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24	August 2019

Stanford�s standout running back could be in the

running to join Tampa Bay in this year�s NFL Draft"WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections 2016 NFL DraftInjuriesFree AgencyGame FilmTampa Bay Buccaneers Draft Profile: RB Bryce LoveNew Matt Gay Tampa Bay Buccaneers Jersey ,3commentsStanford�s standout running back could be in the running to join Tampa Bay in this year�s NFL DraftEDTShareTweetShareShareTampa Bay Buccaneers Draft Profile: RB Bryce LoveErich Schlegel-USA TODAY SportsWith players like Kareem Hunt, Tevin Coleman, Carlos Hyde, Mark Ingram and Latavius Murray (oh, Le�Veon Bell, too) changing teams this off-season, many people speculated about whether or not the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would dip into the free-agent pool to add another ball carrier to their 2019 roster.Besides the addition of Andre Ellington, the backfield will basically remain intact with Peyton Barber and Ronald Jones returning, and Ellington presumably replacing fellow veteran Jacquizz Rodgers who remains unsigned as of this writing.Could Jason Licht look towards the draft to add even more potential and depth to a running back group most believe hasn�t reached it�s ceiling? We�ve already looked at one such prospect for this year's NFL Draft, now let�s look at another.Bryce Love�s CareerIn January of 2018 Bryce Love announced he would be returning to Stanford to complete his degree in human biology, and play football for the Cardinal. It was big news. He finished as the runner up for the Heisman Trophy to Oklahoma�s Baker Mayfield, and was named the best running back in the country winning the Doak Walker trophy in the process.Mel Kiper had him listed as the second-best running back in the 2018 NFL Draft class, and would have been one of the top members in a class which included Saquon Barkley and post-season hero, Sony Michel.If you really think about it, Michel might have become a Tampa Bay Buccaneers draft pick had Love come out after last year. Alas, he did not, and in December of the same year Love was rewarded for his desire to complete his education with a torn ACL as he neared the completion of his impressive collegiate career.In total, Love played in 49 games for the Stanford Cardinal and racked up over 4,300-yards of offense and 32 touchdowns.In the end however, his worst season came in his final one as his yards per carry hit career lows as did his yards per catch. And of course, a torn ACL.ProsHe�s incredibly smart and isn�t likely to be stumped by complex NFL offensive strategies and play-calling language. The man majored in biology. At Stanford. Super fast (assuming he regains his speed following ACL recovery) playmaker with homerun ability every time he touches the ball. Possesses talent requiring opposing linebackers to watch and react before selling out to any one path completely because of his short area ability and perimeter awareness.Balanced runner who can duck and dodge would-be tacklers while staying ready to read and react to what�s happening in front of him. Defenders who lower their head to hit him are going to find themselves on more Not Top-10s than they do Top-10s.Solid to good receiver out of the backfield, and can get even better with coaching and repetition in the NFL.ConsRecovering from an ACL injury which will keep him out through offseason training activities and his rookie camp, at a minimum. Requires blockers who can set the table as his size just doesn�t allow him to physically defeat tacklers. Because of this, he�s forced to rely on space to make defenders miss.If he can�t find space, his feet will break down and forward momentum ceases to exist. Leans on elite athleticism to defeat inferior talent and may have issues early in his pro career going against defenders with more athleticism than he�s seen before while learning to become a long-game ball carrier.Not a three-down back, and will need to fit into his role as a change of pace or passing down threat while getting minimal work in most early down situations and goal line sets.When at the combine, Love was asked about how he tried to put teams at ease about his injury, and he responded by saying,�I stress that injuries are a part of the game. The big thing is that ACLs aren�t what they used to be. You can point to the success of a lot of different back s in the NFL right now that have had knee surgery and gone through those things.