The NFL Combine is upon us. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been linked to numerous players at number seven. What will the Buccaneers do? They need help on basically all facets of the game. If the draft goes as planned most believe the Buccaneers will select Quenton Nelson out of Notre Dame. Let’s take a look at some of the players highlighted for this year’s draft.
Notre Dame has produced several dominant offensive linemen. This year is no exception with Quenton Nelson. The Notre Dame product is 6’5 330 pounds of dominance. He was a consensus All-American in 2017. When opposing defenses lined up across from Quenton Nelson they usually were in for a long game. He has the ability to be the anchor for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive line for several years. Nelson is an absolute game changer on the offensive line.
Jaire Alexander is a defensive back out of Louisville. Alexander is 5’11 and 192 lbs. The Cardinals counted on him to shut down opposing teams’ best wide receiver this past season. In his 3 years at Louisville, Alexander had 77 tackles and 7 interceptions. The Buccaneers could also use him on special teams. He returned punts and kicks for Louisville. He only returned one for a touchdown, but when was the last time Tampa Bay returned a kick or punt for a touchdown (Micheal Spurlock 2010). Alexander could really help shore up the secondary for the Buccaneers.
The best Defensive End in the 2018 draft is North Carolina State’s, Bradley Chubb. He was a wrecking ball for NC State. If Tampa was to select him it would have to be with the number seven pick. He will not make it out of the first round. Chubb played 4 seasons at NC State and tallied 198 tackles. Chubb also had 25 sacks. He even chipped in with one interception. He is a dominating force at 6’5 275 pounds. He would be the perfect fit in Mike Smith’s defense.
Another defensive end that Tampa Bay has been linked too is UTSA’s playmaker, Marcus Davenport. Although, he didn’t play the competition that Chubb faced Davenport was an absolute monster during his tenure at Texas-San Antonio. He is 6’7 255 pounds with power and speed. He could be a huge factor on any defensive line. He had 185 tackles with 21.5 sacks. Could Tampa Bay pass on Chubb to select Davenport later in the draft? If they could get Nelson and Davenport this could be one of Tampa’s best draft classes of all-time.
The Buccaneers have tried to build a dominant defense through free agency, but that hasn’t seemed to pan out for them. This year’s draft will produce some great NFL talent. The Buccaneers just hired new defensive line coach Brentson Buckner. Let’s get Buckner and Mike Smith some new talent to work with, in 2018.
