Grading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Atlanta Falcons' NFL Draft picks | NFL on FOX Pod

Dave Helman sits down with Greg Auman to talk about the NFL Draft! Within the conversation, the duo break down what their report-card grades for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Atlanta Falcons are for their picks in the NFL Draft.

[@Travis89-ob5tt]

The Bucs have won the division and Rachaad White had a breakout year in 23 while the Bucs had the worst run game in the league the last 2 years. Graham Barton will surely fix that problem. Also love the Tykee Smith and Jalen McMillan picks. Braswell looks like he'll help sooner than later too.

[@Gwrightproductions1]

Adding Irvin will make this rush attack very fun to watch as well

[@nunya6747]

and Jordan whitehead is back to help Winfield and dominate again.

[@rolandwoltman7835]

White had the 7th best rushing total *BEFORE* contact. He wasn't in the top 60 based on average for yards *AFTER* contact. White is horribly overrated. The O-line was not great... But White was worse, especially early in the year. Sadly Bucky is the same kind of back imo. His broken tackles numbers are a mirage imo. (Oline dominance and that Center is a beast.) Bucky was at his slow top speed 15mphish BEFORE getting touched quite often.

[@whiteboard6582]

@@rolandwoltman7835wild statement, you didn’t watch many games if any at all

[@rolandwoltman7835]

@@whiteboard6582 You talking about the Bucs or the Ducks?

[@nathanelliott4008]

Thank you Atlanta for being Atlanta!

[@0peinup]

I'm impressed they knew about the depth players for the Bucs all of the way to Markees Watts. Any chance of the Bucs addressing the issue by trading with the Bengals for Trey Hendrickson? Bring that Florida boy home for some sacks!

[@blazinbuc99]

That's Greg Auman, a local Bucs reporter so he knows everyone on the roster

[@0peinup]

@@blazinbuc99 Yeah, I recognized him. Sometimes these division reporters don't go too deep. Glad the Bucs and the South have a good one.

[@kennethgolden5539]

I was getting tired of Licht going after so many small school players in the past. I felt it was a ego thing. "We are better than everyone else. No one picked this guy and he turned out to be a good player." This year they went for a lot of elite schools players. I hope it is a trend going forward.

[@kennethgolden5539]

Penix was just a crazy pick. If it was late first round it would have been acceptable. As a Buc fan, I loved it. So did our offensive line. They were expecting Latu or another top edge rusher. Terry Fontenot and Raheem Morris put their future employment on the line with this selection. If Raheem has losing records over the next two years, he may not be there to see if Penix was a good choice.

[@surfrenegade26]

The Falcons handed the Bucs the division. They can wait 4-5 years of being curb stomped over and over 😆

[@MF-hz6xx]

Did they really think Tampa coveted Penex that badly?

[@Tampafan33]

@@MF-hz6xxdoes make ya wonder. The bucs weren’t picking a qb till way late either way. Shows how dumb that gm is though

[@oginthetree_8747]

Bucs are still super mid and can easily be beat by ATL

[@James-fs8mm]

If you think bucs have the division you don’t know football… As soon as Kirk got on Atlanta we had the division. I guess you weren’t watching last year but all we needed was a QB last year, one a little better then Ridder and Kirk is WAYY better.

[@Travis89-ob5tt]

The Bucs won the division last year without 1/3 of they're cap. They had 80M in dead money. They also have more standout players. Guys that have won the division many times along with a SB.

[@Superman_305]

I rarely say this in fact i never said this but i like 99% of the bucs picks i especially like the Graham Barton and Chris Braswell along with Elijah Klein. Because thats 3 potential starters on both offense and defense.

[@kennethgolden5539]

I am not at all sold on either Michael Penix or Jaden Daniels. These two had huge advantages over most defenses. Been in the league 5-6 year playing against less than that. They were experienced. Now they are going in to a league where they are well behind. Can they bridge the gap. Can Penix lower body survive the hits. Do not see any Rookie QB being a CJ Shroud this year.

[@GoBucs-uw4ni]

As a Bucs fan I loved Atlanta drafting Penix. Keep making stupid moves and keep being a trash organization. 0-2 in Super Bowls including the biggest collapse in sports history against the Pats. FAILcons just doing what they do best.