�Why The Buccaneers Need HimShaun Wilson caused some excitement last season when his speed and ability out of the backfield caused some camp and pre-season buzz. The Bucs tried to translate this to the regular season for a little while, but it just didn�t work out.Wilson should be returning with the team in 2019 and will get another crack at showing his new coaching staff he has some skills they can leverage 2019 Matt Gay Jersey , but whether or not it�ll turn out any better is still to be seen.In 2018, Wilson gained 29-yards on six carries and had just five yards on three receptions.Love can match the production, and could provide even more if his ACL heals properly and he�s able to return to 2018 form, physically.Will It Happen?Don�t bet against it. Love is incredibly talented in what he can do, and what he can do definitely fills a role the Buccaneers could look to use with Arians and on the roster.The real question at that point then becomes, are the Bucs really going to carry Barber, Jones, Ellington and Love on the active roster? And if Love goes to the practice squad, how long would he stay there before getting poached by another team? Seven months ago as the team prepared for the 2018 season I wrote about the Buccaneers Iron Man, Donovan Smith.The 2018 season was a big one for Smith who now will be entering free agency for the first time. Little has changed over the last 7 months for the left tackle. Smith continued his Iron Man ways, starting every single game for the Buccaneers for the 4th straight year. Before getting into whether or not the Buccaneers should bring back Smith, let�s take a look at what transpired this past season.As a unit, the pass blocking work that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive line put it graded out around the middle of the pack in the NFL (15th as apass protecting unit according to Football Outsiders, surrendering 41 sacks combined).For some reference to Donovan Smith himself, let�s take a look at some progression using numbers. Below you will see that as of October 10th 2018 (4 games into the season) and things were not off to a very good start for the free agent to be. It doesn�t take a mathematician to see that Smith was on pace to give up more pressures than the prior season. Alas, the above was simply a snapshot of what had transpired through 4 games of the season. In those 4 games there were a total of 158 drop backs (Ryan Fitzpatrick/136, Jameis Winston/22) which comes out to 7.6% of the time that a Buccaneer QB dropped back to pass, Smith was giving up some pressure. In 2017 Tampa Bay QB�s dropped back to pass 575 times and Smith gave up a pressure 42 times telling us Smith gave up a pressure 7.3% of the time. 12 in 4 games sounds ugly but truth be told, it�s who Donovan Smith has been as a pass blocker. Stretch out to week 14 and Smith had given up 39 pressures on 552 drop backs, good for a 7.1% clip which was an improvement as a whole compared to the seasons start. Has Donovan Smith improved each year? Yes. From strictly a grading standpoint using Pro Football Reference as the grading system, Donovan Smith has steadily improved and actually graded out with a significant jump in rating for 2018. Smith has grown from a 42.8 as a rookie to a 51.5 as 2017 wrapped up. Looking back at his 2018 and PFF graded Smith out as a 66.0 overall which is quite the jump. In comparison to other free agent tackles, Smith graded out 5th best. The listing can be found below from Pro Football Focus. As a fan that watches Smith week in and week out, it makes sense to be frustrated. You see the questionable effort from time to time. You see the inability to get push and remain disciplined in key situations. You watch and question things that your eyes are telling you shouldn�t be happening. What you don�t do or know is what the responsibilities on each play are. What you don�t know is how the unit is being coached and how they are taught and disciplined. What we do know, for what credibility you give PFF ratings, is that Donovan Smith is still growing and he made a jump this past season. Who is Donovan Smith? We still may not know. Bruce Arians and his all-star staff have been brought in and many fans are pointing to ways he can fix Jameis Winston. Winston has had far lower lows than Donovan Smith through his tenure here in Tampa. Why isn�t Donovan Smith being given the same confidence that a new staff can further inject life into his own personal growth as a player? Maybe Bruce Arians can coach up some more consistency out of him. For every reason fans and media have given for Arians coming in to help Winston, why wouldn�t we believe he could do the same to a player that has played more games than Jameis under what many have considered to be lackluster coaching? The options out there right now are thin in free agency. Bringing in another tackle with similar to slightly better results will almost assuredly cost more than bringing back Smith and you�re relying on a new body to come onto the team and bring instant quality snaps... again. Looking at you Ryan Jensen. Looking at you Anthony Collins. Good, quality offensive tackles simply don�t hit the market without reason. Remember that Buccaneer fans. The draft isn�t a sure thing and forget about talking about the player developing, I�m simply talking about actually getting the opportunity to pick the player you want. What will Tampa Bay Buccaneer general manager Jason Licht do? I�m not too sure, but I am sure he should strongly consider getting Donovan Smith locked back up for at least the short term future.