Value Picks
May 3rd, 2025
Bucs rookie edge rusher David Walker, the fourth-round pick.
In the mind of Matt Miller of BSPN, Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht knocked it out of the park last week.
Miller had a ranking of the 100 best picks in the entire NFL draft. That’s 235 players.
And Miller thinks four of the Bucs’ six picks were in the top-100 selections.
What’s wild to Joe is he thinks Bucs’ seventh-round pick, receiver Little Duck Tez Johnson, was overall the 65th-best pick in the draft. Wow.
Below are rankings for the non-corners Licht drafted.
35. Emeka Egbuka, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
While the Buccaneers weren’t expected to pick a receiver in Round 1, Mike Evans’ age and Chris Godwin’s health make Egbuka a smart addition. He’s a professional route runner whose toughness on underneath routes complements Baker Mayfield’s ability to sling fastballs on slants. Getting to learn from Evans and Godwin will benefit Egbuka, too.
54. David Walker, Edge, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Walker might not have elite measurables and comes from an FCS school, but his quickness and ability to win with a bull rush will make him a fun fit in the Buccaneers’ base 3-4 scheme as an outside linebacker.
65. Tez Johnson, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Johnson was highly productive in college but slid a bit after weighing 154 pounds at the combine. The size concerns are real but getting him in Round 7 makes this one of the best straight value picks of the draft.
86. Elijah Roberts, Edge, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Roberts has the ability to win from a 3-technique alignment or live on the end of the defensive line. He will provide power opposite the Bucs’ speedy edge rushers.
Anyone notice what’s missing? That’s right. Miller apparently isn’t doing cartwheels over the cornerbacks Licht selected, Benjamin Morrison of Notre Dame and Jacob Parrish of Kansas State. Both were Day 2 picks.
If Morrison can bounce back from hip surgery and get on the field, he may be the best value pick of the whole Bucs draft.
May 3rd, 2025 at 8:11 am
Wasnt Morrisons surgery elective? Like it was always coming because he needed both sides done. Ed Reed had the same EXACT issue coming out of college, so did Brett Favre. This is a little overblown. Watch his workout video he had 4 days before the draft, he is moving exceptionally fast and fluid. When healthy he’s a high 4.3 guy. He was first team all American as a freshman. Provided he is back to his 2022 and 2023 form, he is the best corner on the Bucs roster before even playing a snap. Want to play press man and actually get off the field on 3rd downs? Then you start guys like him
May 3rd, 2025 at 8:16 am
Never been a Miller fan. That’s great that he thinks so highly of our mid rounders and 7th but if you have EE as your 35th best prospect it’s hard for me to keep reading.
May 3rd, 2025 at 8:17 am
When Morrison plays, he’s a day-1 player. His injury history has me concerned that he’ll be another Dean.
I’m looking forward to Tez ‘Squirrel’ Johnson as a punt returner. Maybe Squirrel will be another Bucky.
May 3rd, 2025 at 8:38 am
Obvious, I think that 35 is not 35th best prospect but is this Miller guy’s number on his top 100 picks.
May 3rd, 2025 at 8:44 am
“Value pick” is meaningless. Who values? The media? Us?
Millen once took Charles Rogers with the second pick in the draft.
May 3rd, 2025 at 8:46 am
I think the Parrish kid is going to be good. He looks like he’s ready to fight at all times. We need some toughness in the secondary. Dean is soft as cotton candy. I like Winfield but he gets (legit) injured a lot himself.
GO BUCS
May 3rd, 2025 at 8:46 am
Miller only noted 2 defenders in his analysis, David Walker (a rookie Edge who’ll be competing for def snaps with veterans Reddick, Diaby, Braswell & Nelson) and Elijah Roberts (a DE/Edge who’ll be taking the place of Will Gholston more than likely & will be competing for def snaps with Kancey, Hall & Brewer more than likely in a 3-man front).
Gholston only got 200 def snaps last year; can’t see the rookie Walker getting much more than that in Bowles’ defense. Elijah Roberts though MIGHT very well get substantially more than that along the line, IF he shows that he can (1) play the run big-time; and (2) provide some decent pass rush pressure from the DE position. Hall & Kancey seem to be doing pretty good there though, and Brewer did get 2 sacks in only 12 games & 160 def snaps. Still, Roberts has excellent stats in college, and that can’t be overlooked. Here’s what NFL dot com said about Elijah after the Combine …
‘Productive base end with good play strength who continues to add weight to his frame. Roberts has chalked up stats as a standing defender but isn’t athletic enough to play as a 3-4 outside ‘backer in the NFL and might not have the brutality to play inside at three-technique despite his size. Roberts won’t win the rush with speed or quickness but he can collapse the pocket with a finesse-to-power rush transition. He is slow to read and react to mesh points and counters. He’s also a wildly inconsistent arm tackler. The production could earn him an opportunity, but it might not be translatable as a base defensive end in the pros.’
