Buccaneers Draft: Predicting The Pewter Defense

We are within a week from the NFL draft. At this point, we have a good idea of what players the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be looking at. It’s time to buckle down and make some predictions.

Keep in mind, there are thousands of scenarios that can play out in the draft. It’s why having a semi accurate mock is so difficult. Even getting one or two accurate picks, especially where the Bucs are picking, is unlikely. 

It’s for this reason that I present an option for every round that I could see the team addressing a position. In some scenarios they can address a position in round one, in others they address it in round three. It all depends on how the draft falls.

In this series, I will make my best guess on what players the Bucs would draft on each of the days. These are my top candidates at each position who I believe will be in play. Today I will focus on defense in my Predicting the Pewter series.

Edge

Round one – Donovan Ezeiruaku

You can never have enough pass rushers; especially enough guys who are as bendy and polished as Ezeiruaku. After racking up 16.5 sacks at Boston College last year, Ezeiruaku is getting first round attention and it’s easy to understand why. He is incredibly dangerous when pressuring the edge and he has perhaps the deepest arsenal of pass rush moves in the draft.

The Bucs met with him at the NFL combine and also got a look at him in the Senior Bowl. It’s hard to imagine that the front office hasn’t fallen in love with his extremely high football character and can see him as a future leader in the locker room. If I was betting, this is where I would put my money as the Buccaneers first round pick.

Day two – Femi Oladejo

Staying in the mold of guys like Chris Braswell and Yaya Diaby, Oladejo is a power player off the edge. He’s played as an off ball linebacker in his past, so working as a stand up edge should be no problem for him at the next level. And yes, that means he has better coverage skills than your typical edge rusher.

Oladejo comes off as another extremely high character type of guy. For a team that puts a lot of stock into that, like the Bucs, it only elevates his stock. Don’t be surprised to hear his name called earlier than mock drafts have him projected.

Day three – David Walker

Walker is one of the biggest sleepers in the entire draft. He looked like a man among boys last year at Central Arkansas, but that level of competition has him overlooked by many. If he were this productive at Toledo or Appalachian State then I have no doubt he would be projected to go in the top 50 picks.

The Bucs met formally with Walker at the NFL combine. And while I believe the Bucs will address this need earlier than day three, this would provide a great upside swing.

Defensive Line

Round one – Darius Alexander

This is my sleeper pick for the Buccaneers to draft in the first round. Very explosive and powerful with all the athletic traits you would want from a defensive tackle. Dominated the competition while at Toledo, as you might expect. He might not be the edge rusher that everyone is picturing, but Alexander would definitely help the pass rush.

Alexander meets all the athletic testing thresholds for the Bucs and they formally met with him at the NFL combine in addition to bringing him in for a top 30 visit. On top of that, he was also a standout at the Senior Bowl (an event the Bucs front office puts a lot of stock into). If he wasn’t already 25 years old, this would be my leading candidate for the Bucs to draft with the 19th pick.

Day two – Omar Norman-Lott

Norman-Lott brings a balanced game as a defensive tackle. He has good power which he uses to clog up running lanes. He also flashes great explosiveness off the line of scrimmage to pressure the quarterback. 

Norman-Lott visited the Buccaneers on a top 30 visit. He is someone who is considered to be moving up a lot of draft boards and will likely hear his name called in rounds three or four. He would be much needed depth behind Calijah Kancey.

Day three – Tonka Hemingway

If you like little twitchy defensive tackles then this is the pick for you. Measuring in at just 6’2 and 284 lbs, Hemingway wins with quickness and skill. He is very much in the mold of starting defensive tackle Calijah Kancey.

I’m not sure that Hemingway is the elite athlete he tested as, so I would project him going in the sixth or seventh round. However, wherever the Bucs can add more pass rush juice then I am in favor of it. He could prove to be a nice depth piece as a pass rusher on the defensive line.

Linebacker

Round one – Jihaad Campbell

In terms of fit, this is a perfect match. Campbell is an athletic, big body linebacker who excels in pass coverage. He’s also someone who started his career as a edge rusher, so he can be used on the blitz as well as any linebacker in this draft.

