SR’s Fab 5 is a collection of reporting and analysis on the Bucs from yours truly, Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds. Here are four things that caught my attention this week, plus some random tidbits in my Buc Shots section at the end. Enjoy!

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FAB 1. Bucs’ Top Draft Needs Are At OT, OLB

The signing of strong safety Ryan Neal all but eliminates the Bucs’ need for potentially taking a safety in the first round of the upcoming 2023 NFL Draft. Sure, Tampa Bay could still draft Alabama’s Brian Branch if it wants to. Head coach Todd Bowles and general manager Jason Licht almost drafted Georgia safety Lewis Cine with their first pick last year.

Branch can play slot safety, which is the role that Antoine Winfield Jr. played last year in nickel situations. But the Bucs can find a safety or a nickel that can play in the slot later in the draft.

The more pressing needs are offensive tackle and edge rusher. And the signing of Ryan Neal has whittled down Tampa Bay’s needs to those two positions.

Tennessee QB Hendon Hooker – Photo by: USA Today

Sure, if a top-rated quarterback fell to the Bucs at No. 19, that could be a wild card Tampa Bay would have to consider. But with the Bucs wanting to give Kyle Trask, the team’s second-round pick in 2021, a legitimate chance to vie for the starting job against free agent addition Baker Mayfield, drafting another QB this year would be overkill.

There just wouldn’t be enough reps to go around in training camp between three quarterbacks to make a legit three-man race. And with just three preseason games and having to really prepare the eventual winner for the start of the season with enough practice reps, drafting another QB to legitimately compete for the starting job seems unlikely this year – outside of a Day 3 pick for depth and development.

So it’s likely down to offensive tackle and outside linebacker for Tampa Bay’s first pick – even if the team decides to trade down a few spots in the first round to acquire more draft picks.

Why Offensive Tackle Could Be The Bucs’ Pick At No. 19

Licht, a former college offensive lineman, has always put drafting along the offensive line a priority. Pro Bowler Tristan Wirfs was a first-round pick. Donovan Smith, Ali Marpet and Luke Goedeke were all second-round picks. Alex Cappa and Robert Hainsey were both third-rounders.

Oklahoma OT Anton Harrison – Photo by: USA Today

Licht even made free agent Ryan Jensen the league’s highest paid center – twice. First in 2018 and then again in 2022.

When healthy, Tampa Bay’s offensive line was dominant at the end of 2020 and during the 2021 season. The play of the O-line was a key catalyst for the Bucs’ Super Bowl LV championship and the team’s franchise-best 13-4 record the following year.

With Northwestern’s Peter Skoronski, Ohio State’s Paris Johnson Jr. and possibly Georgia’s Broderick Jones off the board by the time the Bucs are on the clock, Tampa Bay will likely have a chance to draft either Oklahoma’s Anton Harrison or Tennessee’s Darnell Wright.

Harrison is a plug-and-play starter at left tackle and could keep Wirfs on the right side of the offensive line, where he has developed into an All-Pro. Wright has played both left and right tackle, but is likely best suited to play right tackle in the pros. That would mean moving the supremely athletic Wirfs to left tackle. Tampa Bay met with both Harrison and Wright formally at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Why Outside Linebacker Could Be The Bucs’ Pick At No. 19

In addition to being the head coach, Todd Bowles also serves as the team’s defensive play-caller – at least for now – and his defense needs to have a better, more consistent pass rush up front. Shaq Barrett, who turns 31 this year, is coming off a torn Achilles tendon he suffered in Week 8 last year. Prior to that, Barrett underwhelmed with just three sacks in eight games.

The team has to be worried that Barrett will not be able to fully recover. At 6-foot-1, 252 pounds, Barrett doesn’t rely on size, power or speed to get to the quarterback. He relies on quickness off the ball and timing the snap to win as a pass rusher. Nothing can rob a player’s quickness like an Achilles injury.

Bucs OLB Shaq Barrett – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Former first-round pick Joe Tryon-Shoyinka hasn’t developed into a consistent pass rusher, stalling out at four sacks in each of his first two seasons in Tampa Bay. At times, Tryon-Shoyinka looks more like an athlete than an instinctive pass rusher, and he misses as many sacks – or more – as he gets.

As much as Bowles likes to blitz, he needs the pressure from his front four in nickel defense to get to the quarterback. After the end of the 2022 season, I asked Bowles what he would have thought if I had told him back in training camp that nose tackle Vita Vea would wind up leading the team in sacks with 6.5.

