"
Per Jeremiah, he’s got Campbell, the University of Alabama star, as the No. 9 overall prospect in the draft. During a mock draft exercise with Kimes, he put Campbell on the Falcons roster with the No. 15 overall pick."
Interesting. Maybe we’re learning who is “increasing awareness” about Campbells shoulder injury…
Campbell should not be the pick.
Shoulder injuries with LBs is very bad like we have seen with Dennis. They tend to linger and takes a lot of time to heal. But if the plan is for Campbell to sit and learn for a year behind LVD that means there is a chance he is drafted by the Bucs.
Truthfully even if Campbell is on the board I can see the Bucs going with a free falling player rated higher though.
Thie is my mock draft with a few trades.
Donovan Ezeiruaku
28.
EDGE Boston College
Carson Schwesin..
53.
LB UCLA
Darien Porter
60.
CB lowa State
Dorian Strong
84.
CB Virginia Tech
Smael Mondon Jr.
121.
LB Georgia
Dont'e Thornton
130,
WR Tennessee
Isaiah Bond
157.
WR Texas
Craig Woodson
235.
S California
McShay’s update yesterday indicated that after Cam Ward, QB’s will be falling, causing more focus on edge/d-line, early - and now thinks Campbell will go around 10… we’ll see, but I tend to agree with his outlook.If the Campbell injury isn't that serious so that he could participate in training camp, then that would obviously change things. If the Bucs know that it's not in their interest to advertise it. Some mocks have Campbell going as high as 10th or so.Licht doesn't operate like that. If Campbell's injury is minor, then I could see the Bucs taking him, but reports are Campbell won't be ready for training camp and maybe not even ready for Week 1. OTAs and training camp is huge for Bowles when it comes to rookies, so Campbell's season would basically be a wash.Stroud thinks it's Campbell
Bucs writer Rick Stroud of TampaBay.com implied Licht might be open to a civil suit from fans if he doesn’t take inside linebacker seriously in this week’s draft.
“It may be malpractice not to address the inside linebacker position in this draft. Then again, David may continue to defy the norms,” Stroud wrote in a story that also says the Bucs “must address inside linebacker.”
He also wrote: “It’s reasonable to assume [the Bucs] will take a linebacker with the 19th overall pick.”
definitely get your point. Stroud's opinion not reporting, although he is usually in the know. Called the Coen thing early, maybe first
I think it's going to be Hairston at 19 or later.
If Golden makes it past Dallas…hold on to your hats.
If Golden makes it past Dallas…hold on to your hats.
On FanDuel the Bucs first pick being a WR is +2700. Worth the shot.
Not bad! I personally don’t think we trade down here, but it could happen. Like the picks, though as I’ve said before, I also don’t think Ez makes it to #28.
Thie is my mock draft with a few trades.
Donovan Ezeiruaku
28.
EDGE Boston College
Carson Schwesin..
53.
LB UCLA
Darien Porter
60.
CB lowa State
Dorian Strong
84.
CB Virginia Tech
Smael Mondon Jr.
121.
LB Georgia
Dont'e Thornton
130,
WR Tennessee
Isaiah Bond
157.
WR Texas
Craig Woodson
235.
S California
Heard Jason Licht on Ronde’s new show. He said he’s heard a lot of people talking about trading down in this draft, he confirmed he has not made a single call.
Ronde added that this is the 1st draft since 1967 where there have been no trades made.
Licht also made the point that while there isn’t a lot of high-end talent in the first round, he is very excited about a pod of players the Bucs are interested in between 2nd, 3rd, and 4th rounds.
Which kind of confirms that the majority of teams won’t be trading up if they think the value is in those same rounds.
We'll see. I'm not buying the narrative being put out by the media that there is a group of similar players and teams will just take whoever is there. Teams have players they want. I'm sure Licht is telling the truth that he hasn't made any calls. He's just refuting false information. But that doesn't mean he's not interested.Heard Jason Licht on Ronde’s new show. He said he’s heard a lot of people talking about trading down in this draft, he confirmed he has not made a single call.
Ronde added that this is the 1st draft since 1967 where there have been no trades made.
Licht also made the point that while there isn’t a lot of high-end talent in the first round, he is very excited about a pod of players the Bucs are interested in between 2nd, 3rd, and 4th rounds.
Which kind of confirms that the majority of teams won’t be trading up if they think the value is in those same rounds.
He's made four first round pick trades in his history. One trade down landed Vernon Hargreaves, another trade down landed Vita Vea, and the last was the trade up for Tristan Wirfs. Then there was the trade out that landed Logan Hall. So it's been a mixed bag, but he's not afraid to make a move in the first round.
