2020 NFL Mock Draft: Tampa Bay Buccaneers take defensive tackle

Javon Kinlaw, DT, South Carolina

I finally get to complete a fan mock draft on Bleeding Green Nation!!!! You have no idea how many years I have wanted to do this, so this is a dream come true. I have visited Bleeding Green Nation EVERY DATY for over a decade, so this is such a BIG deal to me.

For those of you who are still reading, great job!

For those of you automatically voting and going to the comments, it’s cool, I didn’t want to draft for the Eagles next year anyways (PS: I am lying, please vote YES!!!!!)

Now to my pick for Tommy’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers…. I was really really hoping one of the top 4 Offensive Linemen would fall here, and I know Tampa Bay is too, but alas, it didn’t happen. So instead of selecting a guy that WAS going to protect Tom Brady, I had to pivot to someone who is going to help them win a championship this year, as their window is RIGHT NOW! I could have reached on an o-line prospect, but reaching for needs instead of taking the best player available is NEVER EVER the right choice (Hello Marcus Smith).

So, without any further ado, The Tampa Bay Buccaneers choose Javon Kinlaw, IDL from South Carolina! Scouting reports from The Draft Network:

All the tools in the toolbox. Generally wins with a bull-rush/push-pull profile: strong hands to grip, great upper body power to lock out, and then has the necessary power and quickness profile to rip opponent down and clear his hips into space. Tries to work a cross-chop and swim but is poorly served by his elite length here — struggles to win hand fights in a tight area and ends up off-target with his strikes. Understands what to do when he wins a gap off the snap and has the flexibility and rip strength to turn corners against pressure and present in the defensive backfield. Learning how to maximize his length will lead to better one-on-one wins in the NFL.

Good up until the third step. Such a long and tall player who simply struggles to stay coiled for a consistent period of time throughout a rep. Pops up as a two-gapper and relies on his upper-body power and length to solve the problem for him, which is a winning strategy in the SEC but may not be so in the NFL. Will often lose his pad level after his initial surge and bull rush and does not have the desired sled drive at this stage, though that’s likely something you can teach up into him. Struggles with poor natural leverage are most obvious when he’s double-teamed or down-blocked in a gap.

Rare to see a square block on this cat in the first place. Is simply too long, quick, and powerful to be engaged one-on-one in space by guards and centers — invariably gets to a half-man relationship and compromises pocket integrity, and the very least forcing the QB to move off his spot. When engaged, has the upper body strength and understanding of leverage to break free; regularly makes tackles at the line of scrimmage with a freed shoulder accordingly. With that said, is up-and-down against slide protection and will surrender his back to his opponent, limiting his ability to defeat the block. Same issues pop up against double teams.

Could stonewall a charging bull. Ridiculous posterior chain power who shocks opponents backwards in head-up trench play without fail. Uses explosiveness to win interior gaps as a result of hip power when he uncoils. Shows a formidable anchor as well when he gets his hips low and plays with bent knees and a wide base, though these reps are frustratingly rare given his upright play style. Would like to see a better ability to reset his feet and sustain his leg drive when working his bull-rush, though this is more a leverage issue than anything else.

Bench presses everyone he faces. Has the ability to rip opponents away from his frame with one arm and can long-arm and sustain leverage against the biggest offensive linemen he faces. Ragdoll ability when he centers his hands on the chest plate. When his hands are located correctly as a pass-rusher, regularly breaks his opponents grip and can yank himself into the backfield with a violent and unstoppable push-pull. Is lacking for nothing here; blue-chip trait.

Has some tunnel vision to his game which leads to some disappointing results to great process reps. Regularly resets the line of scrimmage as a run defender but will fail to diagnose backfield action concurrent with his penetration and accordingly lets possible TFLs run right by him. Smarter at the line of scrimmage when he’s two-gapping, does well to break late into gaps while maintaining control of his opponent. Can feel down blocks coming quickly with spotty frequency — at times gets too oriented on penetration and will turn his shoulders into gaps. Sees and feels screens mighty quick and will disrupt them. Does not feel double teams coming and loses leverage and balance accordingly — must ID them quicker.

Has the juice early but definitely wanes as the game goes on. Willing to make pursuit plays across the line of scrimmage and has some solid clean-up reps against cutback reps, but doesn’t have a ton of hustle into boundary plays or when re-tracing screens that he feels are out of his reach. The longer the game gets the more willing he is to sit on blocks, pop up at the line of scrimmage, or jog in pursuit.

This kid went from homeless to 1st round draft pick, he is hungry, and is ready to earn that money! His mother, Leesa James, took a massive risk by moving to the United States from Trinidad and Tobago in 1995. Her sole purpose was to start a new life in a new country. Living in Washington D.C. in 2008, she pursued a business venture, but it took a turn for the worse after the business left her high and dry following the promise of a job and a home. Left with neither, along with her sons, the family was forced out of their previous home.

Kinlaw, who was the youngest of his three brothers, and only 10 years old at the time, experienced periods of homelessness and while there were brief stints with family friends, the comfort of knowing where shelter may have come from was a week-to-week unknown. Basements, one bedroom homes, and many unfortunate circumstances, he and has family have been through it all.

To this day, the determination of his mother is something that he directly correlates his efforts on the field to. The family reluctantly found a reliable friend in Jillian Behram. For a few months, the family stayed in the confines of Behram’s gloomy and unfinished basement. It was the first source of dependable shelter that they had experienced in weeks. This doesn’t even tell half of the story that Kinlaw’s family experienced as he moved from state-to-state in search of a place that he could call home.

Yet to have a place to really call home, Kinlaw was once again on the move. This time landing at Goose Creek High School. A school located on the outer east edges of the state, the first person that he met when enrolling in the program was Timothy Davis. In the same graduating class (2016), he and Kinlaw were instant friends.

Growing up in the area, Davis helped get Kinlaw acclimated to the area as his father was also a widely known basketball coach in the area. Despite the extra help, the then 6-foot-6, 280 pound defensive tackle went to the extreme in order to make ends meet. The money that he received from the family, he bought essentials and did whatever he could, but keep them in as best shape as possible in order to reuse them. Anything to put extra money in his pocket, Kinlaw was willing to go the extra mile.

Becoming so fixated on having extra means and football, he experienced lots of success on Friday nights. So much that nearly every school in the country came knocking on his door, but with the prosperity that he experienced on the gridiron, the more his grades suffered.

Becoming lazy and just wanting to play football is what he mentioned as the driving force behind his purpose in life. Multiple days without attending school, just wanting to be the class clown, and feeling as if the world was against him were reasons why he felt that school just wasn’t for him. Even though football made him happy, the compounding school work and missed assignments piled up on him. So much, that the bad grades and negative reputation about him spread like a virus throughout school faculty and staff members.

With his father staying in a motel, and his unwillingness to listen to the actual guidance from the people who attempted to have an impact on his life, Kinlaw was on a fast track to be the “greatest who never was” because of his naivety.

With a sinking grade point average and a football career that was quickly dwindling, South Carolina head coach paid a special visit to Kinlaw on Goose Creek’s campus. Having a one-on-one sit down conversation with the star defensive tackle, he expressed that the program wanted to offer him a scholarship, but it came with specific stipulations. Obviously a person of Kinlaw’s background and inexperience had no idea the circumstances and benefits that came with an athletic scholarship.

Muschamp laid out a plan that required Kinlaw to enter what was called a General Education Development (GED) program, which outlined all of the courses and work necessary for him in order to fulfill the necessary requirements to experience the scholarship that the team was presenting him with.

The coursework outline required him to enroll in Jones County Junior College, which is one of the more popular stops in the country in Ellisville, Mississippi. The stipulations also allowed him to play one season at the institution in order to stay up to speed and further his development on the field.

Kinlaw passed the tests with flying colors. In his lone season in the JUCO ranks, he finished with 26 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, and 4.5 sacks on his way to being named as a second-team All-American. His most impressive feat came off of the field, as he went from a high school student that finished near the bottom of his respective class in GPA standards, but he finished on the dean’s list at Jones County.

2020 BGN Mock Draft Order

1) Bengals (grantspectations): QB Joe Burrow
2) Washington (ablesser88): EDGE Chase Young
3) Lions (CMG97): CB Jeff Okudah
4) Giants (selgae aihpledalihp): LB Isaiah Simmons
5) Dolphins (dceagles): WR CeeDee Lamb
6) Chargers (dapeltz13): QB Tua Tagovailoa
7) Panthers (wardbell92): DT Derrick Brown
8) Cardinals (drc242): OT Mekhi Becton
9) Jaguars (Palaniappan K M): OT Tristan Wirfs
10) Browns (WentzAndFolesFan): WR Jerry Jeudy
11) Jets (Dr_Horrible): OT Jedrick Wills
12) Raiders (Phillysolo): WR Henry Ruggs III
13) 49ers (eagles0132): OT Andrew Thomas
14) Buccaneers (BuckeyedEagles): DT Javon Kinlaw
15) Broncos (J. Wil):
16) Falcons (Kephas)
17) Cowboys (PhillyBirdGang):
18) Dolphins (dshelton5):
19) Raiders (fredhugo):
20) Jaguars (ItownBallers22)
21) Eagles (20Safety_Hazards)
22) Vikings (Kramerpoo):
23) Patriots (Phoenix X Minimus)
24) Saints (big DUB):
25) Vikings (MrW254):
26) Dolphins (SemperFilly):
27) Seahawks (mattywils):
28) Ravens (Dirtybirdy47):
29) Titans (mr_england):
30) Packers (Nishant R SambhiReddy):
31) 49ers (Fly Like An Eagle):
32) Chiefs (Leo Bedio):

Now it’s time for you to vote for who YOU think the Buccaneers should pick in the 2020 BGN Community Consensus Mock Draft.

2020 BGN Community Consensus Mock Draft

1) Bengals: QB Joe Burrow
2) Washington: EDGE Chase Young
3) Lions: CB Jeff Okudah
4) Giants: LB Isaiah Simmons
5) Dolphins: QB Tua Tagovailoa
6) Chargers: QB Justin Herbert
7) Panthers: DT Derrick Brown
8) Cardinals: OT Mekhi Becton
9) Jaguars: OT Tristan Wirfs
10) Browns: OT Andrew Thomas
11) Jets: OT Jedrick Wills
12) Raiders: WR CeeDee Lamb
13) 49ers: WR Jerry Jeudy
14) Buccaneers: