The draft has come and gone Buccaneers fans, so now it’s time for my 2nd least favorite part of draft season (because what the hell do any of us know).
Draft Grades
I’m not going to be lazy here; for each pick, I’m going to grade based on 4 categories:
Positional need
Draft fit (was it a reach or a big score)
My own opinion of the player
Overall grade
So let’s get into it.
R1, Pick 19: Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State
Positional need: D-
Draft fit: B
Opinion of the player: A-
Overall grade: C+
I’m not the biggest fan of this pick due to the position Egbuka plays, which will put him in competition with Godwin for reps in the slot where each has proven to be the most effective.
The Bucs’ issues last season also had little to do with their offense.
However, I’m also not the biggest hater of the pick because it wasn’t a reach, and I truly believe Egbuka can be a good if not great player.
He’s one of the faster, more explosive and more agile players at his position.
He’s a bit undersized, but his production was ridiculous at Ohio State, setting plenty of school records during his tenure.
His high floor and decent ceiling made him one of the more safe picks at 19, and Jason Licht clearly has done a great job evaluating wideouts, so who am I to question his judgement? Still, there were other things I might’ve done here.
R2, Pick 53: Benjamin Morrison, CB, Notre Dame
Positional need: A+
Draft fit: B+
Opinion of the player: B
Overall grade: A-
Benjamin Morrison is coming off a major hip injury, which is the main thing dragging down my opinion of him as a player.
But if he comes back as the player he was at his peak with the Fighting Irish, this will be a fine pick.
He was another stupid productive player with Notre Dame, racking up picks like nobody’s business during his collegiate career before his final season was cut short by the aforementioned injury.
Hopefully Morrison gives the Bucs enough depth to not have to see too many practice squad pickups out there at corner, but his injury concerns aren’t nothing, and with Dean already being an annual question mark in that area, this could be a tough pick if the health bug bites the Bucs.
R3, Pick 84: Jacob Parrish, CB, Kansas State
Positional need: B
Draft fit: A-
Opinion of the player: B+
Overall grade: B+
Parrish is one of the fastest players in this draft class.
His versatility defensively is also a huge plus, as he lined up a bit in the slot with the Wildcats during his final season, but he could very well be an outside corner too due to his raw athletic ability.
Frankly if he wasn’t 5’9 he probably would’ve gone in the 2nd round at least, but luckily for the Bucs he lasted to 84.
The Bucs might’ve been overly aggressive in drafting 2 corners this early, but Parrish could easily slide into that starting nickel role and they needed a backup outside guy, so it’s understandable why they’d address this spot early and often.
R4, Pick 121: David Walker, EDGE, Central Arkansas
Positional need: A
Draft fit: A-
Opinion of the player: B
Overall grade: A-
Sure, it was against FCS talent, but Walker had one of the most impressive stat lines of anyone in this class.
He led the FCS in almost every imaginable category a pass rusher could, and looked very much in his element at the Senior Bowl.
He’s quite undersized for the position, but is quite strong, fast, and showed an excellent vertical jump in the combine.
It wasn’t a reach, it was about right where Walker should’ve been picked, but there is inherent risk with drafting a non D-1 guy.
Of course, there’s inherent risk all across the draft, so perhaps that’s a bit overblown.
R5, Pick 157: Elijah Roberts, EDGE, SMU
Positional need: A
Draft fit: A
Opinion of the player: A-
Overall grade: A
Probably my favorite pick of this draft, Roberts can step in and compete with Logan Hall for a starting defensive end role.
He was quite good at SMU, earning 90+ PFF grades over his final 2 seasons.
He has the size to be a 3-4 DE, but lacks a bit of experience in the role.
It might take a bit for him to crack the starting lineup, but he has all the tools to be a good rotational linemen at the very least.
R7, Pick 235: Tez Johnson, WR, Oregon
Positional need: C
Draft fit: B+
Opinion of the player: B
Overall grade: B
With these 7th round picks, the difference between them and UDFA is marginal at best, so it’s hard to be super critical of them.
Would a linebacker, safety, or center made sense here?
Absolutely; but the Bucs got those positions taken care of in their post draft signings, so it’s all good.
Tez can be a super fun player, but his severe lack of size gives me a lot of pause when thinking about his ability to stick in the NFL.
He’s as explosive as they come, so the hope is that lack of size won’t matter, but we’ll see how his career plays out, as there have been plenty of his archetype that have fizzled out in the pros.
Follow @ctbrantley12 on Twitter and listen to him on the RBLR Bucs Podcast
Follow, Like and Subscribe to Bucs Report
BucsReport.com
For more on this and everything Buccaneers check back here hourly at BucsReport.com
