Kiper says Bucs should draft QB

NFL draft guru Mel Kiper says the Bucs need to finally address the quarterback position in the first round.

In a conference call with reporters Wednesday, Kiper said Kansas State quarterback Josh Freeman could create a stir at the NFL combine next week. In his mock draft, Kiper has Freeman going to the Bucs with the 19th overall pick.

"I think they have to think about quarterback,'' Kiper said. "They have not been able to get that young guy. They drafted Josh Johnson out of San Diego last year. Maybe Josh Freeman from Kansas State is a quarterback that they think seriously about at this point. I think he could be the buzz of the draft in the months leading up to the April 25 draft.

"You're talking about a team that obviously has needs at wide receiver, whether Percy Harvin is in the mix. They could use a running back. Defensive end, defensive tackle, both those positions need a little help as well. At 19, the biggest thing Tampa Bay has to do is figure out who is going to be their quarterback. This may be the time to get somebody in the first round, commit to that guy moving forward. If Josh Freeman turns out to be a guy worthy of being the 19th pick, I think he would be somebody you'd have to consider.''

    

    

Comments

[Krutch]

Drafting a QB would make sense. Using your first round pick for Josh Freeman does not. If we go QB in Round 1, it'll be trading up for Sanchez.

http://gatorsfirst.com/index.php/other-sports/other-sports/2009-mock-nfl-draft.html

[Brent]

Kiper is an idiot and wrong more then he is right... If it was Todd McShay then maybe.

[Russell]

Please.....no qb with 1st pick! What's wrong with seeing what J. Johnson can do with a competant coach and staff? I'm not convinced that McCown is the answer, but who knows, with Gruden gone and a functional, professional offense either of them could shock us! I still think they need to go d line at 19, or WR, rb. Depends on who's available, of course, but it sure would be nice to see Moreno, or Harvin on offense! We are in desperate need of some playmakers with SPEED!

[Jesse]

No way! Lets stick with the QBs we have now and if it doesn't work out then we will have a good first round pick next year to pick up someone like Tebow, Bradford, McCoy, or Harrell. Would it not be worth the wait for at least one of those over Freeman?

[cody]

If they draft Freeman i'm turning my TV off at that moment. Last year every draft guru thought that Brohm and Henne had a chance at coming off the board in the first round and a lot of them had Brohm rated higher than Flacco. Josh Freeman? What the hell has he done? If the draftniks are going to bash Sanchez for coming out early how can they possibly beleive that this Culpepper/Russell clone will be worth a damn?

[cody]

Krutch, I've been thinking the exact way you are for a while now. If Sanchez makes it past the 10th pick look for the Bucs to trade just ahead of the Jets to grab him at 16. I don't think they'll trade up any higher than that though based on the price it would cost to do so.

[Steven]

No way. The McCown re-signing basically confirms that this is a no go given that they're paying him fairly well (basically Garcia's starting salary from last year). Look for value for the #19 spot. Moreno is a possibility if he's there. Perhaps Harvin or Maclin (or Heyward-Bey). Of course it all depends on our free agent signings.

[IMISS_No47]

I agree with Jesse - Bucs should give McCown the well-deserved shot at starter this year. D-line needs the high picks this year anyways plus next years QB crop is much deeper.

[B_town]

Kiper was also high on Ryan Leaf. If he was really that good at evaluating talent he'd be working for an NFL team and sharing airtime with Berman. Let's hope something good slides to 19.

[Steven]

Everyone was high on Leaf just like everyone was high on Alex Smith. The draft is a very, very inexact science. The pundits get it right a lot too. Some of them (including Kiper) had Ronnie Brown going higher that Carnell Williams even though Williams was by far the more productive back.

[Robert]

I THINK THE BUCS SHOULD AND WILL TAKE THE BEST OVERALL PLAYER AT 19. THERE ARE MANY SPOTS ON THIS TEAM THAT NEED TO BE ADDRESSED AND IT IS REAL POSSIBLE THAT THE BEST OVERALL PLAYER AT 19 WILL PLAY AT A POS. WE NEED TO GET BETTER AT! BUCS NEED WR, QB, RB, D LINE, DB, AND ANOTHER YOUNG LB.