There are some injury concerns after undergoing shoulder surgery that could force him to miss most of his rookie year. We haven’t seen any solid connection from the Bucs to Campbell, but in terms of skill set this makes perfect sense.

Day two – Chris Paul

Day two could very well be the sweet spot for linebacker. One name I like here is Paul. He could be on the board in round three, which lets the Bucs address other needs in the first two rounds.

Paul is fast, physical and good in coverage. I think he could be more refined, but he has time to be eased into things as a depth player in year one. I would feel good about investing at this position here.

Day three – Nick Martin

One of the most undervalued players in the entire draft. He missed a lot of last season with an injury and he is under 6’0 tall, but his tape is as good as any linebacker in this draft. He met with the Bucs at the combine, so it’s encouraging to know that this under the radar prospect is firmly on the Bucs radar.

Martin is very fast and very physical. His above average instincts allow him to slice through traffic and get to the ball carrier. He’s also a good man coverage player. Martin could use a little polishing in zone coverage, but he has all the physical tools that make me think he can thrive in this area.

Cornerback

Round one – Maxwell Hariston

There has been a lot of buzz lately connecting the Buccaneers to Hariston. It makes sense because he meets their athletic thresholds and he can force turnovers, which has been a point of emphasis this offseason. It’s also been reported that he will attend the draft in person, which is usually a good indicator that a player expects to be selected in the first round. 

While I like Hariston’s coverage skills and his excellent speed, this would admittedly be a bit rich for my taste. He also comes short of size thresholds that the Bucs have typically stuck to under Jason Licht. There is a lot of smoke here following a combine interview and a top 30 visit to Tampa and there could be fire, but time will tell.

Day two – Shavon Revel

Revel is my favorite fit for this Buccaneers defense. He has great size and his athletic ability looks above average. He’s at his best in zone coverage and that is the way that Bowles has been trending in recent years. He could be a plug and play impact starter with the Bucs.

There is obvious interest from the team. He’s another player who had a formal combine interview with the Bucs as well as a top 30 visit. I’m not certain that he’ll be available in the second round when the Bucs pick, but if he is then it’s a “sprint the card in” type of selection.

Day three – Cobee Bryant

Some players leave an impression when you talk to them. That is the case here with Bryant. He is a highly confident player who plays with a pitbull mentality. Need proof of that? Just watch him tackle at his size (6’0 and 180 lbs) and it will tell you everything you need to know about him.

Bryant has just average speed, so the Bucs might view him as a future nickel. He raved about how well his combine interview went with the Bucs, so it at least seems like the two sides hit it off. If nothing else, Bowles will like Bryant’s eight interceptions over the last two years.

Safety

Round one – Jahdae Barron

Barron is one of my favorite players in the draft and a perfect fit for what the Bucs want to do on defense. He can play safety, nickel and outside corner; all three of which are positions that the Buccaneers are looking to strengthen. An incredible chess piece for a defensive mastermind like Bowles would be a very fun draft pick.

The two things that stand out to me about Barron are his physicality as a tackler and his intelligence. Having played so many positions, he understands them all well and it has made him a high level communicator. This is something the defense can’t get enough of.

Day two – Xavier Watts

The message was clear this offseason: rush the passer with four and create more turnovers. There was no one better at doing the later of those than Watts over the last two years. He is the ball hawk safety that this team needs.

As a former wide receiver, Watts plays the ball very well and understands what opponents are trying to do to him. He’s also a very physical run defender who is not afraid to run up and bring the boom. No one in the draft can make this Buccaneers secondary more dangerous than Watts.

Day three – Jonas Sanker

Sanker is a big body, do it all safety. He moves fairly well in coverage and is a consistent tackler. Everything about his game tells me that he can be a solid starter in the NFL, although not a star.

This would be the box safety replacement for Jordan Whitehead. Sanker is somewhat limited in coverage, so you don’t want to rely on him for too much in that department, but he’s a good run defender and can be more than functional in zone coverages. The Buccaneers met with him formally at the NFL combine.