Bucs Beat: As Lovie says, the eye in the sky doesn’t lie 
Teddy Bridgewater struggled at his pro day and was taken 32nd overall in 2014. He then went on to win the Pepsi Rookie of the Year award. FILE, JASON BEHNKEN / STAFF Published: March 8, 2015 TAMPA — For NFL prospects such as quarterbacks Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota, the pre-draft process is long and arduous. Some would even go so far as to say it’s unnecessary.Buccaneers coach Lovie Smith won’t go that far.Smith sees value in what’s learned at events such as the scouting combine, pro days and private workouts. But much like his general manager, Jason Licht, Smith believes the best way to evaluate a player’s on-field potential is not by watching workouts, but by watching game tape.
Teddy BridgewaterDuring a chat at the scouting combine in Indianapolis last month, Smith used quarterback Teddy Bridgewater as an example of how a bad workout can prejudice teams that don’t rely mostly on game tape. Bridgewater had a notoriously bad workout at his pro day last year, which might have sparked his tumble through the draft. He was taken 32nd overall by the Vikings.In winning the 2014 Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year award, however, Bridgewater proved what many scouts originally thought: He was probably the most pro-ready quarterback in his class.“He had that day where maybe he didn’t throw it as well,’’ Smith said of Bridgewater. “But that’s like a game. How many quarterbacks are going to have 16 good games?“... There’s a lot of unknowns, but at the end, what do you consider most? Yeah, it’s what’s on video as a quarterback playing against top competition. And (Winston and Mariota) have both done that.’’The task at handWinston, of course, played many of his games against top competition while dealing with a wide range of off-field problems, at least one of which was severe enough to possibly end his career. Through it all, he consistently played at a high level, which will carry weight in the Bucs’ final evaluation.“To me he’s told us an awful lot by how he’s handled all that,’’ Smith said. “It’s not like he’s getting ready to go into the NFL and scrutiny is suddenly coming his way.“He’s gone through it for a couple of years now and he’s answered the bell. And that’s what you have to be able to do. There’s a job to do and you have to have tunnel vision and keep doing your job. And I feel like that’s what he’s been able to do.’’The bottom lineThe Bucs know that to get better play out of their quarterback, they first must upgrade their offensive line. They go into the start of the free agency signing period on Tuesday looking, in particular, for a tackle and a right guard, but free agency might not be the best place to find what they need.Licht considers the 2015 draft deepest in three key areas.“This year’s class is really deep at wide receiver again,’’ Licht said. “There are also a lot of good running backs. And offensive line — there’s a lot of depth there, too. We’re pretty excited about those positions.’’[email protected](813) 259-7979Twitter: @RCummingsTBO
