FAB 5. SR’s BUC SHOTS
• One more note from Texas A&M defensive end Daeshon Hall, who interviewed with the Bucs at the Senior Bowl, on his Aggies teammate Josh Reynolds, who was the best receiver in Mobile, Ala. in PewterReport.com’s opinion.

“Josh is one of the smoothest dudes,” Hall said. “If you’ve ever seen Josh off the field he talks smooth and he just runs smooth. I think people don’t realize how fast he is because of how smooth and effortless he makes it look. You’ve seen all the one-handed grabs, I mean he has the best hands here at the Senior Bowl and the best ever at A&M in my opinion.”

And Hall knows full well that Mike Evans played at A&M, too, as they were former teammates. That’s really saying something.

Bucs OC/WRs coach Todd Monken and WR Mike Evans – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

• Tampa Bay wide receiver Mike Evans has new offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach Todd Monken to thank for helping take his game to a new level. Evans, who is a very passionate player, responded well to Monken’s high-energy coaching style.  

“When our season ends, I’ll be miserable because the most fun I have is being around our players and developing those guys,” Monken said at his final press conference of the year prior to Tampa Bay’s 17-16 season-ending victory over Carolina. “So for the next two and a half months [I won’t be around them]. So I don’t want it to end.”

Evans feels the same way and that’s type of connection that has helped the player and the coach form a strong bond in Monken’s first season in Tampa Bay.

“Coach Monken, man, I wish people see how he does what he does,” Evans said. “He’s super smart. He’s a fun guy to be around as well, just like Coach Dirk [Koetter]. He tells us the fun is in competing and winning with your teammates and your brothers. I feel the same way. It’s going to hurt watching the playoffs and the Super Bowl, but what can you do? We’ve just got to get our bodies in shape and be ready to go for next year.”

• Bucs head coach Dirk Koetter couldn’t be more excited about Jameis Winston’s future in Tampa Bay after his quarterback increased his touchdown production and passed for 4,000 yards for a second straight season.

“We’ve got to remember Jameis just turned 23, he should be out here on this field [at the Senior Bowl] right now,” Koetter said, noting that Winston left Florida State after his redshirt sophomore season. “When you’re drafted number one overall you’re expected to come in and play right away and in two years he has 32 games under his belt. I think he will get better.
“Great stat coming out of last weekend when you look at [New England’s Tom] Brady, [Pittsburgh’s Ben] Roethlisberger, [Green Bay’s Aaron] Rodgers and [Atlanta’s] Matt Ryan, and you look at their years and total touchdowns and then you compare them to a guy who’s only played two years. These guys have played a long time and they’re getting better and better so I think we can expect the same from Jameis.”

Bucs LB Lavonte David and S Keith Tandy – Photo by: Mark Lomoglio/PR

• I had the chance to catch up with former Bucs general manager and current ESPN NFL analyst Mark Dominik at the Senior Bowl and we spoke at length about the futures of some of the players he drafted while running the show in Tampa Bay in running back Doug Martin, quarterback Mike Glennon and defensive linemen Will Gholston and Akeem Spence for several stories PewterReport.com published from Mobile, Ala.

Another one of Dominik’s picks, safety Keith Tandy, who was drafted in the sixth round in 2012, was also discussed. I asked Dominik if he was surprised that the 27-year old Tandy emerged as a starting-caliber safety in 2016, recording 57 tackles and four interceptions, which tied Brent Grimes for the most in Tampa Bay this season.

“He’s a very smart player and that’s the reason why he gets on the football field and a good tackler,” Dominik said. “Playing on special teams out in space all those years makes you a pretty good tackler because you’re developing as a player and that puts you in some really tough spots. At safety you can be put in tough spots, too.

“I was happy for him to be able to close out some games with some picks and make plays to help them win some football games, but I’m not surprised because of who he is as a kid. If you know Keith Tandy or have ever been around him, character-wise, he’s very strong, and I’m very happy about what he was able to contribute to that Bucs defense for sure.”

Tandy rolls in to the 2017 season as one of the team’s starting safeties and is still under contract after signing a two-year deal after the 2015 season. He’s entering a contract year making only $840,000 in base salary and could cash in if he has another big year in 2017.

UConn S Obi Melifonwu – Photo by: Getty Images

• Connecticut safety Obi Melifonwu is one to watch at the NFL Scouting Combine next month. Melifonwu generated a ton of buzz at the Senior Bowl due to his 6-foot-4, 219-pound size and fluidity, and is expected to be a top performer at the Combine as he has workout warrior-type athleticism.

While Melifonwu isn’t the most instinctive player, he’s not just an athlete playing football like former big safeties Sabby Piscitelli (Buccaneers) and Taylor Mays (Bengals). He had a ton of production at UConn where he led the team in tackles with 118 and interceptions with four this past season. Expect him to break some of the Combine records next month as he works his way into the second round and perhaps the end of the first.

• PewterReport.com’s second 2017 Bucs’ 7-Round Mock Draft will be published Wednesday morning on the website. This is our post-Senior Bowl, pre-Combine edition and there will be major changes. So make sure you visit PewterReport.com for that story. And if you are not following us on Twitter and Facebook you are really missing out. You can click here to follow us on Twitter and click here to follow us on Facebook.

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