Would fans fire up a cigar if the Bucs drafted Oklahoma ILB Danny Stutsman?
Although it is a very good bet the following won’t happen, Joe wouldn’t lose sleep if the Bucs select a defensive player with every pick they have next month.
And it seems Jordan Plocher of the PFF tribe thinks the same thing. In fact, he believes the Bucs need help at linebacker so much that they soon will draft two inside linebackers who will someday start.
The first one is this Jihaad Campbell from Alabama. Campbell had shoulder surgery right after the combine, and Joe sees people, both credible and not-so-credible, confident Campbell will be on the board when the Bucs draft at No. 19.
Plocher thinks on Day 3, the Bucs draft their second linebacker of the weekend, Danny Stutsman out of Oklahoma.
Joe isn’t seeing Stutsman as a fit for a Todd Bowles defense. He’s more like an old-school, 43-front middle linebacker.
From what Joe can tell, Stutsman is a smart, fast and hustling dude. But when he needs to rely on his speed and athletic ability and strength, he’s not all that special.
Stutsman ran his 40-yard dash in 4.52 seconds. So perhaps speed kills? It doesn’t appear that Stutsman is that great in pass coverage. That’s why Joe isn’t sure if the guy is a Bowles fit.
If the Bucs are going to draft a linebacker on Day 3, Joe thinks they ought to consider a late flyer on Nick Martin of Oklahoma State. He’s quick (4.53 in 40) and in 2023, his first year as a starter, he was a tackling machine with 140 tackles (83 solo). Martin also had a pair of picks.
He missed most of last year with a knee injury, so no question he will slip in the draft. With some coaching, he could be an excellent value pick.
And since we’re dealing with inside linebackers in this here post, Joe spoke earlier this week with JoeBucsFan.com draft guru Sean Sullivan, general manager of Bill Currie Ford. While reading comments on a story Joe wrote about South Carolina linebacker Demetrius Knight, Sullivan was triggered when Knight was referred to as another K.J. Britt. Sullivan told Joe that’s a preposterous comp.)
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