Here is How to Make the NFL Draft Better
Aidan Hutchinson poses onstage after being selected second by the Detroit Lions during round one of the 2022 NFL Draft on April 28, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images)
The NFL Draft is awesome. Here’s how to make the NFL Draft better. Get to the picks sooner. What do we mean? The start time is 8:00PM eastern time. Let’s have the first pick ready to go. The Chicago Bears know who they are going to pick first. The entire world knows who they are going to pick. It will be quarterback and former Heisman Trophy winner Celeb Williams from USC.
But, instead, we will get a big TV production as a broadcast introduction. It will be full of highlights, voiceovers, music and sound effects. This will last anywhere from 4-8 minutes. Then the announcers will talk for a few minutes. All of them.
Every network covering the draft (NFL Network, ESPN, and ABC plus streaming on the ESPN App, the NFL App, NFL+, and NFL.com) will have 4-6 people that want to tell me what I am about to see. It’s too much. We are all fans. If we are interested enough in this event, we are probably already educated somewhat regarding the NFL.
Then the Commissioner Roger Goodell will speak and welcome everyone to Detroit for the draft. At the end of his remarks he will announce that the Chicago Bears are on the clock and they will have, from that point, which is probably 15 minutes into the production, 10 more minutes to announce their draft pick. A pick, as I mentioned earlier, they already know.
MAKE THE NFL DRAFT BETTER!
Somewhere between 22-25 minutes after the hour the Bears will announce Caleb Williams will be a Chicago Bear. Then the clock will start for the Commanders. We will be lucky to get a 4th pick announced by 9:00PM! Although, back in the day there used to be 15 minutes between picks! Yikes! 10 minutes is better. But let’s speed this thing up and get started on time. That’s how to make the NFL Draft Better!
In the meantime, catch our 2024 Mock NFL Draft with Craig Shemon and Company today on ESPN Southwest Florida!
4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Draft Targets
The NFL Draft is difficult to predict. But by looking at Mock Draft’s we can see some of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers draft targets.
This offseason was a fork in the road moment for the Bucs. Franchise cornerstones Mike Evans and Antoine Winfield Jr. both could have left Tampa this offseason. But the team figured out a way to keep them both around and have enough money to resign quarterback Baker Mayfield.
Even though those are the high profile moves that will garner much of the attention from the national media, the team also made other significant moves.
They found their replacement for Shaw Barrett in Randy Gregory who played for Denver and the 49ers last season. They’ve brought in CB Bryce Hall from the Jets to compete for the CB2 role following the departure of Carlton Davis. They also beefed up their offensive line with 3 signings; Ben Bredeson, Justin Skule, and Sua Opeta. Opeta is penciled in as a starter right now with Bredeson a backup.
Randy Gregory #5 of the San Francisco 49ers reacts in the first quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs during Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium on February 11, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Draft Order.
The Buccaneers are currently 26th in the 1st round. The Buccaneers hold 7 picks- 1 in the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 6th, and 7th plus 2 picks in the 3rd round; pick number 89 and 92.
Looking at the current roster construction for the reigning NFC South champions, and there is not a clear position for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers draft targets. We will look at what different outlets have the Buccaneers taking in the 1st round. But there is not one position that is overwhelming.
It looks like Jason Licht and the Buccaneers are in a position where they can take the best player on the board or trade back if a team wants to get back into the 1st round.
There are some themes when looking at position groups that fit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers draft targets. Teams have figured out that you can’t acquire enough talent on the offensive and defensive lines, and the Bucs are mocked to take their fair share of linemen.
Here are some Tampa Bay Buccaneers Draft Targets.
Craig Shemon has been hosting afternoons on ESPN Southwest Florida since 2017. Prior to that he was a nationally syndicated host in Los Angeles at FOX Sports Radio and in Houston at Yahoo! Sports Radio. Along the way Craig did play-by-play for the NFL on FOX, NFL Europe, Big Ten Network, and The Citadel Radio Network. Craig is a native Detroiter and Indiana University graduate. He has been known to proudly display his Detroit and IU fandom on the air. Craig likes to write about athletes, create quizzes, and covers big sports headlines.