“I wouldn’t have believed you,” Bowles said. “This is the first 3-4 [defense] team I’ve been a part of where the outside linebackers have not led the team in sacks. We’ve got to get better in that area, I think. No disrespect to Vita – I’m glad he did, and we had some good interior rushes with Vita, ‘Nacho’ (Rakeem Nuñez-Roches), [Akiem] Hicks and Will [Gholston] and all those guys.

“But when Shaq went down, it was kind of a letdown. I thought [Anthony] Nelson did some good things as did Joe, but from an experience standpoint, just getting back there consistently – I think we’ve got to get better there.”

The Bucs were going to fire outside linebackers coach Bob Sanders – who was hired by Bruce Arians, not Bowles – after one year, but Sanders decided to retire instead. Bowles hired George Edwards from Dallas, where he worked wonders with Pro Bowler Micah Parsons.

Iowa State OLB Will McDonald IV – Photo by: USA Today

The Bucs met with several outside linebackers formally at the NFL Scouting Combine, including Iowa State’s Will McDonald, Auburn’s Derick Hall, Kansas State’s Felix Anudike-Uzomah, Missouri’s Isaiah McGuire and Louisville’s YaYa Diaby. Tampa Bay also hosted Georgia’s Nolan Smith on a Top 30 visit, in addition to Northwestern’s Adetomiwa Adebawore, who was an edge rusher for the Wildcats, but will likely move inside to defensive tackle at the next level.

The only outside linebackers that really warrant a possible first-round selection are Smith and McDonald. The team is concerned about Smith’s scant sack production (11.5 sacks in four years) and might prefer McDonald. But the Bucs could trade back a few spots and get McDonald later in the first round, but they’d have to be careful about New Orleans (29) and Kansas City (31).

FAB 2. SR’s 2023 Draft Crushes – Offense

We’re just weeks away from the 2023 NFL Draft and I’ve done plenty of scouting over the past few months to prepare. Here are some of my favorite draft prospects – regardless of whether the Bucs like them or not – on the offensive side of the ball.

Quarterback – Tennessee QB Hendon Hooker

The first rule of football is “don’t beat yourself.” Turnovers are the No. 1 way a team can beat itself, and quarterbacks who turn the ball over are detrimental to their team’s success. Look no further than Jameis Winston’s final season in Tampa Bay. Winston threw for over 5,000 yards with a then-team record 33 touchdowns.

The only problem was that he also tossed 30 interceptions, making him the first 30-30 NFL QB, which is a dubious distinction. Seven of those interceptions were pick-sixes, which was also an NFL record. Hooker threw 58 touchdowns and just five interceptions over the last two years at Tennessee. That’s an impressive 5:1 TD:INT ratio – nearly a 6:1 TD:INT ratio.

Yes, he’ll leave the pocket too early and rely on his scrambling ability. But he has a high football IQ from what I’ve been told, and he can learn to go through his progressions better at the next level. Hooker, who came in for a Top 30 visit with the Bucs, has a strong arm and would’ve been a first-round pick if not for a torn ACL late in the season. Hooker’s win against Alabama was a sight to behold last year.

Running back – RB Tyjae Spears

Tulane RB Tyjae Spears – Photo by: USA Today

There are a lot of running backs I like in this year’s draft. And yes, one of those backs is Texas’ Bijan Robinson. But as much as I love the ground game, I don’t see the value in drafting a running back in the first round. Spears, a mid-round pick, has been my favorite running back all season – even over other rushers I like, including UAB’s DeWayne McBride, East Carolina’s Keaton Mitchell, Kansas State’s Deuce Vaughn and Minnesota’s Mohamed Ibrahim.

At 5-foot-10, 201 pounds, he’s not the biggest or fastest back, but he sure plays like it. Spears ran for 1,586 yards and 19 touchdowns while averaging 6.9 yards per carry in 2022. I don’t think the Bucs like him as much as I do, but they should. The Tulane star forced 63 missed tackles and had 1,052 yards after contact, which was sixth in college football.

He also used his uncanny knack for making defenders miss to catch 22 passes for 256 passes (11.6 avg.) and two touchdowns. Spears ran for 100 yards or more 15 times, including eight straight times to end his Green Wave career. He finished with 205 yards and four TDs in a comeback win over USC in the Cotton Bowl.