May 3rd, 2025 at 8:49 am
I’ll be there when they lift the cover from Emeka’s name on the Bucs Ring of Honor
May 3rd, 2025 at 9:18 am
There are 32 teams so 4 is not that outstanding……
I’m hoping Parish is like Tykee
May 3rd, 2025 at 9:56 am
Draft sounded good to me. 1st round pick a winner for a change.
May 3rd, 2025 at 9:57 am
I agree with what obvious had to say.
May 3rd, 2025 at 9:58 am
It’s Matt MilleR’s list of value, not Matt MilleN’s, who truly was a douche of a GM…That guy drafted WR 1st rd yr after yr as his defense was perennially horrible
May 3rd, 2025 at 9:59 am
Have a strong hunch only thing Gholston is going to be competing for is time on the couch with his kids.
May 3rd, 2025 at 10:01 am
Todd Bowles better hope that his team scores a lot of points. The draft, no matter how hard it is hyped, did not do enough to fix the defense. The Bowles haters are going to get their wish at the end of 2025 season. Same problem persists. Not enough talented defenders.
May 3rd, 2025 at 10:04 am
Can someone just make a banner of the above quote to pin up behind any and all Buc draft Q and A media sessions so everyone who mentions the E² pick does not feel compelled to repeat or write it [including posters who act like they cracked the draft code with this obvious nugget of intel]
May 3rd, 2025 at 10:38 am
Joe … ‘Have a strong hunch only thing Gholston is going to be competing for is time on the couch with his kids.’
Gholston won’t make the team again Joe. Thought I kinda said that in first para … ‘Elijah Roberts (a DE/Edge who’ll be taking the place of Will Gholston more than likely) … but not very clearly.
And BTW I’m gonna miss Big Will. Personally don’t think that fans give him enough credit for the role he played in our defense during our 2020 Super Bowl season. Vea went down early in the season, and 3 DLinemen rose to the occasion, BIG-TIME, to compensate for his loss: Suh, RNR and Gholston.
That season Will played the 2nd-most def snaps of his career: 606 (57% of our total). He only had 3 sacks, but he got 29 pressures, including 17 QB Knockdowns, 8 TFLs, 1 FR & 2 PDs in the 16 games. He was in beast-mode that year, and without him we would’ve been hard-pressed to do as well as we did during the season without Vea.
May 3rd, 2025 at 10:47 am
Four of our six picks were on defense. All four picks should contribute right away. Two, Morrison, Parrish, have a good chance to start. Parrish will allow Smith to be our new starting safety. That’s not enough defense for some?
May 3rd, 2025 at 10:51 am
couldn’t agree with him more. risking our entire year on Morrison’s health is kookoo, but I’ll assume, for now, Licht knows something we don’t about his status
May 3rd, 2025 at 10:52 am
i’d be shocked if gholston had another year in him Joe
May 3rd, 2025 at 10:55 am
This is an A+ draft at this point in time, regardless of what anyone else says/thinks.
And time will tell if my A+ grade is true and accurate.
May 3rd, 2025 at 10:57 am
I love when some pasty fat couch potato calls a professional athlete soft
May 3rd, 2025 at 10:58 am
Joe,
For the record, Big Gator and Little Duck are terrible nicknames.
They will never stick anywhere unless you drive them into the ground here, and then they will still only stick here. Because they suck as nicknames
Be more creative and less lazy, please…
May 3rd, 2025 at 11:09 am
Don’t waste Ted at punt returner!
You will give him PTSD or get him killed!
Tez needs a redshirt rookie year. A practice squad season.
He needs to get up to 170 pounds.
His arms are tiny. He can easily add weight without losing speed.
But don’t waste him this year. He needs a season to bulk up.
Rashad White should return punts!
He would be amazing!
May 3rd, 2025 at 11:22 am
It’s not an injury, it was a birth defect, he had one side done in high school which didn’t affect him making it to NFL, had the other side done now and he’s ready for camp. Stop saying this guy has an injury history, he doesn’t.
May 3rd, 2025 at 11:30 am
It will be great if all those guys that Hodad thinks will contribute this year actually do. To me it’s all Daquan Bowers or JTS all over again. Oh, Braswell will surprise us all! Until it happens he’s another JTS. Nobody has been drafted or signed that show they can move the needle other than Reddick. After seeing JTS run around like a headless chicken for 4 years, I don’t trust anything the staff says.
May 3rd, 2025 at 12:02 pm
Morrison seems like a great kid with a huge heart and tons of skill.
I just hope he can stay healthy. If so, we’ve got a gem there.
Parish is too small for the NFL. Situational CB at best.
We needed a lock down CB that can stay on the field.
Instead we are basically going with the same plan as last year and hoping for improvement.
That’s defined as insanity.
