FAB 5. SR’s Buc Shots

• Bucs Drafting A QB In 2020? Tampa Bay plans on drafting a quarterback this year, but likely not in the first or second round. The Bucs plan on having a veteran under center in 2020, but will draft and develop a young quarterback to either compete for the starting job down the road or provide quality depth at the very least.

“I don’t think any quarterback you take in the draft to come in can be a savior in year one,” Licht said. “It’d be great, it’d be great. I would love to draft a quarterback at some point in the draft. I do every year and we haven’t – but we took one at one overall [in 2015]. So it would be great and I know Bruce feels the same way.”

Iowa QB Nate Stanley – Photo courtesy of Iowa

Arians agreed, and indicated that the Bucs could take a QB off the board on Day 3.

“If it’s the right guy at the right time,” Arians said. “I don’t think we want one that’s gonna be sitting on the bench for three years. If he is, he’s got to come at the right time in the draft and I think there are some guys like that with big upsides in this draft.”

Iowa’s Nate Stanley, Hawaii’s Cole McDonald, Princeton’s Kevin Davidson and FIU’s James Morgan could be options for Tampa Bay later in the draft.

• Tampa Bay Wants Perriman Back – At The Right Price: The Bucs would like to have Breshad Perriman return in 2020, but won’t break the bank for him with more pressing needs in re-signing the players along the team’s defensive front. What gives the Bucs some leverage in negotiations is the incredible depth at wide receiver in the 2020 NFL Draft.

NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah has said this is the best wide receiver class he’s ever seen and has 27 wideouts with at least a third-round grade. Bucs head coach Bruce Arians agrees with Jeremiah’s assessment when it comes to talented receivers in this year’s crop.

“Wide receivers, oh my God, there’s probably 40,” Arians said. “You’re going to find every shape and size that you’re looking for. It’s a beauty contest. Whatever you like – tall fast, little fast – they’re all here. I think there are kids that used to play basketball that are now playing wide receiver in college because they couldn’t make it in the NBA, so the athleticism on some of them is amazing.”

Bucs WR Breshad Perriman – Photo by: Getty Images

Arians said he wanted Perriman back, but it has to be at the right price. Last year, Perriman signed a one-year deal worth $4 million and caught 36 passes for 645 yards (17.9 avg.) with six touchdowns – all career highs. Perriman stepped up when Mike Evans and Chris Godwin missed the last games of the season with hamstring strains and had the first three 100-yard games of his career in the final three weeks of the season.

“I think when you’re looking at the future, we want to get Chris extended, so you’ve got Mike and Chris and Scotty [Miller] came along,” Arians said. “We would love to have Breshard back because he fits what we’re looking for, but not at a [premium] price when you have all these receivers in the draft.”

Expect the Bucs to draft a receiver on Day 3 to compete with Miller and Justin Watson, and perhaps replace Perriman.

• Ledyard Joins The Pewter Nation Podcast! New Pewter Report Bucs beat writer Jon Ledyard joined Taylor Jenkins and yours truly in Indianapolis to help us cover the NFL Scouting Combine where we taped a brand new Pewter Nation Podcast with plenty of Bucs and NFL Draft scoop. This marked Ledyard’s debut on the Pewter Nation Podcast, and we’re set to tape another one to end the week on Friday afternoon. Don’t miss either one!

Pewter Nation Podcast Episode 182: Cutting Through Bucs B.S. In Indy

In case the missed the previous Pewter Nation Podcast, the Pewter Report team discussed Jameis Winston’s LASIK surgery and the QB position in free agency in Episode 181. This one is really good – and has a surprise ending!

Pewter Nation Podcast Episode 181: Domino Effect Looming For Bucs And Winston

The next Pewter Nation Podcast will be taped Friday afternoon after the final round of player interviews in Indianapolis at the NFL Scouting Combine – just in time for your rush hour commute to end the week – as Ledyard, Taylor and I wrap up our week in Indy.

There is no better time to listen to a new Pewter Nation Podcast, which is presented by Chris Garrido of Westshore Financial, than on your drive home from work on Friday or early Saturday morning at the gym or running errands.

The popularity of the Pewter Nation Podcast continues to grow. In addition to listening to the Pewter Nation Podcasts on PewterReport.com you can also subscribe to the free podcasts at PodBean by clicking here and on SoundCloud by clicking here. And of course the Pewter Nation Podcast is also available on iTunes. Make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss a single episode.

• Who Did The Bucs Interview In Indy? The PewterReport.com staff was busy tracking down the NFL Draft prospects the Bucs were targeting. Every NFL team gets 45 formal interviews where they will get 18 minutes to meet with draft prospects. That’s down from last year where NFL teams got 60 formal interviews where they met with players for 15 minutes.

LSU RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire – Photo by: PewterReport.com

While regional scouts and position coaches spend time meeting more than 45 players, the 45 draft prospects that get the formal interview get to meet the Bucs’ coordinators, in addition to head coach Bruce Arians and general manager Jason Licht. Informal interviews typically involve Bucs area college scouts and/or position coaches only.

Click the link below for an updated list of draft prospects that PewterReport.com can confirm have met with Tampa Bay at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Bucs’ 2020 Combine Interview Tracker

• Bucs Work Well With Rosenhaus: Bucs general manager Jason Licht and director of football administration Mike Greenberg have a great relationship with agent Drew Rosenhaus, who represents both outside linebacker Shaquil Barrett and wide receiver Breshad Perriman. I asked Licht if that was difficult meeting with an agent who represents two free agents from a working relationship standpoint.

Bucs director of football administration Mike Greenberg and Drew Rosenhaus – Photo by: PewterReport.com

“I’ve found over the years that an agent and a G.M. can have some disagreements on a player but you have multiple players and the conversation immediately shifts and focuses the next one,” Licht said. “You can see the change in facial expressions, the tone, it’s compartmentalized. And there’s no contentious situation right now with Drew Rosenhaus and any of our players.”

The Bucs have already met with Rosenhaus in Indianapolis at the NFL Scouting Combine to discuss contracts for both Barrett and Perriman. Tampa Bay hopes to get a long-term deal with Barrett before free agency, but will use the franchise tag on him if a long-term extension can’t be reached.

• Follow Pewter Report On Social Media: We appreciate the 34,000 Twitter followers we have on the @PewterReport Twitter account and passed that big milestone at the end of 2019. Now we’re on our way to reaching 35,000 in 2020. So if you don’t follow us on Twitter please take the time to do so, Bucs fans.

Also, make sure you follow PewterReport.com on all social media platforms this offseason as we cover the NFL Scouting Combine next month and the NFL Owners Meeting in March, plus any breaking Bucs news or press conferences.

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