Wide receiver – Boston College WR Zay Flowers

The Bucs don’t necessarily need another small receiver, and I tend to prefer big receivers like Mike Evans over the smaller ones. But there’s no doubting Flowers’ ability on the football field. The dude just gets open, especially downfield, and scores touchdowns – even at 5-foot-9, 182 pounds. I know the Bucs don’t have a pressing need at wide receiver, which is why they haven’t shown much interest in the likely first-rounder.

Flowers is dynamic and explosive, and his film at Boston College reminds me of Antonio Brown’s game tape at Central Michigan. There is definitely some AB comparisons to be made with Flowers – minus the crazy and the attitude. In fact, Flowers should be lauded for sticking it out at a losing school like Boston College where he had four different quarterbacks throw him the ball in four years there, rather than hitting the transfer portal.

Flowers has enough speed to play outside, but he’s the ideal slot weapon where his sudden quickness can easily create separation against linebackers and safeties. Despite his lack of ideal height, Flowers fearlessly goes up and gets the football, evidenced by the fact that some of his 12 TD catches last year were contested.

Tight end – Cincinnati TE Josh Whyle

Cincinnati TE Josh Whyle – Photo by: USA Today

There are a lot of tight ends I like in this year’s draft, including Utah’s Dalton Kincaid, Iowa’s Sam LaPorta, Georgia’s Darnell Washington and Purdue’s Payne Durham. But Whyle stands out due to his length and 4.69 speed.

He caught 88 passes for 1,062 yards (12.1 avg.) and 15 touchdowns in Bearcats career. Whyle has a nose for the end zone, averaging five touchdowns per year over the last three seasons. He can be a big-time weapon in the red zone given his size, and he’s an above average run blocker.

The 6-foot-6, 248-pounder is definitely one of the tight ends the Bucs have an interest in. They had a formal interview with the Cincinnati star at the NFL Scouting Combine. Tampa Bay really likes a handful of tight ends in this draft, but with more pressing needs at offensive tackle and edge rusher, the Bucs might have to wait until the middle rounds to grab one. Whyle could be that guy.

Guard/Center – TCU G Steve Avila

It’s doubtful the Bucs draft a guard early on. Tampa Bay has several candidates in Nick Leverett, who won the left guard job last year, Robert Hainsey, a former third-rounder who started at center, and Luke Goedeke, last year’s second-round pick.

But if the Bucs do decide to draft a guard, Avila or North Carolina State’s Chandler Zavala would be great additions. Both played left guard last year and Avila has two year’s worth of experience at center, too.

At 6-foot-3, 332 pounds, Avila is a wall of humanity – a fortress in pass protection, not allowing a sack last season. While he has some room to grow as a run blocker, there is a lot to like about Avila’s strength, mass and surprising agility. There are other players I like better for the Bucs in the second round, but I wouldn’t criticize Tampa Bay for selecting Avila if it decides to do so. He’s a Day 1 starter at left guard.

Offensive tackle – Oklahoma LT Anton Harrison

Oklahoma OT Anton Harrison – Photo by: USA Today

I think Ohio State’s Paris Johnson Jr. is the best offensive tackle in the draft. But there’s no way the Bucs will be able to select him without moving up. Johnson will be long gone by the time Tampa Bay picks at No. 19.

Harrison could be the Bucs’ first-round pick. The team had a formal interview with him and Tennessee right tackle Darnell Wright at the NFL Scouting Combine. The good news with Harrison is that he plays left tackle and the Bucs wouldn’t have to move All-Pro right tackle Tristan Wirfs to the left side and risk screwing up a good thing.

Harrison is physical, strong and mobile with great feet in pass protection and the ability to block in space in a wide zone scheme. That’s the type of system Dave Canales will be running in Tampa Bay this year. Harrison has tremendous upside and only allowed one sack and eight hurries last year.

FAB 3. SR’s 2023 Draft Crushes – Defense

The 2023 NFL Draft is quickly approaching, and I’ve spent months scouting to prepare. Here are some of my favorite draft prospects – regardless of whether Tamp Bay likes them or not – on the defensive side of the ball.

Defensive Tackle – Bowling Green DT Karl Brooks

I’m intrigued by Brooks, who starred at the Senior Bowl during the week in practices and had a sack in the game. At 6-foot-4, 304 pounds, Brooks was a defensive end at Bowling Green, where he amassed 46 tackles for loss, 27.5 sacks, broke up five passes and forced fumbles, in addition to recovering a fumble and snagging an interception.