[@mrblackbird1254]

Jeez man - I’m a Bucs fan but we don’t need to go that hard at the Falcons. I pity them more than anything. Save the vitriol for the Saints and their toxic fan base. FTS 🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️

[@velazi816]

@@mrblackbird1254 facts thats what im saying, im a Falcons fans dn have never really had beef with the bucs. Only every been the saints idk why he hates us so much lol

[@anonymousreviewer116]

What a sexually repressed lack of sportsmanship, your name checks out.

[@urekmazino6800]

Right lmao

[@velazi816]

@Gman333g Being good is only a slight reason why most fans hate other teams, I could care less if the bucs win the division 20 years straight, its about how their players and fans act, and Ive never had a problem with how the bucs are, they are pretty classy, now the saints on the other hand. That is a team id have beef with even I they go 0-17, their fans and players have zero class, cheer when opponents get injured, and ill never forget bountygate.

[@enzogonzales3038]

Great pick let’s go Atlanta

[@petera6984]

Bucs Fan Here, Great draft Atlanta 😅

[@gamingmantis3162]

I hate that my bucs ignored outside corner. We didn't replace Davis ive been arguing with people over this I think it was dumb not going for an outside corner

[@CorgiaiLover]

Idk I think we still have good depth at CB and I think the new rookie can cover anyone tbh

[@CorgiaiLover]

I'm excited we brought back Jordan Whitehead, and having zyon confident in his 3rd year will be important for us

[@JoeyXB]

Well you can’t fill every need. Can’t complain about the Barton and Braswell pick so that would leave a late 3rd round for corner and at that point do you really think a late 3rd would be considered a replacement for Davis? What would be better about that than zyon?

[@damianbarnes401]

If Your pass rush is better, your Cb's gets better. You have to see things differently than how you see.

[@CorgiaiLover]

@@JoeyXB we did the same thing last year which I was happy about same here, we got dt and o line in the first two rounds last year

[@MatticusNicholas]

Cousins deal is essentially 2 years then they can cut ties, also coming back from achilles injury might not work out. It's better than people say.

[@ryanroddy15]

As a Bucs fan I’m happy with our draft especially the picks in the first 3 rounds I think all of them will contribute right away. I honestly don’t hate the Falcons decision to draft Penix I think it would be wise for more nfl teams to draft their QB of the future and develop him instead of immediately throwing them into the fire, which in most cases ends poorly for the player and team. I highly doubt Cousins is the long term answer in Atlanta as he only has one playoff win in his career and has shown that he is an inconsistent QB at times. If I were a falcons fan I’d be more worried about Raheem Morris as a head coach than selecting Penix 8th overall.

[@unclerico1106]

Early in the combine days there was a report that stated that Bruce arians liked a lot out of Micheal penix. I wonder if that had any implications on why they drafted him. The falcons didn't want the BUCS having him.

[@unclerico1106]

Penix would've surely fallen if they didn't draft him.

[@iloxygenil]

Why do none of the talking heads understand they’re using revisionist history. If the Falcons don’t sign cousins they aren’t promised Penix at 8.

[@realtordavidzusman4673]

If the Falcons first round pick was a surprise and perceived as bad, Buccaneers try to top off Falcon’s bad pick for the entire rest of the draft. They picked an average rotational DL using a second round pick leaving Haynes, Bullard, Corum, Wright, Sanders, Burton, Franklin, Corkey, Jonah Ellis on the board. Then they use pick 89 to get a 5th round safety. I don't understand why would you not pick Bullard to then waste 89 pick for 5th round safety. Then with pick 92 they picked a WR that is slower than most in the draft and is injury-prone. When you think they couldn't mess up any longer, they leave Mo Kamara on the board to select an average running back that is not the power runner that was lacking in the team but that is also a very bad blocker. The last 2 picks they pick a Guard that they could easily sign as free agent and a TE that is a dropping ball machine when they could have drafted DL that play in a similar level as the DL they drafted on second round, or they could have signed Jalen Harrel and have more depth at Edge. We could have walked out with Barton, Burton, Jaylen Wright, Mc Cormick, Mo Kamara, Jalen Harrel and Michael Barret. Is just unbelievable how bad this draft was. If they really wanted a safety we could go with a pick that could cover Antoine Winfield in case he is injured. In this case : Barton , Bullard, Jalen Wright, Mc Cormick, Mo Kamara, Michael Barret and Jaylen Harrel.

