Todd Bowles Clarifies Combine Value
March 1st, 2026
“Jason, I need to see this guy in shorts.”
Don’t tell Todd Bowles the NFL Scouting Combine is of little worth. Bowles isn’t there to carouse in downtown Indianapolis at the NFL’s winter carnival.
Bowles values the Combine and it’s more than about meeting players.
Bowles feels it’s important to see players up close and out of pads.
“Obviously the tape has a lot to do with it earlier [at One Buc Palace,] as we put these [prospects] together, then it’s a position of need depending on what you want to draft, and things you look forward to. But coming to the Combine, you get a good feel for the body type,” Bowles told SiriusXM NFL Radio.
“You know, you see [players] in pads but because you don’t see ’em in person — you get to see’em in pads and then you get to interview them and get their personalities. So we get to see their personalities. We get to see what they’re like out of pads and you get to see then move around a little bit and you try to put the body with what’s on tape.”
The Bucs’ head coach emphasized he was not referring to receivers and defensive backs. Those bodies can be misleading in person, Bowles said, and they’re all about film study.
Joe heard how Bowles answered this player-evaluation question and immediately thought he sounded like a coach who’s been watching a lot of front-7 players.
Joe wouldn’t cry if the Bucs drafted a defensive tackle, assuming the Bucs address linebacker in free agency. At least a few solid ones should be there in Round 2.
Vita Vea is 31. Calijah Kancey is injury-prone, and Logan Hall might command too much cash in free agency.
March 1st, 2026 at 2:48 pm
Well, Todd’s got it right in that description. Thats why Ive always loved the combine. Watching O line guys now…..
March 1st, 2026 at 2:51 pm
JTS looked like G.I. Joe, but he was too weak and soft to take on offensive tackles.
Sideshow Hall is really fast and has an amazing body.
But he gets pushed around by offensive tackles.
“Appearances can be deceiving”
Draft rock hard and violent defensive linemen and edge players from
Now on.
JTS, Hall, Reddick and Braswell are NOT violent linemen.
Draft nastier defensive linemen from now on please.
#99 aka The QB Killah was scary.
Suh, JPP and Gholston were VIOLENT.
No more drafting “Mr Nice Guy” on defense.
March 1st, 2026 at 3:31 pm
Fair enough points Teacherman. But really it is more easy than not to miss on edge guys that you take around 28 to 40 than for them to become significant sack guys.
I really love the large set of edge guys available in this year’s draft. But you look at a bunch of them and they are not elite in size — you are betting that even those that lack the size somehow will get it done because of their speed.
——
By the way, there is a free agent Defensive lineman out there I think would be a wonderful replacement for a bigger Gholston type. That is Sebastian Joseph-Day at about 310lbs. Clearly bigger than having any speed. But seems to play every game — every year. Was on a 7.5 million contract last year and would love the Bucs to spend 2 years 12 million total on him this off season.
Then go get the linebackers and edge guys in this draft instead of reaching for an Ohio State Kayden McDonald at 15. Or whatever other DT you think is special in this class — I’m not seeing great defensive tackles for the Bucs. But if you have one you like — I’ll take a peak at his film.
March 1st, 2026 at 4:31 pm
Rather than seeing guys half naked I’d rather see production on the field to gauge who to draft. JTS is an example.
March 1st, 2026 at 4:58 pm
Center cut prime beef. Vita help and depth. We know LB isn’t a need, Todd said so last year and looks for Sir Vocea to really blossom, as we all expect he will do.
March 1st, 2026 at 5:55 pm
I’ve got the Bucs picking a DT in rd3. Bowles seems to like the ideas from new DL coach Marcus West. Will West and Bowles play more one gap schemes to finally get a pass rush?
March 1st, 2026 at 7:09 pm
Game tape doesn’t lie just like a bullet. I don’t see any interior defensive guys I would spend a #15 pick on either, but I don’t watch tape. I think Bowles may be referring to how a guy looks out of pads in 2 ways: does he look the part, ready to go and how he carries himself out and about in the everyday world. Body language can say a lot when you look at how one carries themselves and that may be a little bit more to what Bowles is talking about. They want to see the real person, not just the football person. And talking about Sapp and Brooks too, neither really stood out as gifted bodies from a “football perspective” but man they were beasts. Sapp was naturally strong too, only guy that bested him was Roaf in the bench and not by much.
March 2nd, 2026 at 12:20 am
The signal to noise ratio in this comment section is awesome and I hope it finds its way to Licht. This draft class may be the worst since the 2013 draft that brought the Bucs-Bears’ legend Mike Glennon into our orbit and a bunch of other completely forgettable players we got excited about like Mike Edwards? That said, the gold in this trash draft is at LB and Edge which are two of the Bucs needs. Licht drafted the Bucs to a Super Bowl once. I’d like to see him do it again.