He had 17.5 sacks over the past two seasons, including 10 last year. That prompted his participation at the Senior Bowl, but Brooks wound up being a big-time Combine snub. Brooks had a Top 30 visit with the Bucs, so there is interest there from Tampa Bay.

While defensive tackle is a tough position to find success with as a rookie, Brooks made the transition from edge rusher to three-tech defensive tackle flawlessly at the Senior Bowl. He impressed with his quickness and twitchiness and would be a great addition to Tampa Bay’s defensive line in the third or fourth round.

Outside linebacker – Iowa State OLB Will McDonald

Iowa State OLB Will McDonald IV – Photo by: USA Today

The Bucs have an interest in a lot of pass-rushing outside linebackers in this year’s draft class, including Georgia’s Nolan Smith, Auburn’s Derick Hall, Kansas State’s Felix Anudike-Uzomah, Missouri’s Isiah McGuire and McDonald. I’m a fan of all of them except Smith, but I like McDonald the most out of them all.

I wish he was bigger than his 6-foot-3, 239-pound frame, but McDonald has freakish athleticism and ability to bend. I’m a big believer in production when it comes to rushing the passer. No one in this draft has been more productive than McDonald, who terrorized the Big XII with 34 sacks, 40.5 tackles for loss, 10 forced fumbles and seven pass breakups in five seasons.

McDonald carries a late first-round, early second-round grade. He’s worth being Tampa Bay’s first selection, especially if the team can trade down in the first round and acquire more picks. With Shaq Barrett’s return to form from a torn Achilles uncertain and Joe Tryon-Shoyinka failing to move past four sacks again last year, the Bucs need a proven pass rusher like McDonald.

Inside linebacker – Indiana ILB Cam Jones

I’m a big fan of Iowa’s Jack Campbell. But with Lavonte David re-signed for another season, it seems a little rich to spend a second-round pick on Campbell, who would be relegated to special teams in 2023. Campbell would essentially replace David in 2024, but the Bucs have more pressing needs for the 2023 season.

There are other linebackers I like in Auburn’s Owen Pappoe, Jackson State’s Aubrey Miller Jr., Cincinnai’s Ivan Pace Jr. and Jones, but Tampa Bay appears to have the most interest in Jones. The Indiana star is coming off a foot injury last year, which may have hindered his 40-time. Jones ran a 4.69 at the NFL Scouting Combine, which is quite slow.

But Jones is a smart player and plays much faster when healthy. He’s excellent in coverage and finished his five years at Indiana with nine pass breakups and two interceptions, including a pick-six. Jones also recorded seven sacks and forced three fumbles along with two fumble recoveries. He would be an ideal successor for David next year as a Day 3 pick this year.

Cornerback – Kansas State CB Julius Brents

K-State CB Julius Brents – Photo by: USA Today

I love the ball skills of Mississippi State’s Emmanuel Forbes, who intercepted 14 passes as a three-year starter, returning six of them for touchdowns. I also love his 4.35 speed. But I don’t love the fact that the 6-foot-1 cornerback is just 166 pounds. Ouch.

I like bigger, physical cornerbacks and that’s what draws me to Brents, a 6-foot-3, 198-pounder with pterodactyl arms that measure 34 inches along with a near 83-inch wingspan. Brents has a 41.5-inch vertical and a 6.63 three-cone drill mark – both were tops at the NFL Scouting Combine.

More importantly, Brents had his best season for K-State last year with four interceptions, four pass breakups and a forced fumble. Brents is not only tough and physical in coverage, he also plays like that in run support. Bucs head coach Todd Bowles was at the Wildcats pro day last week, and Brents could be an intriguing third-round pick.

Safety – Illinois S Sydney Brown

As much as I absolutely love Alabama’s Brian Branch, the Bucs’ signing of Ryan Neal gives Tampa Bay two starting safeties and just about takes Branch out of the conversation for Tampa Bay’s first-round pick. But the more and more I watch Brown, the more intrigued I am. Not only is he faster and a better athlete than Branch, Brown was also more productive in terms of takeaways.

The Bucs defense desperately needs to produce more takeaways in 2023. Brown picked off 10 passes at Illinois, including six as a fifth-year senior. Two of his picks were returned for a touchdown, and he also returned a fumble 53 yards for a touchdown.

Brown broke up 16 passes and also forced four fumbles, in addition to two sacks. If Brown is there in the second or third round, I would hope Tampa Bay would grab him. He ran a 4.47 at 5-foot-10, 211 pounds and would be a valuable asset on defense and on special teams.

