Let’s face it, the Bucs defense was terrible last year. As last season wound down it was obvious the Bucs need help at DB. They have brought back veteran Brent Grimes back for one more season, but other than that their next best CB on the roster is Vernon Hargreaves. While Grimes is solid, he will be 35 in July and Hargreaves has been consistently picked on by opposing offenses since being drafted in 2016.
With the 7th overall pick, both Mel Kiper and Todd McShay have the Bucs taking Ohio State CB Denzel Ward. To me this seems like the perfect selection with Ward being the best overall player still left on the board and has been ranked as high as the 5th best overall player in the entire draft. Ward is the best pure cover corner in the draft and has the skill and athletic ability to lock down his side of the field for years to come.
Taking a safety such as Florida State’s Derwin James or Alabama’s Minkah Fitzpatrick with the 7the pick is just too high to take a safety (see Mark Barron). Yes, they need help at RB, but there will still be several excellent RBs left on the board in the second round, such as USC’s Ronald Jones II or Georgia’s Nick Chubb.
Next year, hopefully, it will look like the Bucs Defense of old!