[e]

Josh Freeman is the next JaMarcus Russell... No Thanks...
GET SMART AND TRADE A MIDDLE ROUND PICK FOR BRIAN BROHM. He's stuck behind Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay. He has a lot more real potential than Freeman... It would be great if we could get a shot at Sanchez, but that probably won't happen. We need our high picks for DT/WR.
e

[jerseybuc]

A 27 year old "veteran" QB with starter money, a second year QB that never saw the field, and we are now going to draft another QB? JJ may not have the arm strength of Freeman, but his upside may be higher. Let's see what JJ can do with Jago, and use the number one pick on someone who can contribute right away on defense or WR.

[Willycp]

Right on Brent & Krutch! isn't Harrell already going to be in the Draft this year? Looks like the Jets at 16 will get Sanchez in the draft. I hope the BUCS dont trade up because we need every single pick.

[Valrico Rick]

You guys, as usual, are a bunch of clowns! Kiper may be an idiot, but that doesn't mean he is always wrong. Say Steelers, franchise quarterback, say Patriots, franchise quarterback. Say Giants, franchise quarterback, say Colts, franchise quarterback, say Chargers, franchise quarterback. Are you guys starting to get the point. Gruden kept bringing in castoffs and that worked well didn't it? Look what happened in Atlanta and Baltimore last year when the went after their quarterbacks in the draft instead of digging through somebody else's garbage. If the Bucs don't make a first round play for a QB, by trading up, or taking the best available then it's just more of the same. The last time a team with a non franchise level quarterback won the Super Bowl was the Bucs in 2002 with Brad Johnson. The single greatest problem to solve for the Bucs is a quarterback that will become and remain the starter for several years. Get a clue, clowns!

[Steven]

Krusty, here… I don’t think the consensus is that we DON’T need a “franchise” QB. I think it’s rather that there won’t be great value at that position where we currently pick, and to give up another high draft pick to move up a bit seems to be a reckless gamble on greatness. Next year is a much better crop of QB’s. Everyone agrees on this. We get the best available player at #19 and develop who we have. If it doesn’t work out (and the odds are it won’t – for us and 30 other teams) we go into next year’s draft picking the best QB we can. It's not brain surgery.

[e]

McCown/Griese/Brohm

[Matt H]

Kiper may be right if we decided to re-sign Garcia instead of McCown, but we decided to go with McCown.

If we go with McCown/Johnson/Griese in that order for 2009 with a run-first, play action offense we should be OK.

If it blows, considering the schedule next year we will be positioned in the top 10 in the 2010 draft with plenty of franchise QB's.

Drafting a QB this year would be madness.

[venice4]

No QB @19 --we need a play maker, WR RB or DT. So far good decisions by new staff. Be smart with FA & Draft. GO BUCS!!!

[D Block]

The Hell with that idea from Kiper! Kiper is the only guy who actually posts guys draft stock rising and falling without a game being played. As far as Freeman goes no way in the 1st rd. Hopefully they can obtain a 1st rd playmaker as in WR or RB. Harvin, Maclin, Bey or McCoy. U probably wonder why i left out Moreno & Wells neither are as good as McCoy! The only D that could stop McCoy was his OC! He runs well catches well and blocks. He isn't the next Barry or Payton he is the first McCoy. He is the best RB in the draft and was the best RB in college this past season or last season.

[D Block]

I think everyone here feels the same. Screw a QB this yr in the draft, Sanchez & Stafford did the smart thing this yr by coming out early. If they waited to come out next yr they would have been ranked 4th or 5th behind McCoy & Bradford possibly Tebow. Draft a playmaker this yr and if Johnson or McCown can't get the job done this yr, get a QB worth getting next yr when the good ones come out. Oh yeah next yr's FA market for QB's is better also Rivers, Manning & Ben!

