Womens Lee Roy Selmon Jersey , it’s the right decision for the team moving forward"WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections 2016 NFL DraftInjuriesFree AgencyGame FilmDevin White Is The Right Choice For The BucsNew,37commentsIf the LSU linebacker is the pick in the first, it’s the right decision for the team moving forwardEDTShareTweetShareShareDevin White Is The Right Choice For The BucsDerick E. Hingle-USA TODAY SportsDraft day is upon us and - as always - Buccaneers twitter is incredibly divided as to what the team should do. We’ve heard all kinds of names attached to the team, whether it’s Devin White, Ed Oliver, Quinnen Williams, Josh Allen, Brian Burns. The fact of the matter is that the team is in prime position to take an elite level talent with their first pick and help reshape the defense moving forward.Here’s my stance; unless Quinnen Williams somehow falls into their lap at number five (of course, assuming Nick Bosa is gone as we all expect), the Buccaneers need to take LSU linebacker Devin White.Quinnen Williams is one of those rare talents that you just can’t pass on. Outside of him, there is no one that will impact this defense - or this team - more than White. Now, that’s not to say Oliver, White, Burns, or any of these other players aren’t also rare talents, but Williams is in another stratosphere and it would be difficult to pass on him. The key here is position scarcity. It’s something I’ve preached repeatedly on the Locked On Bucs podcast and will say it again here on the eve of the draft. There are no linebackers after Devin White or Devin Bush that can start for this team in 2019. In Todd Bowles’ defense, an inside linebacker that can quarterback the defense, be an effective run stopper, drop into coverage, have sideline to sideline speed, and impact every level of the defense is an absolute must have. In fact, you can argue that inside linebacker in the defense the Bucs are about to switch to is far more important than that of most other defenses in the NFL. After losing Kwon Alexander, they need a replacement in a bad way. Yeah, yeah - drafting or reaching for need is what can get teams in trouble. That is, unless, drafting an elite talent matches up with a position you need. Then it’s just smart drafting.Anyway, back to my point about position scarcity - one of the clear strengths of this draft is along the defensive line, whether you’re talking about interior line or edge rushers. That means you can find starters along the defensive line or at edge rusher on day two. They will be there and do exist. Are they as good as Oliver or Allen or Burns? No, but they project to be above average players. You look at guys like Dexter Lawrence out of Clemson or Jerry Tillery out of Notre Dame as linemen that could slide to the second. Edge rushers like Jachai Polite from Florida, D’Andre Walker from Georgia, or Jaylon Ferguson from Louisiana Tech would again be starting caliber players that are there on day two.Starting caliber linebackers available on day two? None. There aren’t any. They don’t exist.Forget arguing position values in the draft. It’s not real. If teams were so concerned with positional values in the draft, the only players drafted in the top fifteen-to-twenty of the draft would be quarterbacks, left tackles, and edge rushers. That’s not reality. That’s Madden. That’s fantasy football. We wouldn’t have seen guys like Ezekiel Elliott, Saquon Barkley, Quenton Nelson, Mike Evans, Jalen Ramsey taken where they were. Anyone regretting those picks? Hardly.You draft the player, not the position or its perceived “value”. Wouldn’t you rather have an elite linebacker to be the captain, the leader of this defense who fits perfectly in the scheme being created and have him for the next ten years in addition to an above average defensive lineman or edge rusher instead of an elite level defensive lineman/edge rusher and a starting interior linebacking corps of Lavonte David and.........Riley Bullough? Jack Cichy? Davonte Bond? Nothing against those guys, but they aren’t getting the job done. Not in a must win season. Yes, the Bucs need to replace Jason Pierre-Paul, but not this season. Yes, the Bucs will likely move on from Gerald McCoy and will need to replace him. As a long time McCoy defender and apologist, tell me - is his production really so high that he can’t be replaced by Lawrence or Tillery? The answer is an emphatic no. The Bucs still have JPP and Nassib who were one hell of a duo last season and look to replicate that success in a more modern, more effective scheme. Add to that Shaq Barrett and the hope that Noah Spence can regain his dominant form when playing his natural position at his natural weight Beau Allen Jersey White , the edge rush is looking better off than people give it credit for.The gaping, glaring hole is next to Lavonte. Devin White is the perfect player to fill that. The guy that helps every level of the defense, that can track down ball carriers from anywhere on the field, that can impact the pass rush up the middle, and he can do so while being a leader from the second he walks in the front door. White isn’t going to care that he’s a rookie, he’s going to walk in and hold everyone accountable. He’s a leader and that’s what leaders do.That’s what you need out of a top five pick. An elite player, yes, but an elite locker room guy and an elite person. “Position value” be damned, drafting Devin White would be a gigantic leap in the right direction for this franchise. That was horrific. No excuses, no justifications. Absolutely, unequivocally pathetic. The NFL’s number one offense was completely shut down while the 31st ranked defense made Mitchell Trubisky have the best game of his career - past or future. No way Trubisky ever plays this well again. Ever.After starting 2-0 the Bucs have lost their last two by a combined score of 78-37. At the end of the day, it’s inexcusable. It’s indefensible. It’s