FAB 5. SR’s BUC SHOTS
• Could Kansas State defensive end Jordan Willis’ meteoric rise land him in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft? The Wildcats star has finally emerged as a first-rounder in two recent mock drafts. ProFootballFocus.com, which has been one of Willis’ biggest advocates, has him heading to Dallas with the 28th overall pick. NFL.com’s Chad Reuter has him going to Atlanta at No. 31.

Don’t rule out Tampa Bay taking Willis early, but the Bucs would likely trade down in the first round to consider that move, or possibly trade up to get him in the second round. Bucs assistant defensive line coach Paul Spicer had lunch with Willis following the K-State pro day.

So what are conversations like between draft prospects and NFL coaches and scouts? Willis offered some insight.

Kansas State DE Jordan Willis – Photo by: Getty Images

“When I sat down and had lunch with him after my workout the first thing a team asks you is about your family and how did you grow up?” Willis said. “A team might ask some personnel questions like, do you have a girlfriend or are you married? Do you have any kids? They’ll ask you when you get drafted who’s coming with you? What are you going to spend your first paycheck on?

“After you talk about all that personal stuff, some guys may show you some drawn up plays and you have to draw your first defensive play and they’ll have you talk through it. They’ll show you their schemes and then give you a sheet of paper and see if you can remember it and draw it up. They may pull out their iPad and pull up some of your own plays and ask you questions about them. What can you do better here? What can you correct here? I’ve gotten positive feedback from everybody I’ve spoken with. Some have said they would like for me to develop a secondary move – a counter move in my rush.”

• Former Bucs safety and new 49ers general manager John Lynch was incredibly busy during the first week of free agency, signing 11 players. That matches the same amount of free agents San Francisco signed during that span over the past five seasons combined. Lynch also executed his first trade, acquiring 31-year old center Jeremy Zuttah from Baltimore, who was set to release him, by swapping picks in the sixth round.

It’s a decent start to his first season as an NFL general manager, but it could also be a rough one as he and head coach Kyle Shanahan lack quality at the quarterback position. Former starter Colin Kaepernick opted out of his contract in San Francisco, and the 49ers signed Brian Hoyer and Matt Barkley in free agency. San Francisco is expected to draft a quarterback this year, but the talent in this year’s crop of passers is sketchy.

Bucs CB Vernon Hargreaves III

• Just because the Bucs signed a speed receiver in DeSean Jackson doesn’t mean that rules out taking a speed receiver in the draft – even in the first round with a player like Washington’s John Ross. Bucs general manager Jason Licht signed middle linebacker Bruce Carter to a hefty contract in free agency in 2015, yet still drafted Kwon Alexander in the fourth round a month later.

Licht signed veteran cornerback Brent Grimes and defensive end Robert Ayers, Jr. last year in free agency, yet spent a first-round pick on cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III and a second-rounder on defensive end Noah Spence. Don’t expect Ross to suit up in red and pewter in 2017, but don’t think it can’t happen, either.

• A few more interesting notes on Washington wide receiver John Ross. As a child he played for Snoop Dogg on the Pamona Steelers in the rapper’s own youth football league, as reported by MMQB’s Emily Kaplan.

Despite scoring five touchdowns on offense and two on kick returns as a sophomore in 2014, Ross was called on to play the last four games at cornerback for the Huskies when the team dismissed star cornerback Marcus Peters. He finished the season with 16 tackles and an interception.

• Thank you for following @PewterReport on Twitter. We are approaching 25,000 followers, which is an amazing number. Join the legions of Bucs fans that follow us on Twitter by clicking here and also like us on Facebook by clicking here.

I’ve had a lot of Tampa Bay fans and PewterReport.com readers contact me asking why we’re not a verified account given how how big we are and how many followers we have. It’s something that we’ve never really pursued to be honest with you. Twitter has changed some of their rules for verified accounts and now require a name and a picture of the account holder before an account can be verified. I might consider the requests from our PR fans and do this later this month. We’ll see.

So if you see a picture of yours truly and the name Scott Reynolds pop up on your Twitter feed, it will still be @PewterReport and will still have the same Bucs content on Twitter that you’ve come to expect. I just wanted to give you a head’s up about it if I decide to do it to be one of the cool kids with the little blue circle and the check mark next to it.

• If you haven’t had the chance to listen the debut of the Pewter Nation Podcast yet, you can do so now by clicking here. It’s an hour of fun and football with yours truly, the ginger (Mark Cook) and the new guy who’s a dead ringer for the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Steven Stamkos (Trevor Sikkema). And yes, we are working on getting the weekly Pewter Nation Podcast on iTunes and possibly Podcast Addict as well. There is an approval process for iTunes that we are currently going through.

Post your questions for next week’s Pewter Nation Podcast by clicking here. We will take podcast questions exclusively from the Red Board on PewterReport.com each week. Look for next week’s Pewter Nation Podcast on Thursday. During the rest of the offseason – and even during football season – we’ll have Pewter Nation Podcasts on Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays as news warrants and our individual schedules permit. There won’t be a set day for the PNP, but it will usually happen during the week.

• True story. My first date with my wife was at Bonefish Grill. We had an amazing dinner then on July 30, 2013, after the first day of Buccaneers training camp, and it’s still a fantastic place for your corporate dinners, family meals or romantic date nights. I was so excited when I heard that Bonefish Grill was partnering with PewterReport.com because of how much the restaurant means to me.

The first time I ate at a Bonefish Grill was actually with former Bucs general manager Bruce Allen for an off-the-record meal. It’s conveniently located in Carrollwood about 15 minutes north of Raymond James Stadium. It’s the perfect place to have a meal to celebrate a Tampa Bay victory after a 1:00 p.m. kickoff, but don’t wait until football season to go. Give Bonefish Grill a try this weekend. Bonefish Grill is located at 13262 N. Dale Mabry Hwy. in Tampa. Give them a call for seating information at 813-969-1619 or visit their website by clicking here.

And here’s a little secret. I don’t even like seafood. My wife does. But they have a tremendous pork chop fontina that I get every time and Bonefish Grill can also throw a steak on the grill for you, too. And the signature cocktails are out of this world.

If you haven’t been to Bonefish Grill in a while or have yet to try it, make tonight the night. Bonefish Grill is open from:

4:00 p.m. – 10:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday
4:00 p.m. – 11:30 p.m. on Friday
11:00 a.m. – 11:30 p.m. on Saturday
10:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. on Sunday

Make sure you try Bonefish Grill’s Sunday brunch, too. I get the Crème Brulée French toast and the endless mimosas, too.