Writing The Ship: Buccaneers Are In A Position To Draft A Project Linebacker

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are waiting to hear from their future Hall of Fame linebacker, Lavonte David, about if he will play next year or retire. General manager Jason Licht has said that he has a place on the team if he decides to come back. However, the longer this decision has dragged on, the fewer options the Bucs have to replace him.

This stalemate ended Monday. Regardless of David’s choice, the Buccaneers have signed a potential replacement in the starting lineup. That was former Carolina Panthers linebacker Christian Rozeboom.

This signing is big for many reasons; the least of which is the quality of Rozeboom’s play. While nothing is written in stone, this might be an indicator that David is leaning towards retirement. It’s a signing that also could have implications of what the Bucs will do in the NFL draft. 

We have speculated all off season that the team will draft a linebacker early as this was probably the Buccaneers greatest weakness last season. It was something we expected regardless of what David does or what free agents are signed. I would still expect the team to invest in the linebacker position within the first two rounds of the draft.

While this signing won’t change the Bucs intention to draft a linebacker, it might influence which one they select. Roseboom is someone with starting experience. He’s a physical box linebacker who can complement Alex Anzalone (who is more of a coverage linebacker) in the starting lineup. It’s a duo that is underwhelming in terms of talent, makes sense in terms of skill set.

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Last year’s starter, Sirvocea Dennis, is also more of a box linebacker. So in terms of prototype, he is similar to Rozeboom. This might indicate that the Buccaneers look to draft a player who has more coverage ability. This could eliminate thumpers like Josiah Trotter or CJ Allen from early consideration. 

And if the Bucs do value Rozeboom’s starting experience and plan to give him a large number of snaps, it could also indicate that they draft someone who isn’t necessarily a plug and play guy. This signing could mean that the Buccaneers are in a position to draft a project linebacker.

That player would have to be someone with high upside. Someone who has the athletic skillset and ability to be a strong coverage player while also projecting as someone who could take over as a full time player in a year from now. In short, that player is Cincinnati linebacker Jake Golday. 

To be honest, I’ve found Golday to be one of the most difficult evaluations in the entire draft. He’s a linebacker prospect, but the way he played linebacker in college was anything but normal. Here’s what I do know for sure. 

Golday is big and fast. At 6 ‘4 and 240 lbs, this big body linebacker ran a 4.62 40 yard dash, which is the 84th percentile of all linebackers tested. In terms of physical tools, this is a high end player.

In college he used those tools as an edge rusher early in his career. Last year, he played a lot of almost a nickel linebacker role where he lined up out of the box out by the slot receiver. These are things he really won’t be asked to do in the NFL.

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Nonetheless, he did them well. Whether it be bringing a speed rush off the edge or dropping into coverage, Golday looked good. And those coverage skills look like they would absolutely translate and thrive in the NFL.

Golday was also asked to play a traditional middle linebacker role at times. When he did this he looked fairly good, especially considering the lack of time he spent doing it. However, there were shortcomings.

It’s clear that Golday just doesn’t have the instincts developed yet. His ability to read blocks and navigate traffic is a work in progress. If you’re flowing to the ball the you can’t get lost in the mess of the other bodies down the field.

I believe that this is just a matter of getting him more reps at the position. Golday shows an ability to slip past blocks in space and he comes off as a smart guy who is dedicated to studying tape. There is reason to believe that he can develop all the skills necessary to be a great linebacker.

If you were to rotate Golday in and out consistently with a guy like Rozeboom then I think that would be a great way to ease him into the league. Help him develop more of those traditional linebacker skills so he can be in a position to be the full time starter next season. Until then, let him thrive as a coverage player and let his natural ability shine.