[@davidwhitfield6432]

As a Bucs fan from their inception, I have seen this scenario play out more times than I can remember. In fact, it was going on until the playoffs this last season. The fans ALWAYS think the second string QB is the answer. If Cousins struggles in the preseason, which is a good probability. New system new recievers, ect. and if Penix looks even serviceable even though it'll be against 3rd striingers, the fans will make Cousins life miserable. Tom Brady won a Superbowl his 1st yr. but didn't look good his first 5 or 6 games. We'll see how good the $180,000,000. man looks when the home crowd is booing him and calling for the rookie. I don't wish anything bad to happen, but the Falcons would be escaping a huge bullet if penix got hurt in camp.

[@DravisACard]

Smart move in my opinion. Sure, the kirk cousin's signing was questionable, but if you actually look at the contract, he is guaranteed 100 mill for 2 years, after that he could be gone. Plus, he is 36 w/ an Achilles injury. Not only do they have their qb for the future(which could be in 2 years) but he's their back up plan if cousins gets hurt. I can guarantee you that a team like the jets could've used a plan like that after Rodgers got injured. The smartest moves in chess are the ones that seem irregular to most.

[@unclerico1106]

Ehhh kinda a bad take. It's different if penix is younger but he's gonna be 24 in a few days and he maybe tapped out playing football from so many injuries. He will be 28 when his rookie contract expires 29 if they pick his 5th year option. I wish nothing for the best for him but you could've let him fall in the draft and still got great value for him in the second round or third round if he was there. Let's say Kirk comes in does good day one and the falcons keep him for year 3 and 4. You just wasted a first round pick and surely not picking up that fifth year option. You make this move in year 2. You basically just told Kirk after signing him to 100 million dollars that you have no faith in what he can do and basically he's on the hot seat. If you knew you was going QB in the first round you could've saved money by getting a Jacoby brisset. And allocating that 100 million to a different position or to help your defense. Devin White was out in the market maybe a primer pass rusher? But now you got 2 QBs taking up a good chunk of your cap. Your essentially paying Kirk to be a offensive coordinator.

[@DravisACard]

@@unclerico1106 penix jr will be 24, not 34. Lol. His age doesn't change anything. After kirks guaranteed money, which is in the span of 2 years I highly doubt that the falcons will keep him after that, especially with Penix jr now. If Atl didn't pick him at 8, then 3 other teams would've traded up to grab him......Raiders, vikings, & saints, as it was reported. People act as if they only had an 8th pick, when they chose defense in the 2nd, 3rd,, 4th, & 5th rounds. (Along with offense).

[@decharak]

The only mistake that Tampa did was not drafting Tampa, whose went to high school in Tampa.

[@mikejones9122]

At the end of 2024... #1 BUCS 🚩🏴‍☠️🚩 #2 STAINKS #3 CRYOLINA #4 A T FAIL'S 🥱😭😂😂😂

[@PrettyMuchCarnage]

So instead of them giving cousins a A grade receiver for the length of his contract, they decide to draft a qb to sit behind him for the entire rookie contrct. And right after cousins contract they pick up the 5th for penix and then sign him to a longer term deal at 29 years old. No buffer between big qb contracts. Falcons gm on a whole new level of dumb. 😂

[@gorillashop337]

Go Bucs! Graham Barton C was offered a lot more money from larger schools, no thanks I am good here.