To be fair, he didn’t say he wasn’t going to trade down - he just said what we’ve all come around to: there’s more value in the 2nd - 4th rounds.We'll see. I'm not buying the narrative being put out by the media that there is a group of similar players and teams will just take whoever is there. Teams have players they want. I'm sure Licht is telling the truth that he hasn't made any calls. He's just refuting false information. But that doesn't mean he's not interested.Heard Jason Licht on Ronde’s new show. He said he’s heard a lot of people talking about trading down in this draft, he confirmed he has not made a single call.
Ronde added that this is the 1st draft since 1967 where there have been no trades made.
Licht also made the point that while there isn’t a lot of high-end talent in the first round, he is very excited about a pod of players the Bucs are interested in between 2nd, 3rd, and 4th rounds.
Which kind of confirms that the majority of teams won’t be trading up if they think the value is in those same rounds.
He's made four first round pick trades in his history. One trade down landed Vernon Hargreaves, another trade down landed Vita Vea, and the last was the trade up for Tristan Wirfs. Then there was the trade out that landed Logan Hall. So it's been a mixed bag, but he's not afraid to make a move in the first round.
Think about it - if that’s where NFL teams see the value, what would motivate them to trade out of those rounds?
I'm not buying the narrative being put out by the media that there is a group of similar players and teams will just take whoever is there. Teams have players they want.
I pointed this out in another thread, but we got Hall because he was the guy still there from a group of players we would have taken when they trade back. So, the "group of similar players" thing does happen.
"“We had a few players at 27 that we targeted,” Bowles said. “Moving back to 33, which was the first one today, we had one guy left there. The other ones went off the board, so it would not have been smart to trade back down and lose the guy we wanted.”
I think most had the Bucs taking a DT to replace Suh, but he was gone.
Trading back is about how many players you similarly rated, but also you have to look at the teams' needs who are getting in front of you. If Licht wants to move back just a few spots he can project what teams are going to do in this draft.
Pick 20 Denver Broncos Biggest needs: TE, WR, LB, S, DT
I still expect Sean Payton to add more weapons for his blossoming young quarterback, Bo Nix. Don't be surprised if Denver's head man uses the team's first two picks in April's draft on a tight end and a receiver.
Pick 21Pittsburgh Steelers Biggest needs: QB, CB, RB, WR, OT
Regardless of which impending free-agent QB returns, another young passer should be on the team's radar early in the draft to ensure there is sufficient depth and competition at the position in 2025 and beyond.
It's safe for the Bucs to drop two spots and still get the player they're targeting.
Pick 22 Los Angeles Chargers Biggest needs: Edge, DT, C, S, TE
According to ESPN's Matt Miller, the Chargers are rumored to be all in on improving at edge rusher in the early rounds of the 2025 NFL draft. Los Angeles re-signed Khalil Mack, but it was only to a one-year deal.
If the Bucs truly are laser focused on Ezieruaku then they can't trade down with or past the Chargers, but if they have a small basket of two or three guys ranked similarly, they can safely trade here and get one of the guys on their radar.
Pick 23 Green Bay Packers Biggest needs: CB, Edge, DT, C, WR
With former first-rounder Eric Stokes set to hit free agency, and two-time Pro Bowler Jaire Alexander struggling with his availability, look for the Packers to target a cornerback in the draft.
Pick 24 Minnesota Biggest needs: CB, DT, RB, OG, S
Minnesota's cornerback room is full of impending free agents: Pro Bowler Byron Murphy, Stephon Gilmore, Shaquill Griffin and Fabian Moreau. Mekhi Blackmon should contribute if healthy next season, but the Vikings will need to invest in at least one young CB
If the Bucs are looking to draft a CB in the first round, they may not want to risk trading down to 23 and 24.
25 Houston Texans Biggest needs: WR, OG, DT, CB, OT
Tank Dell's knee injury, along with the impending free agency for Stefon Diggs and Robert Woods, puts receiver at the top of the priority list for the Texans in 2025. The addition of another major receiving threat to pair with Nico Collins is a necessity for this team to take the next step.
If Licht has a basket of players when the Bucs are at 19 then I doubt it's a large basket. So lets just say Licht has 3 players ranked together and he'll take any one of the three. In that case he can only safely slide down maybe six spots, because it's mainly the Chargers and Packers who have similar needs.
But if you start moving down six or more then other teams can also move into the picture and change the landscape. Once you move down to pick 26 or more then you really can't predict what players are going to be there, and I think Licht will want to be confident about who will be there when he trades down. He's not going to wander out into the untamed wilderness and have no idea where the campground is.