My remedy at DT is let Logan Hall walk and sign Dre’Mont Jones to a 3 yr/$30 mil deal. He had 17 starts between the Titans and Ravens in 2025. 7 sacks, 7, TFLs and 48 tackles at 29 years old. He only weighs 280 and lines up standing 3/4 of the time but he is a great challenge to Bowles purported genius- scheme to the talent you are served. Then draft Chris McClellan in the fourth from Missouri. Mizzou front 7 seven talent has been NFL ready for decades. He has the sacks and batted passes I seek and years of contiguous experience in a proven program. At 6’4” 323 he can platoon with Vea. RayShawn Benny from Michigan is also worth a watch in round 5 and Damonic Williams is the most interesting Sooners DT to me- he was team captain, embodies that “killer instinct” the Bucs talked about and that Teacherman remphasized above- heart and soul of that defense, engine runs white-hot, probably unhinged presents as a menace to society but not really, like Smith, Parrish and Winfield Jr. (on his rookie deal.). He can be acquired late on day 3.
Boy, oh, boy are there pass rush toys!!! It looks like Mesidor will be realistically available in the second. I love his balanced, refined game that still has growth potential. Teacherman- look at his film vs double teams- that man is half-human, half-wolverine/half-honey badger. Yes that is three halves but he is that big of an instant impact defensive piece. He is the most forceful fumble forcer I’ve ever seen. Pair him with undersized Romello Height in the third. His NYC point-guard moves and set-ups are something Bowles can translate into something. Maybe something special. Pass rush boxes are checked. Now onto the gaping maw…
ILB has been a big need for 3 years running but this draft can quench that thirst in later rounds. Lander Barton was being mocked as a late first rounder in some marginal mocks 3 years ago when he was just a freshman. He is round 4-5 talent now but his tape has gotten better year over year. He has NFL pedigree and showed up as a freshman with a Bakeresque desire to prove something and has done it. Turn this dude into a TE in training camp and see how much we miss Otten or crave a 2026 draft TE.
AJ Peña from Rhode Island is my Lavonne David successor. Like Marpet, film on this guy is pixelated as hell, mostly valueless highlights or bland propaganda but there is a real grass-roots movement to erect a statue to thiis young man in Providence. The way he shed questions about that honor like he does blocks was art.
I’m really not into drafting more willing accomplices for Bowles. I want to see Licht GM like an OG and challenge Bowles with the talent he serves him in this offseason. Force Bowles the get off his static, too-predictable and exploitable looks and find that thing his searched for in his lab last offseason.
March 2nd, 2026 at 6:49 am
For years I’ve wondered about the 40 yard dash times. Much of the time is due to the track style start. What if they wore pads and got a 5 yard running start THEN ran 40 yards timed. It would be a more accurate comparison of “football speed”
March 2nd, 2026 at 1:20 pm
The amount of double speak this man does is baffling.
He takes one sentence and turns it into a paragraph.
Then he acts like it’s a brilliant insight and the lapdog media eats it up.
Great work if you can get it.
#SuperBowles
March 2nd, 2026 at 2:39 pm
Come on. Bowles IS NOT going to change his dysfunctional type of gaming style. He’s looking for big (small linemen) secondary guys for the front seven to cover.
Unless he has “Strick Orders” from the head coach (that’s not a joke) to actually Focus on pass rushers and bend to the STRENGTHS of a pass rusher.
Well… guess what. NO DC has been put in position to conduct “reasonable” defensive play style. This guy IS NOT going to change his stripes just because We Can See obvious choices to dominate the qb. He’s just NOT GOING TO DO IT! He’s NOT going to change his stripes. Who knows what this man is thinking. The players that do it for a living SURE CAN’T figure him out so what chance do we have?
We can’t even enjoy a “guess” as to what we’ll end up with. We were SO DESPERATE last year for defense that it seemed no less than criminal to draft a receiver with our most valuable pick but low and behold….. Licht is CONFUSED. And I like him. BUT….. he IS THE GUY who keeps crying to have the guy that the ENTIRE TEAM quit on come back again and again. Licht is also the guy who CONTINUES TO pick some of the WORST defensive players a first round has seen, year over year, that he might as well as picked a receiver in this year’s draft. Another O lineman?
Look, if Licht doesn’t pick a Defensive WINNER in the FIRST this year, then Maybe It Is TIME for him to GO….
If ANY of his last 5/6 first round defensive picks would have been contributing much AT ALL, for ALL OF THESE 5 or 6 YEARS Now…. WE WOULDN’T BE IN THIS LOUSY DEFENSIVE SITUATION RIGHT NOW!
That’s REAL. The Cold Hard FACTS…. He unfortunately HAS BEEN MISSING A LOT!
March 2nd, 2026 at 4:51 pm
It might be scary to see who gets selected. I have no faith in these two anymore.
Hoping to be surprised but not wanting to get let down if Bucs do not draft high priority needs, and great players.
March 2nd, 2026 at 7:44 pm
Trade down in the 1st please.