[@rainkid8807]

These guys are acting like if everyone knew the falcons were trying to take a qb that he’d still be there at 8

[@willhunter7503]

penix wouldn’t have ben there at 8 if everyone knew the falcons needed a qb. chess not checkers. someone would’ve jumped them

[@sweetnessdabutta9985]

Imagine giving a Team a D not on the actual ability of the players they drafted, but because you don't like that, they didn't do what you would have done😂😂😂. The argument people are making is that they didn't draft a pass rusher in the 1st round. Like they wanted them to. Dismissing the fact that they did draft DLine and pass rush in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th rounds. Then the argument is, well, Penix is just going to sit on the bench behind Cousins. ... Excuse me... but there are always QBs that are drafted in the 1st round that sit behind other high paid vets on the team. Lets say Matt Ryan was still on the team. The yr Matt left the Falcons, and the Falsons had 70% of their cap space taken up by Ryan and Julio Jones. Let's say the Falcons drafted a QB at pick 8 when Matt was making more than Cousins is currently making with the Falcons. Wouldn't that QB still sit a yr or two behind Ryan until the Falcons were able to release Matt Ryan or Matt Retired???? Yes, that Pick whoever that QB would have waited for a yr or two. So, the Falcons are in that position once again a 35 yr old qb that will be 37 the same age as Ryan in two yrs and guess what. Instead of having to bring in a Mariota like they did when Ryan left. Or drafting a QB in the 3rd round and expecting him to be a franchise QB like they did with Ridder. They decided to say we good on that, thank you, we chose option D. ie break the mold, and while our Vet QB still has some juice and is able to get us 11 to 13 wins and a trip to the playoffs to get our young stars some playoff experience. We also want out Future Star QB waiting in the wings and learning the offense ready to go when it's time.

[@javy4301]

2 year 100m, not 200 mil. Stop being dramatic. If Penix hits, then it's worth it.

[@TonyMontana_19]

Funny how nobody bashed The Kansas City Chiefs when they drafted Mahomes , even though Alex Smith was leading The Chiefs to playoffs every other year… 😂

[@thailannesbitt]

The chiefs didn’t get Alex smith out of free agency and pay him $180 million then draft Patrick a few weeks later. That’s the difference. The chiefs knew what they had with Alex smith and knew they needed more eventually there was only so far Alex smith could take you eventually you have to take that chance on another qb The falcons gave a 35 years old coming off an Achilles injury and 1 playoff win huge money and don’t know how he is gonna play and drafted a QB (who I think is great by the way) at 8 when they needed an edge rusher because their dline was awful. That’s why there is a difference

[@christophermillett2273]

Did you even listen as to why the mahomes situation was better than Atlantas?

[@Omegatherebel]

The logic here is if Cousins plays like he does we won’t be picking in the top 20 until Cousins leaves I get it now

[@christophermillett2273]

😂😂😂 whatever helps you sleep at night.

[@donaldpodzikowski8028]

Cousins is going to make $100 million. He should just buck up.

[@rodneyhorsley8601]

Fire the cannons!!

[@Gwrightproductions1]

Atlanta sabatoged themselves

[@jordansheffield6101]

Chiefs could out of their deal in 1 year falcons can cut cousins in 2. Big dea.

[@enzogonzales3038]

It’s 2yr only 100 million than he gone

[@45TWBTNP47]

Falcons front office have to be some of the dumbest people in the league

[@dirtycosby9437]

Everyone saying the Bucs are wining the division. Revisit this in February.

[@louieflash7190]

I bet you have said this for the past 3 seasons. 😄

[@dirtycosby9437]

@@louieflash7190 I bet you drink white Gatorade and smell like a stack of nickels. nah I’m a realist. This ain’t a cowboys fan saying we’re winning the big one like the past 20+. This is something every analyst is saying too. Let’s revisit this in February 😊

[@louieflash7190]

@@dirtycosby9437 Are these the same analyst that said the Bucs would be last in the division last season and only win 3-4 games? Really dude? You are making this way to easy.

