1.26 - Chop Robinson, Penn State
Elite athlete and pressure rates (18% pressure rate and 92nd percentile pass rush grade) with a "where's the production caveat."
Tampa's pressure rate during their Super Bowl season was 3rd in the NFL. They dropped into the 20's last year (22).
Shaq Barrett declined quickly after an achilles injury and has moved on to Miami. We wish him well as he hits up the Dolphins for a $9M pension.
YaYa Diaby showed promise in limited snaps (45%) with 7.5 sacks and finished 3rd in DRoY voting (I bet you didn't know that!), but he's an older "young" player at 25, and has likely maxed out his athletic potential. Joe Tryon Shoyinka has been ok in comparison to his peers from a desolate wasteland of a draft in 2020 (Seriously, go back and look at that draft outside of the top 15. Awful). But, that's no reason not to continue to address EDGE.
Tampa's pass rush would prove to be very dynamic from the inside (Vea/Cancey) and the outside in adding Chop.
Other considerations would have been a sprint to the podium for Jackson Powers Johnson. Brian Thomas Jr. was also considered as Chris Godwin enters the last year of his deal and Mike Evans is obviously in the twilight of his career. However, the depth at WR allows the team to wait until a later round to add a player to that group. Graham Barton from Duke is also an intriguing and position flexible iOL that could help the Bucs' 32nd for two straight years running game.
In the real draft I do not think Penix nor Nix will have been drafted up to this point. I'm wondering if these mid to late-20's spots will be highly coveted by a team trying to get back into the 1st to take one of them.
I do also think this could be an enticing spot for a trade to nab Brian Thomas Jr. I don't think these later drafting AFC teams can nor should they allow him into the hands of the Chiefs.
If the EDGE players (Chop and Latu) and interior offensive linemen are gone (JPJ and Graham Barton) I think the Bucs could trade this pick to a QB needy team or someone who wants to get in front of these other teams for that last elite tier WR.
Fake GM Grahamburn was offered a deal to trade this pick, and if this were RL it likely would have been taken.