The Tampa Bay Buccaneers did the expected move in round one and took LSU linebacker Devin White. Head coach Bruce Arians promised White he would take him at pick five if he was there, and delivered on his promise. On day two, the Buccaneers need to address a few position groups, which I will break down below.
Offensive Linemen
Two premier offensive tackles have fallen into round two. TWO OF THEM. Florida right tackle Jawaan Taylor and Oklahoma swiss army knife Cody Ford still remain.
Many mocks saw Taylor being drafted in the top ten, and Ford being taken later on in the first. However, injury concerns have Taylor sliding down draft boards. He did not miss any starts in college, but hurt his knee preparing for the draft.
Ford has all the measurables, and is a great pass blocker. However, there are some concerns pertaining to his hand technique. He is a surefire run blocker at this stage though, and can play guard and tackle.
A third prospect on the board is Kansas State’s own swiss army knife, Dalton Risner.
Risner can play guard, tackle and center, but is not quite at the level of the other two prospects. He would be a prime trade back candidate for the Buccaneers.
Secondary
There is plenty of secondary talent in the second round, as only Georgia’s DeAndre Baker was picked in the first round.
Still on the board are top prospects Greedy Williams, Byron Murphy and Rock Ya-Sin. Also still there are hybrid players like Nasir Adderly and Chauncey Gardener-Johnson.
Williams and Murphy have long been considered the top two cornerbacks in this draft, while Baker was someone I hoped the Buccaneers would take in the second round.
Williams is a long, physical corner and thrives in aggressive pressing man schemes, which is right in Todd Bowles’ wheelhouse.
Byron Murphy looks to have hips of liquid and looks the most fluid in coverage out of anyone.
Rock Ya-Sin had a great year and looks fantastic with his measurables, but he only has one year of FBS experience at Temple.
Gardener-Johnson is a physical, do it all hybrid player, similar to someone Buccaneer fans were clamoring for this offseason, Tyrann Mathieu. Gardener-Johnson was the quarterback of the Florida defense, and played both free safety and nickel corner in the past year.
Adderly is a highly regarded ball hawk, who should be able to keep the top on the defense when teams decide to take a shot deep.
All of these players could be in play for Tampa Bay on day two.
Pass Rushers
Boy, is it nice to have Chase Winovich still there, and possibly there for the taking at pick 39. The guy is all energy, and would be a fantastic defensive end to push the offensive line back next to Vita Vea, who will swallow double teams.
The Michigan product is a highly touted prospect who could have gone anywhere from 15-32, but fell into the second round. He has to be high on the board for Tampa Bay here.
Another player who has fallen down boards this offseason, is talented outside linebacker Jachai Polite from Florida.
Polite had an awful combine, showed immaturity in interviews and had an even worse pro day. Polite’s tape shows a first round talent playing against the premier conference in the NCAA, but he should be there for the taking in the late second or early third round.
One player who is comparable to Winovich is UCF’s Trysten Hill. Hill is a fast interior defensive lineman that struggles against the run, but can often collapse the quarterback’s pocket. His struggles against the run can and should be negated by a strong nose tackle like Vita Vea.
The Buccaneers have a loaded day two ahead of them, and should take advantage to build a struggling defense. This is the best defensive class in years, and we should hopefully see that in Tampa. It’s a Bucs life.
