Latest news with #JoeTryon-Shoyinka
USA Today
04-06-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Re-drafting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2021 NFL Draft class years later
Re-drafting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2021 NFL Draft class years later Hindsight is 20/20, but looking back, the Buccaneers' 2021 draft does not look so great from any angle. First-round pick Joe Tryon-Shoyinka was a bust, and only second-round pick Kyle Trask is still on the roster, likely to be a career backup quarterback. The Bucs' strategy of focusing on special teams and high-upside, low-floor prospects backfired in almost every possible way. Frankly, the 2021 draft class was weak overall, thanks to the NCAA eligibility adjustments made for the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, the Bucs could have avoided many of their roster woes by simply taking good players that would have made sense even without knowing the players they would become. This is the Bucs' ideal re-draft of the 2021 NFL Draft: Round 1: C/G Creed Humphrey Drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs at the end of the second round, Humphrey is now one of, if not the best, center in the NFL. Heading into the 2021 season, the Bucs were set at offensive line, but come 2022, the interior line would lose three starters, though likely only one the Bucs saw coming: right guard Alex Cappa, who left in free agency. Humphrey would not see the field for the Bucs in 2021, but he would still provide quality depth and a succession plan for Cappa. It would just so happen that he would be able to anchor the line through 2022 when it would lose Ali Marpet to retirement and Ryan Jensen to a career-ending knee injury. Round 2: DT Osa Odighizuwa Tampa Bay's defensive line depth was the only real need over the 2021 offseason. Ndamukong Suh and Jason Pierre-Paul were both over 30 and showing signs of decline. The Bucs drafted Joe Tryon-Shoyinka in the first round, but he never lived up to his physical potential. Dallas defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa ended up being one of the best pass-rushers to come out of the 2021 draft and would have been a more useful player in 2021 and beyond than Tampa Bay's actual second-round pick, quarterback Kyle Trask. Round 3: WR Amon-Ra St. Brown Wide receiver did not appear to be a major area of need during the 2021 draft, but it was the position that came up short down the stretch. There was no way to know Chris Godwin would tear his ACL halfway through the season, but Antonio Brown's on-field meltdown was a little more predictable. Amon-Ra St. Brown is now one of the league's best wide receivers, and would have been a viable pick even before knowing his meteoric rise in Detroit. Taking Humphrey in the first round would have made the Robert Hainsey pick redundant here, and if it isn't clear after the 2024 draft, the Bucs like to stay stocked at receiver. Round 4: RB Chuba Hubbard While the Bucs had great faith in Leonard Fournette to carry the Bucs' run game, the rest of the running backs on the roster were less than productive, relying on the likes of Ronald Jones and the aging husk of Le'Veon Bell. Chuba Hubbard is a reliable ball carrier who forces missed tackles like clockwork. He also would have been a decent insurance plan for Fournette's precipitous decline after signing a three-year extension in 2022. Round 5: LB K.J. Britt By the fifth round, draft talent really began to dry up. K.J. Britt was about as productive as any linebacker or special-teams player taken in this range. The Bucs lacked any depth at linebacker before taking Britt, who would end up starting by 2023. There isn't much reason for the Bucs to take any other player at this point. Round 7: OT Alaric Jackson Tampa Bay's original pick was cornerback Chris Wilcox, who was cut before training camp. Alaric Jackson went undrafted and probably should have gone even higher than round seven or even Day 3 of the draft. Donovan Smith had one more year on his contract, but taking a swing on a developmental pass blocker like Jackson would have made just as much sense as taking one on a defensive back who has never taken a snap in the NFL. Round 7: LB Grant Stuard Mr. Irrelevant provided almost as much return on value as any other pick in the Bucs' 2021 draft. While Stuard only played special teams for one season in Tampa Bay, his trade to Indianapolis yielded a 2022 sixth-round pick. The weak undrafted free agent class makes this pick as good as any the Bucs could have otherwise made here.
