Team-by-Team Draft Reviews: Tampa Bay and Jacksonville
The Buccaneers and Jaguars have combined for exactly zero playoff appearances in the last eight years. So, the NFL Draft is a time for hope and a time for dynasty degenerates to dig deep into every teams draft to find the best values in their rookie drafts and evaluate how incoming rookies will affect their veteran players. We’ve put these two teams together to make one jam-packed Florida-sized edition of our annual Draft Reviews.
Round One
Jameis Winston landed in Tampa with the first overall pick in last Thursday’s draft. The arrival of Winston is good news for veterans like Doug Martin and Vincent Jackson, as well as young guns Mike Evans and Austin Seferian-Jenkins. Famous Jameis was considered by many to be the most pro ready quarterback in this draft class. I expect Winston to be the starter day one, as starting Mike Glennon would be an unnecessary delaying of the inevitable. In 1 QB leagues, I expect Winston to go in the Mid-late 2nd round rookie pick range, which I think is fair value, though in some leagues he will go in the early second, but I think that is a bit more of a stretch. In Superflex/2 QB leagues, I think Winston joins the top tier of Todd Gurley/Amari Cooper, and those three can be interchangeable based on personal preference and team need.
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A year after using their first four selections on offense, the Jaguars knew they had to address their 26th ranked in the 2015 draft. With the fourth overall pick, the Jaguars selected University of Florida Edge Rusher Dante Fowler Jr. Many think he is a good fit for their system, and with all of the off field problems some of the other top ranked edge rushers, Fowler Jr. has a clean reputation off the field.
Round Two
In round two, the Buccaneers draft a pair of offensive lineman to protect their new franchise quarterback. Donovan Smith out of Penn State was considered by some to be a reach at the 34th overall pick. I’m no offensive line scout, so I’ll trust others on the predraft evaluation on him. I do like the idea of protecting Jameis, and the Bucs traded back into the end of the second round to pick up Ali Marpet from Division III school, Hobart. Marpet was a Senior Bowl and combine standout with elite metrics on the offensive line
With their second round pick, the Jaguars selected Alabama running back TJ Yeldon. Jacksonville has spent the entire off-season trying to improve the offensive line to protect last years fist round pick, quarterback Blake Bortles. The improved offensive line will also help Yeldon as the Jaguars desperately needed another back to pair with Denard Robinson. Yeldon will likely get a large bulk of the carries with Robinson getting third down action. As a talent, I’m not TJ Yeldon’s biggest fan, but he is going to get the opportunity to prove me wrong quickly. My concern in the short term is that I think Yeldon’s fantasy production in year one will be reliant on touchdowns and I’m not sure how many touchdowns the Jaguars are scoring in 2015 unless Blake Bortles has a big improvement from his rookie year. Yeldon will likely be selected in the mid-late 1st of rookie drafts this offseason, I’d prefer to trade up or trade back, rather than pick Yeldon, but it is a matter of personal preference.
Round Three
The Jags selected lineman AJ Cann. Like I said, the Jaguars have spent the off-season trying to protect Blake Bortles – by selecting the guard out of South Carolina, this is yet another step in that direction,
Round Four
Both teams selected defensive players to bolster their young defenses. The Bucs selected a weakside linebacker in Kwon Alexander to play special teams and develop/learn behind one of the leagues best- Lavonte David. The Jaguars selected Safety James Sample to improve a pass defense that ranked 22nd in the NFL in 2014.
Round Five
Protecting and helping young quarterbacks was a theme for this draft for both teams. At the top of the fith round, the Jaguars selected Rashad Greene out of Florida State. Greene is a sure handed wide receiver who will help the Jaguars in the slot and on third down. The Buccaneers also picked up a wideout in the fifth round, selecting Nebraska’s Kenny Bell. Bell will likely play the slot role for the Buccaneers offense with the big guys, Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson on the outside. Both Greene and Bell will be intriguing options in the later rounds of rookie drafts.
Round Six
Do people still play in leagues team defense/special teams? In the sixth round, the Buccaneers selected special teams extraordinaire, Kaelin Clay. Clay returned three punts and one kickoff for a touchdown in his one year at Utah after playing his first two years at the Juco level. Outside of leagues that award points for return yards, Clay is not really an option in your rookie drafts this summer, but it could be a slight boost if you are streaming the Bucs defense in-season.
In the later rounds of the NFL Draft, there are always a few players who draftniks and Twitter have rated much higher than the NFL and they seem flabbergasted when the player continues to fall, this year, one of those players was defensive tackle Michael Bennett out of Ohio State. Bennett is a solid add to the Jaguars defense in the latter rounds of the draft.
Round Seven
The fullback position in today’s NFL where most offenses are pass heavy has nearly died off. If the Buccaneers want to win games in 2015, their trio of Doug Martin, Charles Sims and Bobby Rainey are going to have to be able to run the ball. The addition of Joey Iosefa gives the Bucs a fullback who will help them establish the run early on that will open the game up for Winston.
In the seventh round, the Jaguars picked up a pair of pass catchers. Neal Sterling from Monmouth College is a WR/TE tweener who will get the opportunity to learn behind Julius Thomas. They also selected TE Ben Koyack from Notre Dame with their final pick of the draft. Sterling and Koyack are not rosterable in dynasty leagues, but it is evident that the Jaguars doing everything they can to help Bortles.
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