The Tampa Bay Buccaneers went into the 2016 NFL draft with three goals in mind. One, they absolutely had to find more talent to plug and play in the secondary. Two, they needed to get a solid pass rusher who could consistently provide pressure on the opposing team’s quarterback. Finally, they needed to get an offensive lineman to add depth to a unit deployed to protect Jameis Winston. Here is who the selected:
1st Round, 11th Overall: (From Chicago) – Vernon Hargreaves – CB – Florida
2nd Round, 39th Overall: Noah Spence – DE – Eastern Kentucky
2nd Round, 59th Overall: Roberto Aguayo – K – Florida State
4th Round, 108th Overall: Ryan Smith – CB – North Carolina Central
5th Round, 148th Overall: Caleb Benenoch – OT – UCLA
6th Round, 183rd Overall: Devante Bond – OLB – Oklahoma
6th Round, 197th Overall: (From Washington) – Dan Vitale – FB – Northwestern
Buccaneers 2016 Draft Grade: 8/10
The Best Player: The best player from the Buccaneer’s draft class is either Vernon Hargreaves, the cornerback from Florida, or Noah Spence, the defensive end from Eastern Kentucky. It depends on whether or not you factor in the off the field issues for each player. Hargreaves is a coach’s son, who has lived and breathed football his entire life. On the other hand, Spence was once an intriguing prospect at Ohio State, when his football career and life were almost derailed by an ecstasy addiction he owned up to after he was kicked off the team and banned from the Big Ten conference. However, he is arguably the best pure pass rusher in the entire 2016 class.
The Head-Scratcher: Taking a kicker in the second round of the draft is definitely a bold move. But, trading up for said kicker, is just absurd to most NFL franchises. Not the Buccaneers. They graded Roberto Aguayo very high on their board, and the pedigree that comes along with Aguayo being from Florida State which is considered “Kicker U” by most scouts. Additionally, the Bucs hated the fact that they haven’t been able to rely on a kicker for over a decade. So they grabbed their guy.
The Surprise: Noah Spence is the surprise of the 2016 NFL Draft for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The talent is unquestioned with Spence, and apparently he went a long way in assuring Tampa Bay that he wasn’t going to cause any trouble. Especially, after a report came out that he had been sending his own drug test results out to every NFL team for months leading up to the draft.
The Steal: Vernon Hargreaves is the steal of the draft for the Bucs. The Bucs were able to target him as their ninth overall pick, trade down with Chicago to accumulate more assets, and still get the player they wanted at pick eleven. Huge win for the Tampa Bay front office, and dynamic improvement to a Buccaneer roster that was lacking a playmaking defensive back. Hargreaves was almost unanimously considered to be the best press-man cover corner in the entire draft. His only knocks are his size (under 6 feet tall) and somewhat questionable speed (4.50 40-yard dash at the combine). But he proved in college to be a gamer, and ended his career at Florida with 10 interceptions. Clearly, Hargreaves will be a much welcomed talent to the Tampa Bay secondary.
Most Likely to Turn Heads in Training Camp: Ryan Smith, the fourth round pick, was a solid selection by the Buccaneers, and heading into training camp, expect to see him get a lot of looks in the return game. Smith was an electric return man at North Carolina Central. He also set a school record with 168 career tackles as a cornerback. So his defensive prowess, and tackling ability shouldn’t be much of a concern.
The Rest: Fifth round pick, Caleb Benenoch, could be a developing offensive lineman, his technique isn’t great and his natural footwork needs a lot of improving. He will have to become a better pass blocker to stick in the league, though. Sixth round selection Devante Bond, is a player with a lot of tenacity and a high end motor. He profiles as someone who could eventually become a dominant run stopper. However, he is somewhat vulnerable in pass coverage and wouldn’t be ready to do so right away. Sixth round pick Dan Vitale, is a fullback from Northwestern who stands 6’1” and weighs 240 pounds. He instantly becomes the Bucs starting fullback, as they didn’t have one on their roster prior to Saturday.
The Bottom Line: The Buccaneers most definitely improved in all the areas of their team that needed addressing heading into the draft. Overall, it was a very productive and wide ranging draft with a variety of playmakers in all three facets of the game. The only downfall for the Buccaneers is the fact that their two second round selections will be scrutinized forever. If they “miss” on one or possibly both of those players, this draft class could potentially be a failure. Hopefully, for the fans’ sake, they didn’t.
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