[@dirtycosby9437]

@@louieflash7190 making way to easy?? Tell me you have an extra chromosome without telling me you have an extra chromosome. This isn’t an argument this is me stating an opinion with some facts or actual logic behind it and saying revisit this in February. Btw most of the analysts believed it was going to be the Bucs division last year… every analyst said Baker plays well without pressure when he can just enjoy himself. The problem is that’s not this year… this year he got the bag and the expectations… every time he’s put in that situation he crumbles. You are making this way to easy 🥴🤢🤮 who says that. Ur either really old or 12 and below. I’ll say it again for ya lil fella. Revisit this in February. 🤷‍♂️

[@unclerico1106]

​@@dirtycosby9437I mean the expectation is that we will be ok. We are in a still very winnable situation in the NFC South. Can Kirk stay healthy for a full year? Can the Panthers put something together? The saints are still in a hole from the Sean Peyton era with Derek carr a flashier version of Kirk cousins. The BUCS have only gotten better. We got some safety help some weapons on the offense a few big guys in the trenches. The only thing we didn't draft is a backup QB to trask and compete for that qb2 spot. And we may have signed one from the undrafted free agents.

[@chromeheatta]

They should have drafted a Quarterback! Baker is not it! Sorry, not sorry 😂

[@Anti-Ignorance]

Goofies.

[@jordansheffield6101]

Desmond ridder beat the bucs and you can’t get worse qb play than that.

[@louieflash7190]

Dude it was 16-13 in Oct. That's more like it had to do with the defense rather than Ridder. BTW the Bucs beat them later in the season putting up 29 on the Falcons defense. If the Bucs can fix their running game with the new players on the offensive line it's a new ballgame.

[@jordansheffield6101]

@@louieflash7190 your little win could have easily been 29-25 falcons. And it was Desmond Ridder.

[@louieflash7190]

@@jordansheffield6101 You completely dismissed the second part of my comment. Figures you would. For your information it's the little wins that get you to the playoffs. BTW the Bucs beat your new QB earlier in the season. Something the Falcons failed to do 31-28. I know, it was all Ridder's fault.

[@jordansheffield6101]

@@louieflash7190 it could definitely happen again too won’t lie. I don’t hate the bucs actually a mike evans fan. Won’t be easy to take the Bucs crown tho.

[@louieflash7190]

@Gman333g Lots of bold talk coming from the fan of a team that hasn't sniffed the payoffs in like 6 years and has no rings. Have fun picking a game here and there to have a chuckle over. The Bucs at least know how to win when they make it to the Super Bowl. 😉

[@gnono8500]

Atlanta can only lose for so long everybody bashing the falcons watch them shut the haters up and can yall please stop talking about cousins and 100 mill ok big deal when u have the money to spend and you NEED AN EFFICIENT QB THEN THATS WHAT U DO

[@user-yw1bw6qu9y]

these guys do not know how to short a stock. When the first quarterback disaster happens this year, they will pick up 2 future 1st rounders in trade

[@alexbarberan2274]

No team will give up a 1st round pick for Penix or Cousins

[@truebrodown]

I love these "Football Gurus" that are so smart. Same ones that blasted Reid for moving up to get Mahomes. Cousins was signed on March 11, 2024. Follow me, gurus. Michael Penix Pro day was March 28, 2024. The Falcons sent everyone to Washington. They ended up drafting Penix AND Trice. So, sounds like a good visit, yes? They fell in live with Penix and decided they wanted him to be the future. At NO POINT did the Penix love happen prior to this visit. So, maybe, just maybe, they saw something there that these paper pushers judging them DIDN'T see... I can't believe I have to defend Fontenot. We live in weird times...

[@Travis89-ob5tt]

😂 Nobody "blasted" Reid for drafting Mahomes. People had already seen them get to the playoffs and hit they're ceiling with Smith also 49ers moved on from him and went to the SB with Kap. They also didn't just sign Alex Smith six weeks prior at almost 50M a year.

[@PsychoWooolf47]

I like the Penix pick

[@Luke-hn4fv]

keep talking yourself into the pick. Penix has 5 years until FA. if Cousins plays past 5, you've blown a R1 pick.

[@truebrodown]

@Luke-hn4fv if Cousins plays 5 years, we will have a Super Bowl trophy. I'm good with that.

[@AlphariusDominatus]

So much cope. ATL are blasted mentally

[@joenop3393]

Falcons are Horrible!

[@Cheanbean_]

🏴‍☠️🔴⚫️🟠 Easy money 💰, as a Bucs fan I’m more worried about the Saints over Atlanta going forward 💯

[@sandrabecht4489]

true. Falcon = dumpster fire