Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Early Rookie Progress Reports
Heading into the 2015 offseason, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers needed a facelift more than Droopy the Dog in a gravity chamber.
That's just what they got with the No. 1 overall pick, selecting the talented but polarizing Jameis Winston, a Heisman Trophy winner and national champion at Florida State who made as many headlines off the field as he did between the lines.
The Bucs also spent premium picks to help protect their new investment, using a pair of second-round picks on offensive linemen who should be expected to start immediately. Depth at linebacker and receiver was also addressed in the draft, as well as the need for improvement in the return game.
With rookie minicamp in the rear-view mirror and the first round of organized team activities now underway, let's take a look at the early progress from some of Tampa Bay's most noteworthy rookies.
WR Kenny Bell
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The Bucs went into the 2015 draft needing to find an improvement at slot receiver, as well as someone to eventually take over for Vincent Jackson as the team's No. 2 target.
They may have solved both issues by drafting Kenny Bell.
The team's fifth-round pick out of Nebraska has the size and skill set to succeed on the outside, which could allow them to pay Jackson more in the slot. Bell could eventually develop into a solid starter and become Mike Evans' running mate for years to come.
His playmaking ability was on display at Tampa Bay's rookie minicamp, according to Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com. The former Cornhusker already seems to be developing a strong chemistry with his new quarterback, Jameis Winston.
He still needs some refinement, but Bell's in the perfect situation to grow with a talented young quarterback, while learning the finer points of his position from a successful veteran and one of the league's best young pass-catchers.
LB Kwon Alexander
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Depth and a lack of athleticism at linebacker was a huge issue for the Bucs last year, but they hope to have addressed both of those problems by trading up in the fourth round to grab LSU's Kwon Alexander.
The Tampa 2 scheme has always valued undersized linebackers with great speed and instincts, which is exactly what Alexander brings to the table. Defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier is excited about his new linebacker's skill set and potential, per Buccaneers.com:
""We had him rated pretty high in the draft, so we were very fortunate when he slipped to where he did. He's a guy that has that athletic ability that we look for. Great agility, good hands, has that quick twitch we like to see in a linebacker. He's a smart football player, as well. He has a lot of ingredients we were hoping to find; a guy who could potentially start for us. We're anxious to get him in pads and see how well he understands what we're trying to get accomplished, but we have high hopes for him. We think Kwon is going to be a big addition for our defense."
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Alexander will easily help upgrade Tampa Bay's special teams units, but he could also challenge Danny Lansanah for the starting spot on the strong side. No matter who ends up winning that battle, the Bucs will have better depth and a more athletic group of linebackers that fits what they need in 2015, and Alexander will be a big part of that.
OL Ali Marpet
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Tampa Bay wasn't the only team to fall in love with Ali Marpet at the Senior Bowl, but general manager Jason Licht may have liked him just a bit more than all others, trading back into the latter part of the second round to grab the versatile small-school lineman.
And though he played his college football at little-known Hobart, ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas thinks the starting right guard job is already his to lose.
Marpet is still fairly raw and the level of competition he faced in college is a concern, but he held his own against some of the best defensive linemen in the country in Mobile, then showed off his impressive athleticism at the combine.
He's got a fantastic work ethic and reminds Licht of a younger version of one of his new teammates, per Jim Corbett of USA Today Sports:
"Ali has a typical offensive lineman's mentality we liked in New England. He just looks like an offensive lineman, like a young Logan Mankins. He's super athletic. And above the neck, he's really smart, really humble and a hard worker," Licht said.
Mankins made six Pro Bowls with the New England Patriots, so that's pretty high praise. Don't expect that level of play right away, but Tampa Bay is definitely expecting big things from Marpet early in his career.
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OT Donovan Smith
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Tampa Bay's biggest need heading into the draft was at quarterback, but equally important was improving the offensive line in front of him. The Bucs made that obvious by spending two second-round picks on that unit, including the 34th overall pick, which they used on Penn State tackle Donovan Smith.
Smith was a surprise pick to some, but he made sense as an experienced left tackle who would allow the Bucs to move Demar Dotson back to his natural spot at right tackle. But despite his high draft slot, Tampa Bay offensive line coach George Warhop says Smith will have to beat out a fifth-round pick from last year for the starting left tackle gig, per Mark Cook of PewterReport.com:
"For your left tackle, you want a guy that is smart, you want a guy with size, a guy with range, you want a guy with athleticism. The best guys I’ve been around have all had that. He’s got size. He’s very, very bright. He’s very athletic. We are putting in a lot of stuff. I don’t know about a true mistake he has made so far. So far he has a good start, but Kevin Pamphile is in front of him. He has to beat Kevin out to be the starter at this point.
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Pamphile did show some promise in his limited snaps last year, but I'd be shocked if he starts over Smith in Week 1. Playing a rookie at left tackle to protect the blind side of your rookie franchise quarterback is risky business, but the Bucs don't have much choice. They'll be hoping Smith doesn't have too many bumps along the way and develops into a reliable protector for Jameis Winston.
QB Jameis Winston
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The drafting of Jameis Winston with the No. 1 overall pick has brought a buzz to One Buccaneer Place that has been absent for more than a decade.
Though there are still plenty of fans concerned about the negative light some of his past off-field actions might bring, Winston has been saying and doing all the right things—both on and off the field—since becoming the Bucs' new franchise quarterback.
Quarterbacks coach Mike Bajakian has already been impressed with Winston's work ethic and intelligence, per Darin Gantt of Pro Football Talk:
"Obviously, he’s been taught those concepts as he’s been brought up in pee wee, high school and college football. So I think that’s a credit to his background. He’s got very good recall. He’s very intelligent. You only have to tell him once and he absorbs it pretty quickly. And part of that is his foundation, but he works hard at it, too. So it’s also a credit to his work ethic.
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Winston's roommate at rookie minicamp, receiver Kenny Bell, says his new quarterback is highly dedicated, according to Sean Wagner-McGough of CBS Sports:
"He's the best roommate I've ever had, one of the best teammates I've ever had. It's been phenomenal. We've been going from about 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., and then we get back to the hotel and he wants to study more ... He's dedicated to his job, that's for sure," he said.
Again, Winston has looked the part since the draft, but he still has plenty to prove once the pads start popping. For now, though, he's already made plenty of believers in Tampa Bay.
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