FAB 4. BUCS REACT TO PLAYERS PICKED IN PR’s MOCK DRAFT
I published PewterReport.com’s initial 2017 Bucs’ 7-Round Mock Draft on Thursday, but I took the time to get some analysis on some of the players that might be in that mock draft in the locker room during the last week of Tampa Bay’s 2016 season.

Tampa Bay nickel cornerback Jude Adjei-Barimah actually covered Western Michigan wide receiver Corey Davis, my first-round pick in the mock draft, two years ago when he played for Bowling Green. Davis and the Broncos prevailed that day, winning 26-14, while Adjei-Barimah had seven tackles and a pass breakup while helping cover the talented wide receiver.

Davis had seven catches for 67 yards, including a 4-yard touchdown pass to help build a 10-7 lead in the second quarter.

Western Michigan WR Corey Davis – Photo by: Getty Images

“He’s tough, man,” Adjei-Barimah said. “Davis is a tough receiver to cover. He’s excellent in terms of body control. He’s real smooth and he doesn’t just try to catch the ball. He tries to snatch the ball out of the air, and there is a difference because he’s attacking the ball while it’s in the air. Davis is a really good player. I only went up against him once.”

Adjei-Barimah marvels at the fact that Davis went on to become college football’s all-time leader in receiving yards with 5,285 yards and 52 touchdowns on 332 receptions.

“That’s impressive,” Adjei-Barimah said. “I know he’s been there a while and he’s one of the top receivers in the MAC. It was a good match-up between us and he’s only gotten better. I think he’s a really good receiver. I know we’d love to have him down here.”

Given the question marks in Tampa Bay’s backfield heading into 2017 with Doug Martin facing a three-game suspension to start the season, I had the Bucs drafting Samaje Perine, a bruising running back from Oklahoma, who just surpassed Billy Sims’ record for career rushing yards for the Sooners, in the second round. Perine rushed for 4,122 yards and 49 touchdowns on 685 carries in three years at Oklahoma.

The 5-foot-10, 235-pounder carries a second-round grade and was a co-starter this year with Joe Mixon, a 6-foot-1, 226-pound weapon, who rushed for 1,274 yards and 10 touchdowns this year while catching 37 passes for 538 yards and five more scores. Mixon, a redshirt sophomore, declared for the NFL draft on Thursday a few days after Perine decided to forego his senior season at OU.

Oklahoma RBs Joe Mixon and Samaje Perine – Photo by: Getty Images

“That was a great 1-2 punch for us,” said Bucs Pro Bowl defensive tackle and Sooners alum Gerald McCoy. “I remember Joe when he was in high school – seeing how talented he was. In college, it’s been no surprise. He’s always been gifted. From what I hear through the grapevine he’s a hard worker and a good kid. His talent speaks for itself.

“Perine has been Perine since he got to OU. Guys didn’t expect him to be ‘the guy’ with all of the other backs we’ve had come in, but he’s the one who stands out. He’s just a bowling ball, and he’s faster than people give him credit for. He’s rushed for the most yards in a game [427 yards and five touchdowns against Kansas in 2014] and he can make plays. I think they’re both going to have success in this league – at least have a shot.”

Mixon has first-round talent, but was suspended for the 2014 season after he punched a woman at OU, breaking bones in her face. Video of the assault was recently released through a court order, prompting head coach Bobby Stoops to suggest he would have dismissed Mixon from the team had he seen it.

Video of former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice hitting his wife in an elevator cost him his NFL career when it was released to the public, yet there was no video of Tyreek Hill punching and choking his pregnant girlfriend at Oklahoma State, so he gets to be the NFL’s buzz-worthy player this year and his assault is glossed over and forgotten about.

I’m certainly not condoning Mixon’s violence, just pointing out the double standard and supposed outrage now that the video has surfaced. As if merely hearing about it through news reports and police reports wasn’t bad enough?

Bucs general manager Jason Licht and other GMs and coaches around the league will have to do a deep dive into Mixon’s background to see if he’s worth a draft pick and the public relations outrage that may follow, or if he’ll go undrafted like LeGarrette Blount did after punching a Boise State player following a loss during his final season at Oregon.

“I don’t know what will happen with Joe,” McCoy said. “That’s for other people on teams to decide. I know he’s talented and if somebody takes him they’ll be getting a good player. Perine is a good player, too.”

Oklahoma RB Samaje Perine – Photo by: Getty Images

That’s why I have Perine, who is a Jonathan Stewart-type runner, going to the Buccaneers.

Another skill position player I have Tampa Bay drafting is Texas A&M wide receiver Josh Reynolds in the fifth round. In three seasons with the Aggies, Reynolds amassed 2,788 yards and 30 touchdowns on 164 catches. His 13 touchdowns in 2014 broke Mike Evans’ single season record at Texas A&M.

“I haven’t seen too many receivers this year – I haven’t watched a lot of college football – but he and Mike Williams are the best I’ve seen,” Evans said. “Mike Williams from Clemson is really good. And I’ve seen John Ross from Washington. He’s really good, too. But I think Josh is right up with those guys and Corey Davis.

“Josh isn’t talked about as much as he should be in my opinion. He’s a tall guy and he’s faster than you think. He has great hands and he can go up and get the rock. He’s 6-foot-4, but he’s really skinny. That’s the only knock I have on him. He makes the contested catches and he goes up and gets the ball at the highest point. He’s fast, too – very fast. He has some of the best hands I’ve ever seen. I went and watched one of the practices one time and he was making one-handed catches and catches behind his back. He has really good ball skills.”

I was a fan of Reynolds (who has an awesome last name, by the way) before he played against my Kansas State Wildcats in the 2016 Texas Bowl but really came away impressed with him following his 12-catch, 154-yard performance that included two touchdowns. K-State prevailed, 33-28, which led to Evans having to wear my Wildcats hat and t-shirt in the Bucs locker room, but Reynolds could not be stopped.

Texas A&M WR Josh Reynolds – Photo by: Getty Images

“He kept us in the game and gave us an opportunity to win it in the end,” Evans said. “He’s physical. He has a slight frame, but I think he can put on some weight and play with it.”

Evans helped recruit Reynolds to Texas A&M.

“I was there when he came on his visit and I was trying to get him to go to A&M,” Evans said. “I told him I was leaving and he could take my place. I am happy that I could open up the door for a young guy like that. Actually, we might be the same age. I think we were in the same graduating class in high school.”

Reynolds is actually a year younger than Evans. Should the Bucs draft Reynolds, he would not only be reunited with Evans, but also with Derel Walker, another Aggies wide receiver, who signed with Tampa Bay on Thursday.

The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Walker has spent the last two years playing for the Edmonton Eskimos in the Canadian Football League where he caught 109 passes for 1,589 yards and 10 touchdowns this season and had 89 receptions for 1,110 yards and six TDs as the CFL rookie of the year while helping the Eskimos win the Grey Cup.

“I’d absolutely love to have Josh down here,” Evans said. “I’ve been telling all of our coaches about him. He can play some ball. Get him down here.”