NFL
By: Jeff Barnes
When the Bucs lost both Alex Cappa and Ali Marpet this offseason, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were looking to fill the vacancies quickly without breaking the bank. While Marpet opted for retirement, Cappa cashed in on a nice free agent contract with the AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals. Bucs GM Jason Licht decided to re-sign guard Aaron Stinnie and traded their 5th round pick to the New England Patriots for guard Shaq Mason. Mason is very familiar with tom Brady as he was his protector there in 2019. Aaron Stinnie was a reserve player until Week 12 when he was activated to replace the injured Ali Marpet. While Mason and Stinnie have been serviceable starters so far in their careers, neither present a long-term solution for the Bucs going forward.
Licht would look for value at the position in the draft. Tampa Bay possessed 5 picks from rounds 2-4 in the draft, there was plenty of talent capable of helping the Bucs interior offensive line. With the second of their two 2nd round picks, the Bucs took Central Michigan Tackle Luke Goedeke. The former tight end turned tackle started 24 games at right tackle for Central Michigan. Goedeke transferred up from division III Wisconsin-Stevens Point to Central Michigan. Plagued by injuries in high school and a knee injury in 2020 have limited his time on the field. Goedeke provides depth at the right tackle position and a project that can learn and compete long-term at guard. With the veterans on the offensive line and the addition of Goedeke, the Bucs did not feel pressured to use another draft pick on the offensive line. Want to know more about Luke Goedeke? Check out is scouting report below.
Height: 6050 (6’5) Weight: 312 Position: Tackle School: Central Michigan
Hand: 9 3/4 Inches Arm: 32 1/4 Inches Wingspan: 79 7/8 Inches Bench Press: 26 reps
Cover2Draft.com Draft Grade: 6.72 = 3rd Round (Good starting player)
Strengths: Tall and athletic with a lean muscular frame. Possesses a finisher mentality. Possesses the speed to make second level blocks. Produces quality pop on contact. Plays with bend and rarely overextends. Uses punch to control rushers and maintains demeanor. Takes proper angles to second level blocks. Gets movement at the point of attack. Flashes the ability to anchor versus the bull rush. Brings his feet with him on drive blocks. Gets out quickly on pulls and locates blocks in space.
Weaknesses: Natural height creates a large target for rushers to get under his pads. Kick -slide is underdeveloped an inconsistent. Lacks ideal arm length desired for an NFL tackle. Picks a side too soon protections giving the rusher a two way go. Slow to redirect on inside counter moves. Gets overextended when he gets caught guessing rush moves. Unable to maintain leverage on reach blocks at times.
Big Picture: Injury history might scare some teams off, but a very capable prospect for a right tackle. I expect teams because if the lack of desired arm length to kick him inside to guard. He will struggle early as he learns to handle bigger, faster bodies inside in less space. His ability to move bodies will serve him well in the running game as well as his ability to finish blocks. Ideally built for zone teams, man schemes will expose his weaknesses more. Should be a good puller that will look to punish on contact. Once he gets a bit stronger and gets better at handling counter moves, he will be a quality starter inside. He won’t lock down top pass rushers without help as a tackle, but he is a good right tackle only prospect.
