While plenty of Buccaneers fans still can not believe Light passed on Derwin James when he was still available at #12, Jonah Tuls, an NFL analyst from Ndtscouting, believes that Jordan Whitehead is the better fit at the Safety position than Derwin James (compare: by click here).
According to Tuls, James plays a lot more like a Linebacker with his aggressive style. Whitehead, on the other hand, has the edge over James when it comes to coverage, which resembles better what the Buccaneers need, especially with all the other weapons acquired to support our run defense.
In zone coverage, Whitehead even “clearly outclasses” James, so Jordan Whitehead could indeed be a better fit for the Buccaneers at the Safety position than Derwin James. At the line of scrimmage, Whitehead is not as much of a force as Derwin James, however he has proven on multiple occasions that he plays decent a the line and in run support as well.
Even though it is hard to believe that a fourth round pick could be better for the team than a player who was projected by many experts to be a top 10 pick, crazier things have happened. If Tuls is right about his analysis for the two players, the Buccaneers got themselves a nice steal in round 4. Needless to say, it would not be the first time.
