Tampa Bay Buccaneers Staff Preparing for NFL Scouting Combine

by The Bull Gator on Feb 17, 2009 2:48 PM EST in News Comment 3 comments

Posted on behalf of JScott.

A recent article from Buccaneers.com chronicles Director of College Scouting Dennis Hickey and his staffs daily routine leading up to April’s NFL Draft. It’s basically what you would envision it to be, 20 or so scouts stuffed in a room making their case for the talent they’ve scouted. Raheem Morris and Mark Dominik also sit in on these meetings. Here’s an interesting excerpt from Hickey:

"What we're doing now is just going down the prospects, we're reading reports, the reports are done off [what is seen on] tape. We want to make sure we emphasize what they've done on tape, on the football field. In addition to that, we're also talking about injuries, talking about statistics, and also going over character. Obviously, there are going to be differing opinions about the guy's makeup as well as the prospect himself, the evaluation. We're trying to be as critical as we can at this juncture because we want to know everything about the guy. Then at the end we'll watch a cut-up of the guy, maybe his all-star games where we can kind of hone in on him a little bit visually." - Dennis Hickey, Buccaneers Director of College Scouting per Buccaneers.com

I have to admit I’m pretty envious of the job Hickey and his staff gets to endure day in and day out. I would love to sit in a war room type atmosphere and petition or sell my potential draft selections to the powers that be. I don’t know about all the leg work it would take going to University to University to get the information needed to make a compelling case for my prospects, but the meetings leading up to the NFL Draft, those appear to be exciting events to be a part of. The entire process can get a bit overwhelming if you take a step back and look at it. They are researching and breaking down over 2000 available players, of which only 252 players will be selected and furthermore the Bucs will only select between 6-8 prospects considering the potential for Draft Day trades, etc. All of that work has to be pretty frustrating when your G.M. (then Bruce Allen) chooses to draft a guy with the intention of redshirting him… Sorry I couldn’t resist.

The other interesting piece from this article deals with the teams ‘Draft Board’:

"We come to a point where we line them up and kind of stack guys initially, kind of a starting point," said Hickey. "Coach Morris and Mark are also in there and we answer any questions they may have. I have a little more knowledge of the individual players; I've written reports on all these guys. They may have some other questions so we just kind of talk through guys and come to an initial point at this juncture. You do as much as you can, but you do at some point have to start funneling towards your targeted guys." - Dennis Hickey, Buccaneers Director of College Scouting per Buccaneers.com

From the quotes above you get the sense that Dennis and his staff do exhaustive research prior to and leading up to the Draft. For purposes of this site I think we should look to develop our own Draft Board for Draft Day. The Draft Board is synonymous with NFL teams, with players names attached to magnetic cards. Teams generally list the positions across the top of the board and then have descending numerical grade levels going down the board. We could select our positions of need and start from there ranking the players we feel are worthy of being on our Draft Board…

Let’s discuss the Bucs Draft needs in the comments section with the intention of collectively agreeing on a Draft Order. Here’s where I think we stand in order of need: DT, DE, WR, QB, RB, CB, LB, OL.

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Draft Board

Ok, 90% of these opinions come from Internet research only (I used draftcountdown.com for player profiles). Take it for what it is:

DT
1. BJ Raji, Boston College (6’1 334 lbs). massive DT in the Casey Hampton mold.

2. Ron Brace, Boston College (6’3 328). another BC massive DT. good run stopper and can collapse the pocket, but not a sack artist.

3. Fili Moala, Southern Cal (6’4 307). very quick, agile, athletic for his size but can be inconsistent. “perfect fit for tampa 2” (if we’ll still run that) but has room to grow.

4. Peria Jerry, Mississippi (6’1 290). typical tampa DT, but I feel we are going in another direction there. has great speed, but not much bulk or strength. also has injury issues.

5. Evander Hood, Missouri (6’3 298). willing to work to add size. seems to be a good character guy who works hard, hard, hard. “jack of all trades, master of none.” Would be a nice addition if they can land another DT first (like Raji or Haynesworth).

Keep an eye on:

Terrance Taylor, Michigan (6’0 314). bigger DT/frame that can stop the run.

Sammie Lee Hill, Stillman (6’4 331). NFL size and strength (very muscular). High character player (saved a man from a burning building with two teammates from Stillman). Actually moved to DE due to having a hard time with double teams. Said he’s hungry for NFL as a DT, DE, NT or even TE. nice….
check out this interview: http://www.nfldraftblitz.com/sammieleehillinterview.htm

"We couldn't tackle today, but we made up for it by not blocking"
-- John McKay

by CrazyCarl139 on Feb 17, 2009 6:04 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

DE

This is tough. What type of DE do the Bucs want? Do they want a DE who can hold his own against the run or are they looking for a pass rusher with speed? Either way my #1 is my #1.

1. Brian Orakpo, Texas (6’3 255). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGUc3UL64f0 “to say brian orakpo is strong is like saying Michael Phelps would make a decent lifeguard”

2. Aaron Maybin, Penn State (6’3 250). more of an OLB in a 3-4. Hell of a playmaker, but may not be a true 3 technique in the NFL. that might be what the bucs want if they are running that Vector scheme.

3. Everette Brown, Florida State (6’4 252). again, more of an OLB in a 3-4 and may not project as a 3 technique. maybe a better pure pass rusher than maybin?

4. Tyson Jackson, LSU (6’5 290). could be a nice DE fit in Tampa. Not the best pass rusher, but can more than hold his own against the run due to his size, bulk and strength.

5. Paul Kruger, Utah (6’5 265). converted QB! has the ability to get to the QB, but is also great against the run. good 4-3 DE. apparently he has low bust potential, aka – safe pick.

Keep an eye on:

Michal Johnson, Georgia Tech (6’7 259). at 6’7 just imagine that first step. he’s got the speed, burst and athleticism to be successful in the NFL. needs to get stronger.

Jarron Gilbert, San Jose State (6’5 290). actually played a lot of DT at SJSU. he’s explosive, strong and gets to the QB.

"We couldn't tackle today, but we made up for it by not blocking"
-- John McKay

by CrazyCarl139 on Feb 17, 2009 6:38 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

WR

1. Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech (6’3 208) just an unreal receiver who has got the size, speed, hands and leaping ability. Should win offensive rookie of the year.

2. Jeremy Maclin, Missouri (6’0 198) quick and fast. those cuts on the routes are so quick. he has nice hands too and can be an excellent return man. more of a number 2 receiver in the NFL due to his size (which would compliment antonio bryant nicely)

3. Percy Harvin, Florida (5’10 187) again, a bit undersized to be a #1 in the NFL. he can do it all on offense though. an offensive coordinator would have fun with him. with tampa’s lack of offensive over the years it might be fun to watch him in pewter.

4. Hakeem Nicks, North Carolina (6’1 210) this guy could be the best receiver in the draft (don’t hate Crabtree fans). he’s got really good hands, speed and size.

5. Darrius Heyward Bey, Maryland (6’1 203) another future #1 in the NFL. might be a bit of project to get there, but he’s still a hell of a receiver.

Keep an eye on:

Ramses Barden, Cal Poly (6’6 227) apparently he’s on the Bucs radar. Love his size…

"We couldn't tackle today, but we made up for it by not blocking"
-- John McKay

by CrazyCarl139 on Feb 17, 2009 9:24 PM EST reply actions 0 recs