sickening.Let’s pick six.Six Topics Suitable For Conversation1.) Mike Smith Has To Go - Some may view this as an overreaction, but look at the track record. One of the NFL’s worst defenses under Smith in 2017 and so far through 2018, there is no justification in keeping Smith around. Even if promoting Brentson Buckner in an interim role proves that he isn’t the guy, the defense can’t possibly get any worse under his leadership. This defense has far too much talent on it to play this poorly - and when you allow Trubisky to throw six touchdown passes in one game after he had nine in his career thus far, it’s time to go. Koetter has to know this, but may be protecting his bestie by deflecting blame away with his oh so clever postgame quote; “We should fire every person that was on that field today, starting with me. That was horrific.” I understand the Buccaneers are missing Vernon Hargreaves, Chris Conte, Jordan Whitehead, they lost Carlton Davis during the game. The secondary is young, yes. But that performance was bush league. The last time the Bucs fired a coordinator in season was 2009 when OC Jeff Jagodzinski was fired following the preseason leading to Greg Olson’s promotion and DC Jim Bates was fired in November, allowing then head coach Raheem Morris to take over play calling. Time for it to happen again. Absolutely indefensible.2.) Jason Pierre-Paul Is So Good - No one seemed to be talking about it, but for a brief moment JPP was tied with Khalil Mack for the NFL lead in sacks. He has been an absolute force on the defensive line and in the locker room. He said he took this loss personally and we saw him getting on the rest of the defense’s butts on the sidelines. Just have to hope he doesn’t lose that fire. The Bucs need it.3.) Encouraging Signs From Ronald Jones - RoJo got a lot of second half work and the signs are positive. It looked like there were some opportunities where he was just a fraction of a second away from breaking off a big play. He finished with ten carries for 29 yards, but only took one hit for a loss where Ali Marpet was beat badly off the snap. It had to be a confidence building afternoon for Jones and his future role with the team. Gotta work on that pass catching, though...4.) Winston Looked Rusty, But Solid - Some of the timing was off and he looked indecisive at times, but overall Jameis Winston looked pretty good given the circumstances. He did throw two interceptions, but on the first one his arm was hit by Mack, leaving the pass fluttering and easy pickings. On the second, he appeared to just leave it short on a poor pass. Winston had a lot more time in the pocket than Fitzpatrick did, but the Bears were dropping seven into coverage leaving little to no open passing windows. It was the right move to get Winston some live game reps as he will need that under his belt before taking the snaps in Atlanta following the bye.5.) Bye Week Comes At Perfect Time - A lot of people hate the early bye, but for the Bucs this is the perfect time. Start off on fire just to crumble the last two weeks, the Bucs need this week to regroup before taking on division rival Atlanta. Whatever that regrouping consists of - defensive changes/adjustments, practice for Winston to get that timing down again, whatever. This could spiral out of control as we’ve seen in years past if they don’t reevaluate and make the necessary changes.6.) Get Healthy - Missing Beau Allen and Jordan Whitehead hurt. Losing O.J. Howard and Carlton Davis in the game didn’t help. Bucs need to get healthy so they can get back to form. The defensive line and secondary injury bug is making things far more difficult for this team to compete. Can’t keep losing key pieces and expect to win games.Six Numbers To Consider19 - Number of times the Bucs have given up 400+ yards under Mike Smith; 4-15 in those games12 - Teams since the merger to give up 139+ points in the first four games. None of the other eleven made the postseason40 - Percentage of Mitchell Trubisky’s career touchdowns thrown on Sunday vs. Bucs69 - Years since a Bears’ QB had six touchdown passes in a game80 - Winston’s completion percentage3 - Weeks until the Bucs play at homeSix Ways To Get Through The Bye Week1.) Enjoy a family outing on Sunday without the stresses of watching Mike Smith’s defense2.) MLB PLAYOFFS!!3.) Enjoy the start of the NHL season4.) Read the thank you letter from your liver that you aren’t subjecting yourself to something that made you want/need to drink. Heavily.5.) Take a deep breath and realize that the first two weeks of the season is far more indicative of this team’s talent than the last two weeks. It’s gonna be okay.6.) Cheer like crazy for the Steelers, Redskins, and GiantsSix Song Monday PlaylistHere are the six songs to fully encapsulate the 48-10 loss1.) “Sunday Bloody Sunday” - U2 (Pretty self explanatory)2.) “Return Of The Mack” - Mark Morrison (Marking the return of Jameis Winston)3.) “Party Up” - DMX (Ya’ll gon’ make me lose my mind, up in here, up in here...)4.) “Numb” - Linkin Park (How most Bucs fans feel about Mike Smith’s defense...)5.) “Three Little Birds” - Bob Marley (‘Cuz every little things gonna be alright)6.) “Good Times, Bad Times” - Led Zepplin (No matter how I try I find my way to do the same old jam, Good times, bad times you know I had my share)Six Super Bowl Bets**Results from Sunday Night Football not complete at time of writing**1.) Los Angeles Rams - Going undefeated. Change my mind.2.) Kansas City Chiefs - Offense overcomes any and all defensive shortcomings3.) Jacksonville Jaguars - Dominant defenses win championships4.) New England Patriots - That lull wasn’t going to last forever. Sony Michel is the truth5.) New Orleans Saints - Week one loss, since then have found a way to get it done16.) Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Have to get the defensive side of the ball figured out. NOW.Six Final WordsLightning Hockey Starts In Five Days