FAB 4. So Far, Bucs Adhering To Plan About Getting Faster

At the end of the 2022 season, Bucs head coach Todd Bowles made it clear that he wanted to field a faster team this year. Bowles discussed the team needing to add more speed in the Bucs offseason on the final edition of the Bucs Total Access radio program.

Bucs RB Chase Edmonds – Photo by: USA Today

“Fast, smart and tough,” Bowles said. “Everyone’s looking for that, but that’s kind of what you are looking for. I think we need to get faster all the way around. Definitely we need to play smarter. And we definitely like tough guys.”

Bowles said the team’s current players also need to improve their speed by training harder in the offseason program.

“It starts with the offseason,” Bowles said. “With COVID finally being over, we need to have a solid offseason. It was okay last year. It needs to be more solid this year. I think we need to be faster all the way around. I think we need more team speed. Me and Jason talk about that all the time. So that’s the start of it and that’s the beginning of it. We’ll kind of build it around that and see who we can sign and who we can’t sign. We’ll kind of formulate our plan of building the team that way.”

So far, the Bucs appear to be interested in getting faster. While running back Chase Edmonds ran a slower 40-yard dash (4.55) than Leonard Fournette did (4.51) coming out of college, Edmonds is quicker and more explosive than the plodding Fournette was.

New safety Ryan Neal ran a 4.47 coming out of Southern Illinois four years ago. That’s a tick faster than the safeties he replaced in Mike Edwards (4.5), Logan Ryan (4.56) and Keanu Neal (4.63).

The Bucs have also been targeting some really fast players in this draft class. Tampa Bay has had Top 30 visits with Georgia outside linebacker Nolan Smith, who blazed a 4.39 in the 40-yard dash at 6-foot-3, 238 pounds, and also Northwestern defensive lineman Adetomiwa Adeboware, whose 4.49 40-time is even more impressive at 6-foot-2, 282 pounds.

Northwestern DT Adetomiwa Adebawore – USA Today

The Bucs have also shown interest in Louisville outside linebacker YaYa Diaby, who ran a 4.51 at the NFL Scouting Combine at 6-foot-3, 263 pounds. Tampa Bay had a formal interview with the Day 3 developmental pass rusher.

Speaking of Day 3 prospects, the Bucs have also shown interest in Pittsburgh’s Brandon Hill, who was the fastest safety at the Combine. The 5-foot-10, 193-pound Hill ran a 4.43 in the 40-yard dash and recently had a Zoom interview with Bucs coaches. While Tampa Bay added Neal in free agency, the Bucs still need to find another safety or two to fill out the depth chart.

It will be interesting to see which players the Bucs wind up drafting. The fastest players aren’t always the best because football is football – not a track meet. But Tampa Bay needs to become a faster team on both sides of the ball, and that can be achieved with the right picks in the upcoming NFL Draft.

FAB 5. SR’s Buc Shots

• TAMPA BAY IS WASHINGTON SOUTH: Bucs general manager Jason Licht sure likes the Huskies. Tampa Bay now has four Washington alums on the active roster.

• COULD THE BUCS FIELD THE FASTEST TRACK TEAM? Bucs cornerback Jamel Dean, who ran a 4.3 in the 40-yard dash, thinks he, Devin White, Rachaad White and Deven Thompkins could field the fastest track team in the NFL.

A fan disagrees (note that Tyreek Hill’s time is 4.29 – not the 4.9 listed below).

THIS WEEK’S PEWTER REPORT PODCASTS

• BUCS DRAFT PREVIEW ANALYSIS ON THE PEWTER REPORT PODCAST: The Pewter Report Podcast is energized by CELSIUS and broadcasts four live episodes each week. We’re in the offseason now, so PR Podcasts will typically be featured on Mondays and Tuesdays at 4:00 p.m. ET and Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7:00 p.m. ET. Subscribe to PewterReportTV on YouTube and click on notifications and you’ll be informed about when the next podcast will be broadcast.

On Monday, Matt Matera and Scott Reynolds forecasted the signing of safety Ryan Neal and discussed the team’s plans at safety.

On Tuesday, Matera and Reynolds analyzed the edge rushers in the 2022 NFL Draft.

On Wednesday, Matera and Bailey Adams talked about which Bucs must bounce back, and the signing of safety Ryan Neal.

On Thursday, Matera and Josh Queipo conducted a live Bucs’ 7-round mock draft on the podcast.

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