Page 12 - Florida Sentinel 5-2-17

Sports
Buccaneers Draft Picks 2017: O. J. Howard Leads The Class
Buccaneers' Doug
Martin: Has Added
The 2017 NFL draft is over, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have to be happy with their picks. They ad- dressed almost every one of their needs while getting some really good value,.
That started in round one, when the Bucs saw O. J. Howard fall into their laps, the best tight end in the draft and one of the best tight ends to come into the NFL in years. The Bucs got good value throughout the rest of the draft, too, with analysts consistently praising their selections.
Round 1: TE O. J. Howard, Alabama
The Bucs’ first-round pick was a veritable steal. Howard was generally seen as a top ten pick and hadn’t been mocked to the Bucs in months, so they were per- plexed when he fell to them. Perplexed and very, very ex- cited.
Howard will be the team’s starting tight end, ac- tive as a run-blocker and an explosive receiving threat. The Bucs would like to move to running more sets with multiple tight ends, and Howard is the chess piece they need to do so effectively.
Round 2: S Justin Evans, Texas A&M
The Bucs had to address safety in this draft, prefer- ably with a player who could play as a single-high deep de- fender. That’s exactly what Evans is: fast, a ball hawk, and a guided missile as a run defender.
A former junior college player, Evans is a little raw and may take a while to de- velop. His tackling needs a lot of work, which is a bit concerning. He’s not a bad tackler for a lack of want-to, but because he has a ten- dency to overrun his target. If the Bucs can calm him down a little, he could be an outstanding starting safety.
Round 3: WR Chris Godwin, Penn State
Godwin blew up the Rose Bowl and has had a pretty productive college career de- spite playing with some re- ally inaccurate quarterbacks. He has solid speed, solid size, is a quality route runner and will go get the ball in the air— he’s outstanding at making contested catches.
RB Competition
(Pictured: O.J. Howard). The Bucs got good value and a versatile group of players in the 2017 NFL draft.
Doug Martin (suspen- sion) has additional compe- tition in the Buccaneers' backfield after the selection of Jeremy McNichols (shoulder) during this year's NFL Draft.
One can speculate that the Buccaneers didn't select a running back before the fifth round due to Martin's showing in the offseason program to date. Indeed, he impressed general manager Jason Licht on the first day of the offseason program, looking "as good as I've seen him since I've been here, from a physical standpoint," according to Jenna Laine of ESPN.com.
Having said that, Martin will likely have to avoid any stumbles in the coming months in order to solidify his previous standing as the Buccaneers' No. 1 run- ning back. As for the other members of the backfield,
JEREMY MCNICHOLS
McNichols will strive to compete with Jacquizz Rodgers and Charles Sims (pectoral) for that spot during Martin's suspension to start this season, but the rookie's climb will be ham- pered by rehabilitation from surgery to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder.
Assuming Martin contin- ues to hearken back to better days, he's the logical candi- date to serve as the team's top RB for the final 13 games of the campaign.
Godwin will have to com- pete with Adam Humphries for playing time behind Mike Evans and DeSean Jackson, but he gives the Bucs a quality receiver who can play all over the formation. Not a super- star, but one of those guys who has a productive ten- year career.
Round 3: LB Kendell Beckwith, LSU
The Bucs traded back up into the third round to take Beckwith, a thumping mid- dle linebacker who’s recover- ing from an ACL injury and may not be recovered in time for the regular season.
Beckwith’s the biggest linebacker the Bucs have, and should compete for the starting job on the strong side, once he’s healthy. He’s a really good run defender, but too sluggish to do much in pass coverage, which lim- its his value.
Round 5: RB Jeremy McNichols, Boise State
One of the most produc- tive runners in college foot- ball the past few years, McNichols can do it all: run, catch and pass-block. He has solid speed, solid size and good vision, and can make a few folks miss.
McNichols isn’t out- standing at any one thing, but he’ll be a useful part of what is likely to be a commit- tee approach to the Bucs’ backfield. And getting him in the fifth round was pretty much a steal.
Round 7: DT Stevie Tu'ikolovatu, USC
Tu’ikolovatu is a mas- sive nose tackle who has some potential as a run de- fender, the Bucs liked him enough to trade up for him in
the seventh round, giving up next year’s seventh-round pick in the process.
Like Beckwith, he fits Mike Smith’s preference for bigger players and should be a useful early-down player. At 26 he’s a little old, though, in part because he’s Mormon and went on a two- year mission to the Philip- pines.
Buccaneers Passed On Dalvin Cook Due To Doug Martin
DOUG MARTIN
Florida State running back Dalvin Cook remains on the board heading into day two of the NFL Draft, and one poten- tial suitor had a reason to pass.
The Tampa Bay Bucca- neers, who picked 19th, ended up passing on Cook despite a potential need at running back. That was because of the impressive offseason work being done by current running back Doug Martin.
Martin’s career, at least in Tampa Bay, looked to be on its last legs toward the end of the season. The Bucs went tight end instead, so they clearly have a decent amount of faith in Martin, the incumbent, despite his injury and off-field issues.
Happy Birthday, Mama Watson! Deshaun Buys His Mother Her 'First Official Car'
DESHAUN WATSON
Deshaun Watson gave his mom a brand new Jaguar days after being drafted by Texans.
There is the old cliché and a line that goes, "Mama, loving you is like food to my soul."
Yes, it is.
For the Texans first-round draft pick Deshaun Wat- son, his mother, Deann, has been one of his biggest sup- porters in life.
"I just do what a mother's supposed to do," Deann told ESPN. "That's love their chil- dren and support them in whatever they do."
On Saturday, Deshaun did what a son is supposed to do: return the love.
"Happy birthday Mama! I love you and you deserve your
first official car! Enjoy it! Had to cop her the '17 Jag," he wrote on Twitter.
Deann was diagnosed with tongue cancer when De- shaun was in high school. Her diagnosis required doc- tors to surgically remove her tongue.
Even through her battles, Deann found a way to pro- vide for her family. Deshaun was brought to tears shortly after the draft while reading a letter from her.
Watson was drafted by the Houston Texans Thursday night with the 12th overall pick in the NFL Draft.
PAGE 12 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, MAY 2, 2017