at 2:53 pm
Emmanawori is the pick if he’s there at 19. Bucs don’t have that player on their roster and he’s a week 1 starter. We’re in a win now situation. I’m sure the BC edge kid will be great … but not until the 26 season for the Bucs. Who’s to say if Reddick blows up , the Bucs just pay him a year or two, also I don’t think it’s a smoke screen to say they’re high on Braswell. They need a defensive player who makes an impact this season. I’m thinking Emmanawori in the first , then Jason goes off script and moves up in the second and gets a corner that fell into the second. I’m exited ! Go Bucs!!
April 22nd, 2025 at 3:18 pm
This needs to be “the year of the Cornerback” for the Buccaneers; that’s still my vote.
Great job in getting Baker two years ago, then the On-line with Graham, now put the draft-priority into cornerback; well worth it imo.
And ya, “a tackling problem”? Pass!
Good tackling skills speaks to a knowledge of “the fundamentals,” and that’s what you want: not “flashy,” or record-breaking in the 40 yd. speed contest, but good on reliability, attitude and the fundamentals; from which to develop the player into the NFL. Basically, everything Dean’s lacked for the last four years and, instead, seems a lot like McCollum. That would be a good criteria for evaluating a cornerback draft-pick.
April 22nd, 2025 at 3:37 pm
Safety play was atrocious last year. Whitehead was a waste.
So, we have AW, Merriweather, Izien. And Tykee.
Tykee is the wildcard. If he is going to be a starting safety we’ll draft with an eye towards nickel. If he’s staying at nickel we’ll lean towards a safety.
April 22nd, 2025 at 3:49 pm
If there’s a DL, OLB or CB value at 19, I think safety is NOT the pick. Emmanwori emmanworries me… The combine star is too often a draft buster. Safer to go with the proven quantity with top instincts and football IQ than the freak, in general.
April 22nd, 2025 at 4:14 pm
Good safeties and corners can be had on day two. Very level draft for many rounds. Don’t fall for all the draft ratings. They need their click bait.
If they don’t grab Campbell at 19, and I totally get that, no other ILB is worthy and one can be found day two or three. We are deeper there than we were in Jan. I’m all for drafting one, just not with the top two pics. Go for value / BPA.
DE/DT at 19 or trade down IMO.
April 22nd, 2025 at 6:40 pm
^^^solid take
April 22nd, 2025 at 6:41 pm
I can’t see them going safety in the 1st round while already having the highest paid safety in the league on the team…
April 22nd, 2025 at 6:45 pm
Starks being a better tackler is a ridiculous argument.
PLAYER
Year (Total tackles – solo)
EMMANWORI
2024 (88-57)
2023 (71-47)
2022 (85-62)
STARKS
2024 (77-52)
2023 (52-31)
2022 (69-45)
April 22nd, 2025 at 7:37 pm
It’s more than just tackles chi, what’s the missed tackles? Also the SC guy was the top defensive player on his team, the GA player was one of many studs for that Bulldog defense so the tackles were more dispersed amongst the players. With that being said the size and speed of Emmanwori is intriguing and more of a fit for a strong safety & he can drop down into the nickel LB role because of his size and coverage ability. Can’t wait to see who we get
April 22nd, 2025 at 8:08 pm
CB, DL or LB should be their first pick but I don’t know if I’d wanna take Campbell dealing with that shoulder problem now since he just had the surgery. He’s probably gonna be out a bit & they were just dealing with this with Dennis.
April 22nd, 2025 at 9:57 pm
Nickel seems like a meat-grinder in Bowles defense. I’d think about rotating with three safeties who can play nickel—Winfield, Smith and Starks, if they draft him. Keep all three on the field but don’t make any of them play nickel full time.
April 23rd, 2025 at 12:48 am
Bad tackling? Not sure where that is coming from.
We have enough of that on the back end already. That was why I was so high on bringing back Whitehead. He lost it somehow though. Hate it but…pass at 19.
Go Bucs!
April 23rd, 2025 at 4:51 am
Bowles says that he wants ball hawks.
Why would he take Starks or Emmanwori when he could take Notre Dame’s Xavier Watts?
Emmanwori and Starks each had 6 interceptions in three years of play. Watts had 6 interceptions in just 2024. And, Watts had 7 more interceptions in 2023.
13 picks for Watts in 2 years > 12 picks for Emmanwori + Starks in 3 years m
April 23rd, 2025 at 4:59 am
Even though history may not repeat, our gm will go big either in safety or NT. Is my guess. We’re fixin to find out in short order.
April 23rd, 2025 at 8:15 am
Esteban85, you make good points; however, quantifying missed tackles is more art than science….just ask Kancey. Also to your point, it might be more noticeable to catch a missed tackle from the top guy in the spotlight with all eyes on him vs a jag in a scrum of swarming first rounders who clean up his misses. So, I gotta go with the empirical stat over the NextGen sensor overload
April 23rd, 2025 at 8:19 am
@toopanca, excellent point re Watts
April 23rd, 2025 at 11:25 am
Sean and Joe bat down another Chrissy Simms pass, LOL.