With a tight budget and rookie mini camp looming the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have signed 5 of their 8 draft picks. DBSean Murphy-Bunting , DEAnthony Nelson, KMatt Gay, WRScotty Miller, and DTTerry Beckner Jr all signed their 4 year rookie contracts. MLBDevin White and DBsJamel Dean and Mike Edwards still haven’t signed.
Bunting signed a 4-year $7,358,258 million contract, with $4,200,926 of that guaranteed at signing.
Nelson signed a 4-year $3,292,082 million contract, with just $772,080 of that guaranteed at signing.
Gay signed a 4-year $2,844,532 million contract, with $324,532 of it guaranteed at signing.
Scotty Miller signed a 4-year $2,647,352 million contract, with $127,352 of that guaranteed at signing.
Terry Beckner Jr. signed a 4-year $2,631,884 million contract, with $111,884 of it guaranteed at singing.
When the Bucs took CB Jamel Dean in the 3rd round of the NFL draft, there was probably nobody as pleased with the pick than CB Carlton Davis.
In 2017 both Davis and Dean were the starting CBs at Auburn before Davis went to the Bucs in the second round of the 2018 draft.
Dean tested off the charts at the combine, running a 4.3 FYD, which was the fastest of any CB and put up a 41-inch vertical leap.
Just like Davis, Jamel Dean is a big CB at 6’1″, 210 lbs and also like Davis he specializes in press coverage.
Jamel Dean is extremely aggressive, constantly harassing the opposing WR and making it extremely hard for them to get off the line of scrimmage. One concern with him is his knees. He has had several knee surgeries since high school, but he seems to be back to 100 percent.
With the 7th pick in the 2nd round, the Bucs took Central Michigan CB Sean Bunting. While some fans were clambering for the Bucs to take Greedy Williams, you have to realize that Bunting is just as good of a CB as Williams, athletically. He may be from a small school in the MAC, but he can surely play CB and be extremely effective.
At the NFL combine, Bunting solidified himself as one of the top CBs in the draft, running a 4.42 FYD, and a 41.5-inch vertical leap. Last season Bunting, did not allow a single TD catch and opposing QBs only threw for a 41.5 passer rating when throwing in Bunting’s direction. Defensive Coordinator Todd Bowles had this to say recently about Bunting, “Press ability man coverage he’s a ball hawk. Obviously, he can only get better from here.”
If I were Vernon Hargreaves, I’d be looking over my shoulder this training camp because Sean Bunting looks like he could be the real deal.
Whether or not you liked the Buccaneers draft, overall there were two players taken after the second round that really stood out to me. Those two players are 3rd pick S Mike Edwards out of Kentucky, and 4th round pick Iowa DE Anthony Nelson. Both of these players could have an immediate impact on the Bucs defense.
At 5’10” 205 Edwards is small for a safety, but he doesn’t let that slow him down. In 2016 he intercepted Heisman winner Lamar Jackson twice and led the entire SEC in tackles by DBs with 100. Last season he recorded 82 tackles, 9TFL, 2 INTs, 6PD, and one forced fumble. It’s obvious from his stats that he has a nose for the football. He’s also not afraid to come downhill to plug the run or play in the box. Edwards can also play nickel in a pinch, so he’s very versatile.
The next one that really stood out was the pick of Iowa DE Anthony Nelson in the 4th round. Nelson might not be the greatest athlete, but he has a motor that doesn’t quit. His junior year he was voted 3rd team all-Big Ten after putting up 45 tackles 13.5 for loss and 9.5 sacks. Where he will fit in with the Bucs isn’t clear yet. At 6’7″ and 271 lbs he could play DE in the Bucs 3-4 defense if he can add a little more bulk to his frame. On the other hand, he does have the speed to rush the passer as an OLB. It will be interesting to see how the Bucs decided to utilize him. Whatever position, Nelson ends up he was a definite steal in the 4th round
The Bucs desperately needed Devin White. After the departure of MLB Kwon Alexander, there was a gaping hole in the middle of the Bucs defense. Now that is no longer the case as White is the best LB prospect to come out of the draft in a long time. Not only does he fill the void at LB, but it also allows a player like Deone Bucannon to do what he does best.
Before drafting White it wasn’t really set in stone what Deone Bucannon’s role would be. With White at MLB, it allows Bucannon to get back to doing what he does best, and that is looking into the backfield reading the QBs eyes and using his speed and athleticism to make plays sideline to sideline. Bucannon will get back to playing that hybrid LB/SS position that he excelled at last time Todd Bowles was his Defensive Coordinator. He had over 100 tackles in 2015.
Definitely look for Deone Bucannon to have a Pro Bowl-worthy season.
Before the draft, the Bucs had a big glaring hole at CB. Other than Carlton Davis and Vernon Hargreavesthey had no other CBs worthy to be relied on to have any impact on the game. Now that the draft has concluded that is no longer the case.
