Page 14 - Florida Sentinel 5-1-18

Sports
Grading The Tampa Bay Buccaneers Draft Selections
USF'S Deadrin Senat Dedicates
When the 2018 NFL Draft kicked off, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers only had two picks in the top 100.
The team was picking 7th overall and had many needs to
fill.
General Manager Jason
Licht struck a deal with the Buffalo Bills, and moved back 5 spots to number 12. The Buccaneers also received both of Buffalo’s second round picks. It was a heck of a trade for Licht because the team wound up picking Vita Vea at 12.
Round 1, pick #12 - Vita Vea, DT (Washington)
We should have seen this coming all along. The motto all off-season has been to im- prove in the trenches, and Tampa Bay continued to do that with their first selection. Vea is an absolute monster and will be the perfect compli- ment next to Gerald McCoy. He is an incredible athlete at 350 pounds and has the abil- ity to not only stop the run, but also get pressure in the quarterbacks face. Vea should start from day one, and have an immediate impact.
Grade: A-
Round 2, pick #38 - Ronald Jones, RB (USC)
Tampa Bay needed to ad- dress the running back posi- tion early in this draft and they did just that by drafting the USC star. They couldn’t make the same mistake they did last year and wait too long. Jones is a powerful runner for his size and has great cutbacking ability.
Grade: A
Round 2, pick #53 - M.J. Stewart, CB (UNC)
With Isaiah Oliver and Donte Jackson on the board, I think this selection came as a surprise to many Bucs fans. I think they reached a little bit with this pick, but I am not disappointed in the pick. The Buccaneers were last in pass defense and they needed to start somewhere. He fits the Buccaneers mold in terms of cornerbacks. It sounds as if the team is going to have him compete for the starting nickel spot with Ver- non Hargreaves. According to Josh Norris, Stewart is the best nickel corner in the entire draft.
Grade: B-
Round 2, pick #63 - Carlton Davis, CB
all time category. Watson also ran a 4.42 40-yard dash athisproday,sohewillbea nice deep threat for Jameis Winston.
Grade: B+
Round 6, pick # 202 - Jack Cichy, LB (Wisconsin)
Is this Kendal Beckwith 2.0? Cichy was regarded as a day 2 talent, but coming off of a Torn ACL he dropped to the 6th round for Tampa Bay. With Beckwith’s status for early in the season up in the air, this is a low risk high re- ward pick. Tampa Bay already has extremely talented line- backers and Cichy is just an- other one of those players. I love these low risk high re- ward selection towards the end of the draft. If it pans out like Beckwith did, this pick will be a home run.
Grade: A-
Overall Draft grade: A-
Shaquem Griffin Fell In Draft Over Inaccurate 40 Time
SHAQUEM GRIFFIN
Shaquem Griffin turned heads everywhere with a 4.38 time in the 40-yard dash, but it turns out that number was re- portedly not quite accurate and his draft stock was adjusted ac- cordingly.
Griffin’s original 4.38 time caught the attention of pretty much everyone at the NFL Combine, a time which quickly moved him into the top 100 of many draft boards. However, the clock started a touch late on Griffin’s 40 run, and his time was closer to 4.58.
Griffin was readjusted down draft boards accordingly, with his time going from elite to merely solid.
None of this stopped Grif- fin from becoming a fifth- round pick for the Seattle Seahawks, sparking emotional scenes. It’s too bad the 40 time wasn’t quite accurate, but it doesn’t do much to dampen a great story.
To His Late Parents
Washington's Vita Vea, right, poses with commissioner Roger Goodell after being picked by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
(Auburn)
The Bucs picked another cornerback, this time they drafted Ryan Smith’s re- placement. I absolutely love this pick and feel like it was a steal at 63. Davis is a physical style corner who will get right up in your face at the line of scrimmage.
Grade: A
Round 3, Pick #94 - Alex Cappa, OG (Humboldt St.)
Tampa Bay dipped into the DII pool with this pick and it might be my favorite one of the draft. After the team se- lected Cappa, NFL Network’s Mike Mayock said that Cappa has the nastiest film he’s ever seen. Again, winning starts in the trenches and the Buccaneers have added some hard nosed football players all off season.
Grade: A-
Round 4, Pick #117 - Jordan Whitehead, S (Pitt)
Jason Licht added an- other piece to the secondary by drafting Whitehead. Many fans wanted Derwin James to come in and fill that safety spot, but they get Whitehead instead. White- head is no slouch, is super athletic and has great closing speed on the ball. He will bat- tle Chris Conte and Keith Tandy in training camp for the starting job.
Grade: B+
Round 5, pick # 144 - Justin Watson, WR (PENN)
The Buccaneers are at- tempting to find a diamond in the rough with this selection. According to Bucky Brooks, Watson is a “big time talent as a big pass catcher with sticky hands.” There is no doubt that Watson was pro- ductive in college, he caught a touchdown pass in every sin- gle game he played last season and leads Penn in nearly every
When University Of South Florida's defensive tackle Deadrin Senat got the call from general manager Thomas Dimitroff and head coach Dan Quinn on Friday night, telling him the Atlanta Falcons had selected him with the No. 90th-overall pick, there were two people Senat wished were present with him.
That’s his mother and fa- ther, who have both passed away. Senat lost his mother when he was just 13 years old and then his father when he was 20.
Senat plays with a high motor and never takes a play off – a mindset he developed from his dad. In four seasons at South Florida, he tallied 178 tackles (23.5 of them for a loss) and seven sacks.
DEADRIN SENAT
Senat’s father passed away in the middle of the week during the college football sea- son four years ago and Senat didn’t allow himself to miss USF’s upcoming game that weekend against Syracuse. In fact, Senat said it was one of his best games in his collegiate career.
Quinn praised the positive attitude Senat approaches his life with, despite what he’s lost.
Being Drafted By Falcons
Tavon Austin Traded To Cowboys For 6th-Round Pick
The Dallas Cowboys con- tinue to shore up their receiv- ing corps after the release of Dez Bryant.
Dallas acquired Tavon Austin in a trade with the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday. The Cowboys gave up a 6th- round pick to get Austin.
Austin received a huge contract from the Rams before the 2016 season and was viewed as extremely overpaid. His role on the team dimin- ished after Sean McVay took over, and he struggled on spe- cial teams. Perhaps the Cow-
TAVON AUSTIN
boys will find a use for his tal- ents.
In addition to signing Allen Hurns, the Cowboys drafted Michael Gallup out of Colorado State and have now traded for Austin.
Buffalo Bills Select Clemson
WR Ray-Ray McCloud
With Pick Number 187
With the 187th pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, the Buffalo Bills selected Clemson wide re- ceiver and Sickles alumnus Ray-Ray McCloud. The Bills finally added a receiver in the draft, waiting until the sixth round to do so with the versa- tile McCloud.
At 5’10” and 190 pounds, McCloud is most likely to serve as a slot receiver if he is able to break his way into the offensive rotation. At Clemson, McCloud did most of his damage as a punt returner, re- turning 25 punts for 303 yards and a touchdown. He also tal- lied 49 receptions for 503 yards and another score as a receiver.
As a kickoff returner, Mc-
RAY-RAY MCLOUD Cloud averaged 31.9 yards per
return during his freshman season. In the late rounds of any draft, teams are looking for versatile players, and Mc- Cloud certainly fits the bill. His special teams ability most likely appeals to head coach Sean McDermott.
The Bills have one selection remaining, the second-to-last pick in the entire 2018 draft.
PAGE 14 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, MAY 1, 2018