The college football world is a complete mess right now. No one knows who will be playing where and what the conference landscape will look like a few years from now. With all of the realignment rumors and movement, it’s easy to forget that there’s a season getting ready to ramp up in about seven weeks. And with that, there are a whole host of players the Bucs will be scouting for the 2023 Draft.

Tampa Bay is in the process of preparing for its own 2022 season, but draft preparation is a year-round duty. In the same way, draft coverage is 24/7/365 nowadays. There are already 2023 mock drafts out there, and plenty of college football primers picking out the starts to watch for when the season gets underway.

And on that front, Pro Football Focus’ Michael Renner recently published a piece picking out one draft prospect each team should be watching. Perhaps unsurprisingly, he links the Bucs with a cornerback. That cornerback is Syracuse’s Garrett Williams.

“With Carlton Davis already paid, there’s no guarantee that Jason Licht will be able to fit both Jamel Dean and Sean Murphy-Bunting under the cap when they hit free agency next spring,” Renner wrote. “Garrett Williams has that man coverage skill set that Todd Bowles’ defense will covet highly.”

Bucs CB Sean Murphy-Bunting – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Renner is right. It’s hard to imagine both Dean and Murphy-Bunting earning second contracts with Tampa Bay. Right now, it’s more likely that Dean does and Murphy-Bunting doesn’t. Either way, Tampa Bay might find itself pretty thin at cornerback heading into 2023.

Logan Ryan is only in town on a one-year deal, so if both he and Murphy-Bunting could be gone. If that’s the case, the Bucs would be left with some holes to fill. Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds pointed out in the latest edition of his SR’s Fab 5 column that Bowles isn’t afraid to start rookie cornerbacks, and that’s certainly a possibility for the Bucs next year.

What To Know About Williams And His Fit With The Bucs

Williams has been a standout for the Orange over the last two years, leading the ACC in passes defended. He finished with 12 in the 2020 season and 10 in 10 games during the 2021 season. Over 25 career games, he has 116 tackles, eight tackles for loss, a sack, two interceptions and 22 passes defended.

At 6-foot, 190 pounds, the 21-year-old isn’t massive. However, both Davis and Dean are 6-foot-1, 206 pounds, so it’s not as if he’s significantly smaller than the Bucs’ starting corners right now. He’s around the same size as Murphy-Bunting, who the Bucs list at 6-foot, 195 pounds. And with his physicality and willingness to step up against the run, he certainly fits the mold for a Todd Bowles cornerback.

The Bucs will keep their eye out on a whole host of cornerbacks throughout the upcoming college football season. They face decisions with quite a few of their current corners, making it extremely likely that they target the position in the 2023 Draft – and potentially early.

Here are some highlights of Williams’ 2021 season with Syracuse: