Tampa Bay Buccaneers shocked to get Alabama TE O.J. Howard at No. 19 overall

TAMPA, Fla. -- Even if he were not 6-foot-6 and 251 pounds, Alabama tight end O.J. Howard would have stood out to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

They were shocked he was still available with the No. 19 pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.

With about a half dozen teams ahead of them in the draft, coach Dirk Koetter didn't want to jinx the team's good fortune.

"I actually had to go to the bathroom for the last six picks, but I was afraid to stand up," Koetter said. "I didn't want to jinx the mojo in there.

"We said we needed more explosive players, and this is an explosive player. He just plays inside instead of outside and we've been fortunate to add speed on the outside with DeSean Jackson to pair up with Mike (Evans), and now we've got two tight ends to pair side by side in Cam (Brate) and O.J."

It may be very hard to stop the Bucs' passing game and quarterback Jameis Winston next season.

They already added Jackson and have a budding superstar in Evans. Brate led all tight ends with eight touchdown receptions last season.

"That was the most excited I've seen the entire room since we picked Jameis," general manager Jason Licht said.

You can imagine Koetter already is diagramming an offense to incorporate all four eligible receivers in the same formation.

In fact, Licht said shortly after the pick, he received a message from Winston.

"I got a text with about a million smiley faces," Licht said.

With problematic Florida State running back Dalvin Cook, a presumptive favorite of Winston's, still available, the Bucs instead went with one of the cleanest players in the draft.

Howard is a complete tight end who has improved as an in-line blocker and was under-utilized by Alabama in the passing game.

But when the bright lights came on in two national title games against Clemson, Howard shined. Two years ago, he had five catches for 208 yards and two touchdowns. Last January, Howard caught four passes for 106 yards and one TD.

Howard is the only tight end to be drafted by the Bucs in the first round. Considering the targets the Bucs have added, Winston can only be better for it.

"Well, it looks pretty good on paper right now," Licht said. "So I know we've added some targets I know he's going to like. I would venture to say he got better."

While tight end wasn't the biggest need entering the draft for the Bucs, they don't have a lot of depth at that position. Brandon Myers is a free agent. They return Luke Stocker, Alan Cross and Brate.

"We always like to stick where player and need meet, and we felt we had a need at tight end," Licht said. "You can't get through a season with just a couple. We feel like he's going to develop into a good in-line blocker. He's a 4.5 guy who is 6-foot-6, 250 pounds and can stretch the field."

Things broke well for the Bucs. A run on quarterbacks helped push some good players down to them.

Licht admitted Cook was a consideration and he was available. But in character and upside, Howard was too good to pass up.

"We like Dalvin, but we're concentrating on O.J.," Licht said.

According to Koetter, Howard represents what has become a dying breed in college and pro football -- an in-line tight end who can block but has the speed to stretch the field and become a receiving weapon.

"First off, the true Y tight ends are a dying breed in college football," Koetter said. "There's not many teams left that utilize a player like O.J. I think in the NFL, that's the best weapon you can have. Here's a guy who can run down the seam and can block a defensive lineman at the line of scrimmage, and there's just not many of them around.

"I think that position can thrive in most NFL offenses. I'm the first to admit that I like tight ends. But a lot of other guys do, too, in the league. I just think this guy is a throwback to what tight ends used to be. There used to be a lot more of them around the league and there just aren't as many."

Howard did not attend the NFL draft ceremonies in Philadelphia Thursday, opting to remain home in Alabama with about 150 friends and family members. Howard was projected to be a top-10 or top-15 pick. But with three receivers, three quarterbacks and two running backs going early in the first round, Howard started falling.

"Well, the way the draft started off, I could kind of see that happening," Howard said. "But my range was from six to 20. That's what my agent told me. And it was right before that, so it didn't shock me."

Howard was used mainly as a blocker in Nick Saban's run-oriented Alabama offense. He managed to catch 45 passes for 595 yards and five touchdowns.

"I have a lot of passion about it. I think that's what it takes to be a dominant tight end," Howard said. "You have to be able to block and make plays in the run game to allow the passing game to open up. So I really take pride in that.

"I enjoy going to Bama because it made me more than just a pass catcher. I learned how to block. It made me be a better all-around football player in general. I'd rather do that than just go to a school and catch 100 balls a year."

As an offensive coordinator in Atlanta and Jacksonville, Koetter had success at the tight end position with the Falcons' Tony Gonzalez and the Jags' Marcedes Lewis. Howard saved his best performance for the national championship games against Clemson the past two seasons. In those contests, he combined to catch nine passes for 314 yards and three touchdowns.

"He definitely did that and that is one thing that jumped out, going back to two years ago," Koetter said. "They had a lot of stars on his team. But you never heard any whining from him. When he was called on, he came up big every time."