FAB 2. Hargreaves Putting Bucs’ 2016 Draft In Peril

Jason Licht has done a fine job of adding talent to Tampa Bay during his four-year reign as the Buccaneers’ general manager. Yes, there have been some hiccups along the way, including a free agent class in 2014 that had its share of busts outside of defensive tackle Clinton McDonald, and trading up to draft kicker Roberto Aguayo in the second round last year.

Yet Licht has also drafted his share of star players, too, including Jameis Winston, the only quarterback in NFL history that has thrown for 4,000 yards in both of his first two seasons, and Mike Evans, who has three straight 1,000-yard seasons as a receiver. Both have been to a Pro Bowl and are under 25.

Licht has also found some studs in center Ali Marpet and middle linebacker Kwon Alexander among other promising young starters. His willingness to grab O.J. Howard, who was considered a top 10 talent despite his slide down the first round, was the right move as the former Alabama tight end has all the traits to be great.

Bucs GM Jason Licht and WR DeSean Jackson – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Licht has also been instrumental in locking up defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, linebacker Lavonte David, right tackle Demar Dotson and running back Doug Martin to contract extensions. Licht and his scouts have also found some gems in the undrafted free agent realm, including tight end Cameron Brate, who has become one of the best tight ends in the league, and wide receiver Adam Humphries. In NFL free agency, Licht has landed some playmakers in cornerback Brent Grimes and wide receiver DeSean Jackson among others.

While his players have yet to have that breakthrough season that gets Tampa Bay to the playoffs, Licht’s track record for acquiring talent has been better than his two previous predecessors – Mark Dominik (2009-13) and Bruce Allen (2004-08). I think most Bucs fans would agree.

Having said that, Licht’s 2016 draft class is teetering on disappointment, largely due to the poor play of cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III, the team’s first pick and the 11th overall selection. Former Bucs director of player personnel Jerry Angelo once told me that general managers get praised for finding late-round gems in draft classes, but the real mark of a good draft class is whether or not the first-rounder pans out. If that player is a quality, long-term starter or a Pro Bowler, that draft is a hit. If he’s a bust, that year’s draft class goes down the tube unless there are some multiple real finds in rounds 2-7.

Let’s talk about Hargreaves, who has been a 21-game starter at right cornerback since becoming a Buccaneer last year. Despite almost a year and a half worth of games under his belt, Hargreaves has shown little – if any – improvement. He was the most targeted defensive back as a rookie as the only cornerback that allowed 1,000 yards receiving. Hargreaves also allowed opposing quarterbacks to complete 71 percent of their passes.

In 2017, the beat goes on.

Pro Football Focus currently rates Hargreaves as the No. 110 ranked cornerback in the NFL with a grade of 38.4. Keep in mind that there are only 64 starting cornerbacks, and 96 if you count nickel corners. That corresponds to a “Poor” ranking on PFF’s player grading scale, which goes in the following order:

Elite
High Quality
Above Average
Average
Below Average
Poor
Rookie

According to PFF, Hargreaves allowed 50 passing yards against Arizona last Sunday, which was actually his second-lowest yardage allowed of the year, but he allowed a catch on every pass thrown his way and played terribly soft against the run, missing three tackles and allowing Adrian Peterson’s 17-yard run to bounce outside of his contain in the first quarter. Peterson gained 57 yards of his 134 yards rushing on eight carries off left end, targeting Hargreaves, who was playing right cornerback.

Bucs CB Vernon Hargreaves – Photo by: Getty Images

When asked on Monday if he’s concerned with Hargreaves’ play, head coach Dirk Koetter was quick to answer.

“Extremely, extremely – I’m concerned with everybody’s play after the way we played the first half yesterday,” Koetter said. “Vern is not in a very good streak of games right now. We asked Vern to be more aggressive this year and to be more aggressive with his coverage and he started out doing that. He started out doing that in OTAs and training camp, but he has not played his best football these last three games.”

It’s actually been the last four games as PewterReport.com’s Trevor Sikkema featured the play of Hargreaves and cornerback Ryan Smith in a Cover 3 column following Tampa Bay’s 34-17 loss at Minnesota in Week 3. Hargreaves surrendered 126 yards and a touchdown on seven catches, and was targeted 10 times in that game.

In New England’s 19-14 win over Tampa Bay three weeks ago, Hargreaves was targeted six times and allowed six catches for 94 yards, a touchdown and a perfect 158.3 passer rating.

Prior to Sunday’s game at Arizona, defensive coordinator Mike Smith revealed that the cushion Hargeaves was giving up to opposing wide receivers was his own doing and not what the defense called for, which was quite eye-opening.

On Monday, Koetter was asked if Hargreaves’ poor play was a result in a lack of confidence.

“I don’t think it’s a confidence thing, but I’m not 100 percent sure on that,” Koetter said. “We all have to play better and I have to coach better, so I’m not trying to make this a Vernon Hargreaves bashing session.”