[Bucmaniac]

Harrell is in this draft and he looked like crap at the East West game (I think). He is a marginal 4-5th rounder at best. Depends on the combines. I think the Jets going to bypass Sanchez for a WR though. They like Clemmenson (Spelling). I don't think we would have to trade up for Sanchez. i would take him and start him for the just the sake of all the teams that passed him up. He would be playing with a chip on his shoulder. IE Big Ben in Pitt. He was passed up by the Giants SD etc etc, and he so far is better then Manning and Rivers and does it with alot less talent surrounding him on offense. If and only if Sanchez falls at 19 do we select him. No need to trade up at all. If he is off the big board then we go with best available starting with RB: Wells or Moreno. WR: Macklin, Harvin; those are the two glaring needs of this team. The rest can be solved in later rounds when everyone that knows about football rounds 3 and 4 is where your best football players are drafted. Go back historically and look at rounds 3-4 and you will see. Next year would be a better QB draft. Btw Tebow won't get drafted till the 6th round next year. He is not a NFL QB. Like Gino T from Miami U or Danny Wuer from Florida etc etc. Next year would be Bradford McCoy show. That is my 2 cents for today.

[John P]

If an idiot junior college graduate who never had a job in football (Kiper) can prognosticate a player's worth - anyone should be able to.

Here's my take:

Josh Freeman should be somewhere around a 3rd round pick, based on his collegiate performances. No better.

Freeman might be okay in the NFL. He's big, really big. He has a cannon - but he's also mistake prone and doesn't have his head in the game sometimes. If I were hoping for a player who could contribute within 2-3 years, I'd pass on Freeman.

Freeman kind of reminds me of Ryan Leaf coming out of college, which might explain why Kiper is crapping diamonds over him.

[Brandon]

YEah, let's draft a QB and then wait around 4 seasons to see if he might develop. Raheem wants to win and the quickest way to do that is by rebuilding our once proud defense. DE or DT in round 1.

Josh Freeman is a nice little project, great size, good arm but he played in the spread in college and is not very accurate. He is really not a good fit for the WCO. He doesn't have great feet, has a slower release and is not accurate. He's kind of like a less polished JaMarcus Russell.

[Brandon]

I agree with John, Freeman is a 3rd rounder that will be overdrafted due to his arm and size. He left college a year too early and never proved the doubters wrong.

[Michaeal Rose]

People !!! Did you not watch the last 4 games(800 yards rushed against our D).We,re in the " SMASHMOUTH SOUTH DIVISION " and a steady diet of turner and D. Williams is in the cards ! Try to pluck HAYNESWORTH and get B.J.RAJI(DT-Boston college)with the 1st pick or thr other one(Brace) possibly in the 2nd. QB can wait until there is a better crop. GO PEWTER POWER !!!!!!

[Brandon]

Are you kidding me? Ron Brace? 330 lbs of blubber! Ron Brace is strictly a backup NT for a 3-4 team, not the kind of high energy penetrating playmaker we need. Evander Hood is 10X better than Brace. If we sign Haynesworth then our next step is to improve the DE position. Orakpo or Michael Johnson in round 1, Connor Barwin, Larry English, Paul Kruger in later rounds. These are the type of high energy pass rushers/football players we need.

[Brandon]

Valrico,

I can say a lot of stuff, but just because a team has a franchise QB that doesn't mean squat... You seem to think simply selecting a QB in the 1st round automatically makes him a franchise QB... Well, that's quite a newsflash for the Joey Harrington/Akili Smith/Tim Couch/Ryan Leaf/byron LEftwich/Alex Smith and any other bust QB in the world.

The fact is that about a 1/3 of all QBs taken in round 1 amount to anything. Simply taking a QB that isn't 1st round material in the 1st round is just plain bad drafting. Why would a new coach/GM put their reputations and livelihood in the hands of a rookie QB that quite frankly shouldn't be drafted in round 1.

Here's the lowdown... there is one (1) QB that should be taken in round 1 this season, Matthew Stafford and that's it. Matt Sanchez in any other year would be viewed as an inexperienced guy with a pretty good arm but average size and other tools, Sanchez would normally be a solid 2nd round pick (Chad Henne-type player). Josh Freeman has great size and arm but he doesn't have good feet, played in the college spread, has a long release and is not very accurate, he should be taken in round 3 in a good QB draft (Jamarcus Russell without all the hype or athleticism or success in college).

[D Block]

Lesean McCoy RB from Pitt is the best back in the draft!! Moreno is a smaller version of Cadillac in my opinion, Wells is a smashmouth runner because he doesn't have the speed or agility to be considered anything else. McCoy can do it all and has more speed and field awareness then either of them. If the bucs go running back in the 1st rd it needs to be McCoy hands down. Because this teams biggest need is at WR & DT!! I don't believe Maclin or Raji will last till 19 there both to good to go so late.

[Erick]

Bad, bad idea. Lets at least see what McCown can do first, and maybe how JJ progresses.

[barry fantle]

my main issue with drafting a qb in the first round is the offensive line. is it good enough to protect a young guy? is it good enough to protect a veteran for that matter. address that first. a good line will make an average qb into a good one.

[conradbuff]

??? the o-line is one of the few bright spots we have they are young and improving each year and now have 3 years played together the only one id replace is penn and it looks like they are gona keep him anyway most of our backups would start elsewhere

[conradbuff]

i wouldnt mind a qb being drafted i dont think they will pick one but if morris saw something in freeman he thought was special while at kc he will push for him all you guys saying we need a fast wr did you forget the dexter jackson pick he had the fastest 40 time and is to afraid to get hit that we barely played him i dont like any wr in the draft except crabtree who will be gone by 19

[Vincent]

I like the idea of drafting Freeman. He's got a cannon arm, threw 20 td's last season, he's 6'6 and seems to be gaining in popularity as the draft nears. It's so difficult to truly rate the Quarterback position. So many times we see Quarterbacks drafted high and never reach their potential (Ryan Leif, Alex Smith, Michael Vick), and there have been too many times we've seen Quarterbacks who flew "under the radar" (Tom Brady,Kurt Warner,Jeff Garcia), and yet were able to have success in the NFL. That being said, at least in Freeman you're getting a player with the physical tools and prototypical physique. Beyond that it's all a gamble.

[Shaun B.]

For one I put no stock in what Kiper says. Freeman is not worth a first round pick. Also and I think this is the most important thing to remember, if the chiefs do trade for Cassel like the rumors are saying then Sanchez could possibly slip to us at 19. If they don't then both Stafford and Sanchez will be gone. The other thing to remember is if we can sign Haynesworth which I think we should then RB/WR is a must at 19. We need speed on offense. Basically what I am saying is, it is way too early to know which way we need to go because the chips haven't fallen into place.

[Stacy]

Kiper - Draft Guru my butt. I recall last year watching the draft and they would show his proposed pks vs what actually happened and he was wrong more than he was right. He was right on most of the pks that we all could make. Even now he is spewing thoughts about what the Bucs need, well, we have all been on this site for months now saying excatly that!?! I am still waiting for my check in the mail...Lol

[Bucmaniac]

Stacy..when u get your check..can you send me the address to ask for mine.. Kiper is a turd. I think all the grease in his head has put strain on his brain. McShay is why better. Truly the NFL draft is all a crap shoot. Kiper should retire, I am sick of seeing that greaseball hair every draft day.

[John P]

I always laugh when a guru looks at a guy like Freeman and froths at the mouth when talking about their talent. They always evoke Tom Brady or Brett Favre or Donovan McNabb when talking about how they'll play in the NFL. As in: "He's got an arm like Favre and pocket awareness like Brady". Sure. Sure he does. They all do when there isn't a 300 pound lineman chasing him like a hungry hound dog chasing a pork chop.

The next Tom Brady is the guy that the draft 'gurus' are saying is really intelligent, displays great leadership and pocket presence, but just doesn't have the arm strength, heighth, or athleticism to play in the NFL. Look at the QB's in the draft and figure which ones fit that profile, write them down, and see how they're doing in a couple of years.

Bill Walsh was quoted many times as saying that arm strength and size are the most overrated elements of a QB. He always picked accurate, precise players who had the ability to lead.