May 3rd, 2025 at 12:20 pm
Why do so many people keep saying Morrison had an injury??? His surgeries on both hips ARE NOT INJURIES!! They were to correct birth defects in both hips that were easily fixed and will have no long time problems.
May 3rd, 2025 at 12:42 pm
Babygrace Says:
Why do so many people keep saying Morrison had an injury???
Because he got injured and couldn’t play the bulk of last season at ND.
Simple.
May 3rd, 2025 at 12:51 pm
Hear hear to the Morrison not an injury guy crowd – Fav…re? And Reed had same corrective surgeries and had decent careers, and BMo’s commitment to being great is obvious
Also Parrish is very Mikey Sanristil-esque and his size is fine
Let Dean play out his contract in a competitive year and grab more depth next draft
Don’t care about size outliers on offense – NFL rules don’t allow for big hits anymore so Tez should be fine as a PR and situational WR
May 3rd, 2025 at 12:55 pm
I’m incredibly far from being medically competent but wasn’t it really just one injury in which he got surgery done one side at a time? Based on past injuries with the same prognosis, fear of a short career should be no more than with any player.
May 3rd, 2025 at 2:04 pm
Thank you BucsfaninOregon. I find it hard to belief that the Joe’s don’t know that this was a well planned procedure and not at all an “injury.” Stating it the way he keeps doing is misleading many of his more casual readers who don’t know the real background. It’s annoying because even on of the posters above believe it and think he’s going to be just as injury prone as Dean.
May 3rd, 2025 at 2:04 pm
Believe
May 3rd, 2025 at 2:06 pm
Cmurda no it was not an injury at all. He was born with a condition that simply had to be corrected once he stopped growing.
May 3rd, 2025 at 2:27 pm
Well, if Parrish and Morrison pan at as expected you could arguably say we got 6 of the top 100 best athletes in this draft.
May 3rd, 2025 at 2:28 pm
*pan out as expected…
May 3rd, 2025 at 2:35 pm
@teacherman
I think they should be using Kameron Johnson more. He’d probably be just fine back there returning kicks & punts, too!
May 3rd, 2025 at 3:09 pm
Kameron Johnson sounds great.
Stocky. Shifty. Thick. Good hands.
Kameron Johnson sounds great!
But please!? Enough with the TINY punt returners!!
Mickens, Darden, and Palmer?
Enough is enough!
Give me a returner who can break a tackle! And who will go UPFIELD!
Not looking for the sidelines!
May 3rd, 2025 at 3:11 pm
I used to call for Cordarelle Patterson after the Vikings didn’t want him.
I have always been a HUGE fan of Cordarelle Patterson fan.
He would have been a Buc for life if I had more of a say so at One Buc Palace.
Don’t forget. I called for Mark Barron to be a LB with Lavonte also. That would have been sick.
Anyway. I want a THICK PR who can break the tackles of gunners!
May 3rd, 2025 at 3:45 pm
Shake&Baker Says:
May 3rd, 2025 at 2:06 pm
Not really… I mean, yeah, he had a condition that he was aware of, but he did actually have an injury to the hip (apparently caused by the pre-existing condition). So, the story about the pre-existing hip condition is spin. It’s true, but it’s also misleading to distract that he’s had corrective surgery on both hips. That’s not nothing. The real question is about the condition of the hips post surgery. We don’t have information, but the Bucs apparently feel that it should not present problems going forward.
May 3rd, 2025 at 4:18 pm
If tez can bulk up a little bit he’ll be a desean Jackson clone. I think he makes the final 53
May 3rd, 2025 at 4:40 pm
Watch the video of Tez going 1 on 1 against other DBs at the senior bowl. He was basically uncoverable. Reminded me a lot of Wes Welker, so I looked up their 40 times. Welker ran a 4.65, Tez ran a 4.51. He’s plenty fast enough.
May 3rd, 2025 at 5:15 pm
Joes, CBS is whooping you on nicknames…
They call Desmond Walker ‘The Tush Push Terminator’
Way cooler than your Big Gator lazy attempt.
May 3rd, 2025 at 7:38 pm
Roberts has the ability to win from a 3-technique alignment or live on the end of the defensive line. He will provide power opposite the Bucs’ speedy edge rushers.
———-
He will? Because everything I’ve read, all his testing numbers, show him more as a tweener than anything, and say he’s going to have to get a lot stronger to be a 3-4 DE. I only got scouting reports and some highlights to work from, so maybe he has the frame to put on the weight, but he very much sounds like a project player (which is fine in the 5th round, although I still would have tried to get a ILB – then again the Chiefs thought the Bucs were going to draft Bassa which is why they traded up, so perhaps the last ILB the Bucs wanted was then off the board).
May 3rd, 2025 at 7:48 pm
“That’s 235 players.”
It’s not. This draft 257 players were drafted. Even if you start counting at zero, like Joe said he always does, that doesn’t explain the difference.