Unfortunately that happens on Sundays.

Hargreaves has just one pass defensed in 37 targets and is allowing a 128.7 QB rating on throws his way through the first five games of the 2017 season.

Cardinals RB Adrian Peterson – Photo by: Getty Images

“Definitely being more aggressive,” Hargreaves said. “At the end of the day I’ve got to make more plays. I’ve just got to make more plays. It’s plain and simple. It’s not rocket science.

“I’m not making any plays, I’m not producing. This league is about production.”

Through five games Hargreaves has allowed 404 passing yards per PFF, an average of 80.8 yards per game. That’s a far cry from being a shutdown cornerback. If he stays in the starting lineup for the remaining 11 games this season, Hargreaves is on pace to allow an astounding 1,292 yards in 2017.

As many of you know, I wasn’t a big fan of Hargreaves and never advocated his selection by Tampa Bay. I actually forecasted defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins to the Bucs in the PewterReport.com mock drafts leading up to draft day. Rankins went to New Orleans with the next selection.

Yet I said if Hargreaves was the pick, I would applaud it because of the endorsement that legendary Bucs cornerback Ronde Barber gave me regarding Hargreaves before the draft and because I have come to trust Licht’s track record when drafting players.

In hindsight Licht shouldn’t have traded down to the No. 11 spot with Chicago. The Bucs should have drafted the player the Bears wound up taking at No. 9 – Georgia defensive end Leonard Floyd. At 6-foot-6, 231 pounds, the question mark some scouts had was his perceived inability to transfer speed to power. Some in the scouting community feared he might be another Dion Jordan or Barkivious Mingo, two pass rushers who wound up being top-10 busts.

Floyd bulked up to 244 pounds for the NFL Scouting Combine where he ran a 4.60 time in the 40-yard dash. That made him a late riser and propelled him into the top 10. Now up to 251 pounds, which is about five pounds heavier than Bucs defensive end Noah Spence, Floyd recorded seven sacks in 12 games last year, including sacking San Francisco quarterback Blaine Gabbert in the end zone for a safety. Floyd also sacked Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers, forced a fumble and recovered it in the end zone for a touchdown. He also recorded 1.5 sacks of Bucs quarterback Jameis Winston last year.

This year, Floyd has three sacks in six games. His 10 sacks in 18 games are more than Bucs defensive end Robert Ayers (6.5 in 18 games) and Spence (6.5 sacks in 21 games) have produced in a similar span.

Bears DE Leonard Floyd – Photo by: Mark Lomoglio/PR

With the defensive end position looking a little thin and average in the 2018 draft, especially for teams like Tampa Bay that will be looking for pass rushers, grabbing a long, fast, freakish athlete like Floyd last year would have been a wise move – in hindsight. Of course, hindsight is always 20-20.

But looking back at the Bucs’ 2016 draft class – one that no longer contains Aguayo – it seems to be in peril unless Hargreaves comes around. Spence, who was also drafted in the second round, has had shoulder problems since the fourth game of last year and has only had one sack in the last 10 games, dating back to last year, and has gone sack-less in the last four games this season.

I like Spence, but he doesn’t seem to be destined for the double-digit sack season that the coaches and his teammates were expecting this year, especially since his shoulder got dislocated again.

Cornerback Ryan Smith, the team’s fourth-round pick in 2016, has dazzled as a gunner on special teams, but because of his background at small school North Carolina Central, it’s taken him a while to transition to the NFL, but that was going to be expected. Smith underwhelmed in his first NFL start in Week 3 at Minnesota when he filled in for Brent Grimes. The jury is still out as to whether he’ll have a future at cornerback or whether he will just be a special teams stud.

Offensive tackle Caleb Benenoch, the Bucs’ fifth-round pick, just turned 23 years old and is very raw. While he hasn’t been inactive this season, earning a spot on the 46-man game day roster over Leonard Wester, Benenoch has a long way to go to show he can be a down-in, down-out starter. He needs to work on limiting holding penalties and false starts.

Bucs OL Caleb Benenoch – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Linebacker Devante Bond, Tampa Bay’s sixth-round selection, missed his rookie season with a hamstring injury, and fought through a knee injury he suffered in the preseason opener this year to see some playing time at strongside linebacker when Kendell Beckwith moved to middle linebacker in place of the injured Alexander. Bond also plays special teams and we’ll see if he can develop into a linebacker that can make plays in time or just be a backup.

Seventh-round pick Danny Vitale didn’t make the final roster cut last year. He wasn’t big enough to play tight end and Vitale was stout enough as a lead-blocking fullback.

The rookie season of Tampa Bay’s 2016 draft class has come and gone and yet we’re still waiting for an instant impact from one of them – preferably Hargreaves. Time is ticking.