Realistic 2nd-Round Draft Prospects for the Buccaneers

Everyone loves the first round, where all the big names come and go, but truth be told, successful teams do their best work in the rest of the draft. 

It’s easy to make a first round slam dunk pick. What’s difficult is taking advantage of the rest of your picks. 

So here are five second round prospects the Buccaneers could target as they begin their post-Brady work. 

Matthew Bergeron, OT, Syracuse

Matthew Bergeron is widely considered to be one of the more athletic tackles in this draft class, he’d be a bit of a project. However, with the Buccaneers being where they are, it wouldn’t be the worst thing to take a low floor high ceiling type of guy to replace Donovan Smith at left tackle. 

Kayshon Boutte, WR, LSU

Kayshon Boutte saw his draft stock plummet this past season with a severe drop off in production for his junior year. For the Buccaneers, that’s a great thing, as the uber-talented wideout may fall to them in the second round. And if he’s there, I’d be pulling the trigger immediately. Boutte provides speed and playmaking out of the receiver position that the Bucs haven’t had since Antonio Brown’s exit from the team. This would be a bit of a win-now move, but one that could certainly make whoever’s under center’s life a bit easier, especially if the Bucs use their first on a left tackle. 

Sydney Brown, Safety, Illinois 

The Buccaneers are losing potentially 3 safeties to free agency this offseason. They’re going to need to fill those holes, and Sydney Brown could be another second round success story at the position to line up next to Winfield. Brown is incredibly versatile and plays pretty well in the run, a trait that plays very well in Todd Bowles’ defense. 

Trenton Simpson, LB, Clemson

A coverage linebacker through and through, Trenton Simpson could use some work in his run game. But, the raw ability is there, and his pass coverage instincts from the position might be the best in this class. His hit stick ability is also something to be excited about, and would be fun to watch next to Devin White. 

Jack Campbell, LB, Iowa 

If Simpson is the elite pass coverage backer, then Jack Campbell is much more solid against the run. But, he lacks the ability to truly be a good pass coverage linebacker, which is slightly concerning. We shall see if the Buccaneers value Campbell’s positional awareness when it comes to stopping the run enough to spend a second on him. 

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