With the 7th pick in the second round, the Bucs took CB Sean Bunting out of Central Michigan. At 6’0″ and 195 lbs Bunting can play press or zone coverage. Bunting also had quite a combine with a 4.42-40 yard dash and a 41.5″ vertical leap. While at Central Michigan in 2018, he allowed a completion rate of under 39%.
The Bucs didn’t stop there.
Then with the 31st pick in the 3rd, the Bucs grabbed Auburn’s, Jamel Dean. At 6’1″ and 215 lbs Dean is a huge corner who is very adept at press coverage. He is also familiar with CB Carlton Davis as they played together in Auburn before Davis was drafted by the Buccaneers in the 2nd round in 2018. With a 4.3-40 YD and a 41″ vertical leap Dean is a huge playmaker. Dean is constantly harassing WR’s which is good when you’re playing press coverage. One thing to watch for is Dean has had 3 major knee surgeries since high school, which is concerning. All-in-all the Bucs did a good job of filling their depleted defensive backfield.
The Bucs currently sit at number 5, and GM Jason Licht says he’s got 5 different players he’s thinking about taking at that spot. The way I see it is if Quinnen Williams or Josh Allen is already gone by the time the Bucs pick, it could be time to trade down, especially if they decide to pass on Devin White and instead decided to acquire more picks. There’s a lot of holes on this team so the more picks we get in the early rounds, the better.
The Redskins has expressed interest in trading into the top 5 in return the Bucs would most likely get their mid-first round pick at 15 and their second-round pick. If we were to make that trade players like Brian Burns, Montez Sweat, and Greedy Williams could all still be on the board. Anyone of those players would have an immediate impact, especially Burns, who fits this defense perfectly.
In the second round, there are a plethora of MLB, D Linemen, and DBs still available to choose from. Whatever the Bucs decide, I wish them the best of luck.
With Gerald McCoy basically on his way out of the door, the Bucs could use a pass rusher. They still have JPP, but in Todd Bowles defense the Bucs also need OLBs that can rush the passer. Somebody that fits perfectly is Florida State Edge Rusher Brian Burns. Burns is everything a coach could want in an edge rusher at OLB. Here’s a look at the pros and cons.
Pros: Was all ACC his junior year, putting up 52 tackles, 15.5 TFL, 10 sacks, 3 FF, and 3 pass breakups. He is incredibly fast off the snap and is a superior athlete. At the NFL combine Burns ran a 4.53 in the 40 and had a 36-inch vertical leap. Burns does possess some decent pass rush moves. Most notably his spin move. He’s also very adept at rushing from either the outside or inside.
Cons: Played DE/OLB in college, but will be limited to just OLB in the pros because he is just too small to play DE. In college, Burns played at 235 lbs, and he beefed up to 249 lbs for the combine, but don’t expect him to get much bigger than that. Burns has difficulty when engaging with stronger O-Lineman, and he’s going to have to learn that he can’t get by on speed alone in the NFL. He will have to work to improve using his hands when rushing the passer.
My take: I think Burns is perfect for Todd Bowles defense and has Pro Bowl potential. Burns will likely still be on the board past the 10th pick, and if the Bucs decided to trade down and take Burns, then that’s a steal. Football Outsiders projections say Burn is highly underrated. The websites SackSeer model that is based on a number of different factors projected that over the next 3 season, Burns will have more sacks than any player in this draft.
During his three seasons at FSU (2016-2018) he recorded 123 tackles, 23 sacks, 7 pass defends, 7 forced fumbles, and 2 fumbles recovered. He earned First team All-ACC in 2018. PFF grades him at an 87.2 and 9th in the nation for edge defenders.
Licht fields a question about taking an LB in the first round:
“You’re thinking that he’s going to be a special player and make an impact. To say that he’s Ray Lewis, I think that that’s a little tough to say.”
Licht talks about how he thinks the Bucs will have the chance to grab a very good player at #5:
“I think we’ll get a very good player at five. I think we have a very good player. We have at least five players that we think, at least five, that if we stay in our spot that we’d be very happy with.”
These statements by Licht show that he has his eyes on several players with the 5th overall pick. Whatever the case me be, we as fans can definitely count on a player that will have a huge impact next season as some players at the top are definitely NFL ready.
Last season was disappointing, to say the least for rookie RB Ronald Jones. The former USC star is now believed by most fans to be a bust, but that is not the case.
Jones has shown up this year ready to redeem himself in the eyes of Bucs fans. At a recent press conference, GM Jason Licht had this to say about Ronald Jones, “Right now the guy we’re all collectively most impressed with is Rojo, Just his attitude his willingness to do extra. You can just see the confidence rising in him.”
So it seems that the general management is impressed by what they’ve seen from him so far this offseason, and they believe that Rojo’s ceiling is sky high. If he can put it all together and play like he has the ability to, then expect big things from Jones this year. He is certainly far from being a bust in my eyes.