Anyone wanting to argue for a big guy like Freeman might want to explain Akili Smith, Trent Dilfer, David Klingler, Andre Ware, Tim Couch, David Carr, Todd Marinovich, Joey Harrington, etc, etc etc. The 300 pound lineman always got to eat the pork chop when he was chasing those guys. They knew he was coming, and they got nervous, inaccurate and confused. Freeman is another one of those guys. Don't believe me? Have a look at the tape from his college career - if you can stand watching a K-State game.

[WS]

If we draft Freeman I will shove Valrico Rick's head through my television.

Love,
Bozo

[Slamdunk]

I agree with Matt H.

The Bucs tipped their hand with the resigning of LM. If Garcia had been inked, I see them taking a "QB of the future"--especially with a new coach using a three year strategy.

Instead, they will draft defense again with their #1 pick (probably DT), and pick-up an additional QB later in the draft or through FA.

[Al]

WORK A DEAL WITH BALTIMORE FOR TROY SMITH. EVERY TIME HE HAS HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO PLAY HE HAS DONE WELL AND MORRIS IS THE KIND OF COACH HE WOULD WORK WELL WITH.

[MCFADDEN21]

WE NEED 2 GET MIKE VICK NO QUESTIONS ABOUT IT VICK ,Haynesworth , RESIGN BRYANT AND DRAFT PERCY HARVIN OR KNOWSHOW MORENO OR JEREMY MACLIN IF HE FALL WE WILL WIN THE NFC VICK WITH AH GOOD DEFENSE YOU CANT LOSE

[BucFandango]

Rick, I just saw your video clip on NFL.com. Good Job sir & way to represent. Let's hope Bryant doesn't cost us $9 million.

[DR]

You guys just want to hear what you want to hear. You try to discredit a guy who gets paid millions to evaluate college talent. Yes, he's wrong at times, but so is every team and their scouts at times. Kiper evaluates what he sees and doesn't or rarely gets a chance to interview some of the guys to see what kind of person they are. That is where most of the big busts come from. Guys with talent but have no heart to be a NFL player. Guys like Leaf, Phillips, A. Smith, etc.
I think Kiper is right though. the Bucs need to look at QB in the draft. I think first round is too high, but the fact of the matter is McCown is a huge question mark. He has been in the league for quite some time and is still a back up and has a lot to prove to be a legit starting QB in this league. It would be nice for him to work out as a solid starter. The best thing for him is to have competition. To be given the starting job is not a good thing.

[John R]

I don't believe we need to draft a QB or get one through FA this year. Give Luke McCown his shot, I think he might turn out to be good. The three games I saw him start, he had good accuracy at any range. He only made a couple of bad decisions, and all QB's do sometime, but those are correctable. If he doesn't work out(we should know by mid year or after), either give Johnson a try or draft one next year. There will be several good ones.

With that said, we should make sure to re-sign Bryant and sign FA DT Haynesworth. We need a good DT to push the middle like Sapp was able to do. Then use the first round pick to get WR Maclin or Harvin, even if we have to trade up. My preference would be Maclin. Maybe use the next pick to get another DT or RB.

Also, I think Brooks and Barber should consider retirement. Brooks was a lot less effective last year. Barber missed a lot of tackles and got beat quite often. They both have been sensational and could go out at the top of their game.

That's just my take on things.
An OKC Bucs Fan

[Goodgulf71]

In my pewter tinted glasses, sign the big man, Haynesworth for 6 years and pay him right! Secondly, franchise Bryant and pay him for one year, remember he is only one year removed from a season long suspension and one DUI from being out for at least a year. Lets see how Dexter Jackson does in his sophomore year. In the draft a tailback, like Beanie Wells. He is built for the NFC south, big and powerful. Move Graham to FB and give more carries to Clifton Smith. We love you Cadillac, good luck with life after football. Lastly, get Jermaine back at SS. We lost the last 4 without him.

[Goodgulf71]

Next year is the year to draft a QB. Let McCown start this season and if he's good great! If not, we will have a high pick next year and land a stud at qb. It is fundamentally wrong to target a position and not draft the best available player, especially in the first round.