The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have spent the last two-offseasons making the biggest Free Agency splashes; they have also spent the last two Januarys at home and not in the playoffs. The Bucs have once again made power moves in the springtime by acquiring cornerback Alterraun Verner, defensive end Michael Johnson and quarterback Josh McCown in Free Agency. Now that Lovie Smith is Tampa’s new head coach, the Buccaneers shifted their draft focus toward the offense since he will most likely have the defense in order.
2014 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Draft Picks:
1st Round (7th Overall): Mike Evans – WR, Texas A&M
2nd Round (38th Overall): Austin Seferian-Jenkins – TE, Washington
3rd Round (69th Overall): Charles Sims – RB, West Virginia
5th Round (143rd Overall): Kadeem Edwards – OG, Tennessee State
5th Round (149th Overall): Kevin Pamphile – OT, Purdue
6th Round (185th Overall): Robert Herron – WR, Wyoming
Buccaneers Draft Grade: 10/10
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Buccaneers Draft Review
The Best Player: Mike Evans is no question the best player the Bucs selected in this year’s draft. Evans caused major problems for opposing secondary with his basketball-like frame during his college days with the Aggies. Imagine seeing this 6’5’’ freak of nature pair up with his new teammate, Vincent Jackson, who by the way is also 6’5’’. The Roddy White – Julio Jones combination has already proven to be deadly. Now that the Bucs have two trees on the outside to throw the ball up to, secondary units in the NFC South will have ongoing nightmares.
The Best Value Pick: Each of these draftees share a fair amount of value, but Austin Seferian-Jenkins will prove to have the most. One of the reasons why the NFC South excels in the passing game is due to the Tight End play. Future Hall-of-Famer Tony Gonzales helped propel the Falcons offense, Saints’ Jimmy Graham has established himself as the league’s best tight end and Greg Olsen has remained a steady target throughout his time with the Panthers. If he can control the middle of the field with his 6’6’’ frame, the burdens of both Evans and Jackson will be lifted tremendously.
The Head-Scratcher AND Surprise Pick: There are no true head-scratchers or surprises that exist among this draft class. Since the defensive side of the ball was addressed in Free Agency, it allowed the offense to be the focal point of the draft.
The Steal: West Virginia Running Back Charles Sims will prove to be the steal of the 2014 Buccaneers Draft. He won’t start ahead of Doug Martin, but he will mainly be used on third down as a pass-catching back (another element to NFC South offenses). He will most likely be used in the return game as well.
Most Likely to make an Impact in 2014: Take your pick, seriously. The skill position players will have an immediate impact on each other because the amount of attention they attract individually. Since Donald Penn and Davin Joseph are no longer members of the team, the two O-linemen picked up in the draft will have to play big so that offense can keep up with the other three teams in the division.
Most Likely to Turn Heads in Camp: Because of his versatility on the football field, Charles Sims could garner much of the staff’s attention during off-season workouts and practices.
Bottom Line: When examining and evaluating teams’ drafts, perfect grades are hard to come by; the 2014 Buccaneers draft is one of those rare occasions. After they signed those Free Agent defenders, they solidified their offense by grabbing hold to perimeter targets and front line help. Tampa Bay has once again cashed in during the off-season; one can even make the argument that the Buccaneers have had the best off-season overall thus far. Will these off-season transactions FINALLY prove to be fruitful for Tampa? That remains to be seen.
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