USA Today
04-06-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Looking back: Grading the Bucs 2021 NFL Draft class years later
Looking back: Grading the Bucs 2021 NFL Draft class years later Coming off their Super Bowl LV win, the Buccaneers' entered the 2021 NFL Draft with few immediate needs, but also few resources as last pick in almost every round. General manager Jason Licht and the Bucs front office opted to augment the roster with their championship roster and make risky bets at positions of need. After four years, only one player from the 2021 class remains on Tampa Bay's roster. The Bucs derived little value from the premium picks and only got temporary contributions from the players who did see the field. Suffice it to say, the Bucs' 2021 draft class is not likely to be remembered fondly. Here are the final grades from the Bucs' 2021 draft: Joe Tryon-Shoyinka The Bucs went for high upside at a position of need with their first pick, but outside linebacker Joe Tryon-Shoyinka simply did not work out. In four seasons with Tampa Bay, he never developed into much of a pass rusher, recording just 15 total sacks, 21 tackles for a loss and two forced fumbles. The best thing Tryon-Shoyinka had going for him was his durability, missing just two games since entering the NFL. While there were not any better options at the position, this was an instance of the Bucs reaching for a need in a weak class at edge rusher and paying the price. Grade: C- Kyle Trask Taking swings on quarterbacks can be an underappreciated undertaking in the draft, but the Bucs appear to have swung too early on the wrong quarterback. Sure, Kyle Trask is the first quarterback the Bucs have ever drafted to receive a second contract, but he also could not beat out Baker Mayfield for the starting job in 2023 and has just 11 NFL dropbacks on his resume after four seasons. At a point when the Bucs could have bolstered their defensive line with the likes of Alim McNeil, Milton Williams or Osa Odighizuwa, they instead used their second-round pick on a career backup quarterback. Grade: D+ Robert Hainsey The Bucs' third-round pick was arguably the best of the class. After Ryan Jensen suffered an ultimately career-ending knee injury during training camp in 2022, Hainsey stepped in and started at center in every regular season game through the 2023 season. While the Bucs eventually upgraded the position in 2024 by drafting Graham Barton, Hainsey proved to be a valuable player likely to have a long NFL career. Grade: B- Jaelon Darden In the fourth round, Tampa Bay took a chance drafting undersized North Texas WR Jaelon Darden. Darden has yet to emerge as a receiver in the NFL, but he has shown value as a returner, taking 50 punts for a 9.4-yard average in two seasons with Tampa Bay. However, the Bucs cut Darden in December 2022, and he has been a returner for Cleveland and Seattle since. Grade: C- K.J. Britt When the Bucs took Auburn's K.J. Britt in the fifth round, they figured they were drafting a special teamer and linebacker depth. Devin White's regression over the next three years culminated in Britt filling in for White down the stretch in 2023 and entering 2024 as the presumed starter next to Lavonte David. However, Britt could not overcome his lack of athleticism and proved that he is best utilized in a reserve role. Grade: C+ Chris Wilcox The Bucs drafted cornerback Chris Wilcox with their first seventh-round pick. He was waived after the preseason and has bounced around practice squads across the NFL. Wilcox has yet to play a snap in a regular-season game and was out of the NFL in 2024. Grade: D+ Grant Stuard With their second seventh-round pick, the Bucs took 2021's Mr. Irrelevant, Houston LB Grant Stuard. While he only lasted one year with Tampa Bay, mostly playing special teams, Stuard is making a career out of his special-teams ability. He led the Indianapolis Colts in special teams snaps since the Bucs traded him for a 2023 sixth-round pick. The return value for the trade alone made Stuard one of the Bucs' better picks in 2021. Grade: B Overall As the reigning Super Bowl XL champions, the Bucs had fewer resources than most teams in the 2021 draft and failed to capitalize on what little value they had. Taking the swing on Joe Tryon-Shoyinka was understandable, but the Trask pick in the second round remains a major blemish. Targeting special teams contributors over more conventional depth proved to be a wasted opportunity to carry the roster past the Tom Brady era. The 2021 class will be remembered as one of Jason Licht's worst as Bucs general manager, second only to the disastrous 2016 draft class. Grade: D
NBC Sports
11-03-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Browns agree to terms with Joe Tryon-Shoyinka
The Browns are adding a former first-round pick to their defense. Cleveland has agreed to sign edge rusher Joe Tryon-Shoyinka to a one-year deal, Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports reports. Tryon-Shoyinka, 25, recorded 15.0 sacks, 21 tackles for loss, and 35 QB hits in his 66 games for the Buccaneers over the last four seasons. He was selected at No. 32 overall in 2021 — the year after Tampa Bay won Super Bowl LV. In 2024, Tryon-Shoyinka finished with 24 total tackles, three tackles for loss, four QB hits, and 2.0 sacks in 15 games. He was on the field for 5 percent of defensive snaps in games played. Now Tryon-Shoyinka will have a chance to play opposite Myles Garrett in 2025.
