We are still very early into draft season. Yes, the Senior Bowl is almost a month in our rearview mirrors, but the NFL Scouting Combine is still in front of us and the 2025 NFL Draft is still over two months away. I am now a little over 50 prospects into my own evaluations with 200-250 to go. That’s just enough players that I can start to fill out a “my guys” board.

These are some of my favorite prospects I have studied thus far. That doesn’t mean they are at the top of my board overall, or even for their position. But there is something about their game I think will translate well, or work particularly well for the Bucs’ system, or potentially I just think they will be a good value for where they are projected to be taken come April.

Iowa State CB Darien Porter

Iowa State CB Darien Porter – Photo by: USA Today

In a draft filled with older corners, many who are coming off of significant injuries, Porter’s advanced age worries me less than it would in other drafts. But make no mistake, he is an older prospect. Pro Football Focus has his age listed at 24 already. And combining that with his relatively low experience, he has just 694 career snaps on defense, you get a player who you have to love in order to take him on Day 2 of the draft.

Well, I love his tape. And all signs point to him being one of the best testers at the NFL Scouting Combine. We already have confirmed body measurements from the Senior Bowl. He’s just over 6-foot-2 and 197 pounds and has 33.25″ arms. That means he is taller than Zyon McCollum and has longer arms than Carlton Davis III. That physical frame is a Bucs corner if I have ever seen one. And at 22.17 MPH, Porter was the fastest player in Mobile, per Zebra tracking.

His tape this past year is just as impressive. Iowa State used Porter in man coverage often. And he responded by erasing his opposition on nearly every snap. On the season Porter allowed just five catches for 70 yards while breaking up two passes and picking off another three. Teams were just unable to complete passes against him.

Porter doesn’t just have straight line speed. He opens his hips easily to change direction combating in and out-breaking routes and thwarting double moves. While other long corners struggle against smaller, high-burst, quick-twitch receivers, Porter can stick with the multiple changes of direction and movement. He’s exactly the type of player I would love the Bucs to take in the second round to deepen the stable of athleticism in the cornerback room.

Darien Porter – Size, length, speed. So traitsy.

Older prospect with a lack of considerable reps. But man I like so much of what I see when watching him. pic.twitter.com/xrR9ZplwZI

— Joshua Queipo (@josh_queipo) February 23, 2025

Ohio State S Jordan Hancock

Ohio State DB Jordan Hancock – Photo by: USA Today

Jordan Hancock is not a player I am seeing other analysts talk about much, but I expect that to change by the time the draft is upon us. He has two years of starting experience on the national championship Ohio State defense. The Buckeyes used Hancock in multiple roles last year as he lined up in the slot over 400 times, in the box almost 100 times and at true safety 200 times. No matter what alignment he was playing from he found a way to get near the ball.

As a slot blitzer he was disruptive behind the line of scrimmage with eight pressures, four tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks since 2023. He achieved this with a combination of smart snap timing, great instincts and impressive burst to get to the quarterback or ball carrier quickly. Hancock is also a willing and sound tackler. Last year his missed tackle rate fell to an impressive 9.1% on 55 opportunities.

But the most impressive part of his game has been his instincts in zone coverage. He has a good feel for route development, shows strong communication skills, cuts routes, can stay in phase and has real NFL athleticism to play against the elite athletes offensive coordinators are sticking in the slot these days. Those skills give him the positional versatility to pair well with Tykee Smith and Antoine Winfield Jr. where all three players can play in a rover role moving up and down, inside and outside across the field to add another level of disguise to Todd Bowles’ defense.

Currently NFL Mock Draft Database has Hancock as a consensus early Day 3 pick. As it stands right now, if he were available for the Bucs in the fourth round I would love the pick.

Watching Jordan Hancock vs Texas in the PO’s. Lots to like against good competition for a day 3 guy w/positional flexibility. pic.twitter.com/lZ6H2KezHk

— Joshua Queipo (@josh_queipo) February 19, 2025

Boston College Edge Rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku

Boston College edge rusher Donovan Ezeieruaku – Photo by: USA Today

For all of the hype Marshall edge rusher Mike Green has earned this pre-draft process – and rightfully so – Donovan Ezeiruaku has many of the same traits with a more projectable NFL frame. Consider this – Green had 59 pressures last year while Ezeiruaku had 60. Green had 17 sacks while Ezeiruaku had 16.5. Green had 23 TFLs while Ezeiruaku had 21. But Ezuiraku had 20 quarterback hits to Green’s 10.

And you can extrapolate this to traits as well. Green has a deep bag of tricks that includes near-chops, hand swipes, rips and spins. Ezeiruaku has the same. Both are extremely productive, high-motor, edge defenders who look to be pass-rush first guys. But there are key differences that put Ezeiruaku as EDGE2 ahead of Green on my own draft board.

First is the difference in competition. Playing for Boston College, Ezeiruaku faced a higher level of tackle than Green did playing in Conference USA. Now, Green had his way with Virginia Tech and showed some flashes against Ohio State, totaling nine pressures on 37 pass rush reps in those two games. Meanwhile Ezeiruaku had multiple pressures against Florida State, Missouri, Michigan State, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Louisville, Syracuse and North Carolina. And he finished the season with 14 pressures and 3.5 sacks against Pitt.

Add in the size differences and, for me, it’s clear who I’d rather bet on. Both players measured in at the Senior Bowl. Green’s height/weight combo assuaged many fears about him when he posted a 6’3 1/8″ and 251 pounds. That’s small, but not outlier small. But his arm length is a concern at 31.125″. Compare that to Ezeiruaku, who is shorter, 6’2 1/4″, and lighter, 248 pounds, but has above average arms at 34.25″. That arm length will give him an additional tool to work against long tackles at the next level.

The combination of all of those factors have me higher on Ezeiruaku than most. And I wouldn’t mind him at 19 overall in the least.

Donovan Ezeiruaku with the clean, quick win. pic.twitter.com/9rOPJxF5ZQ

— Joshua Queipo (@josh_queipo) January 28, 2025

Georgia G Tate Ratledge

Georgia G Tate Ratledge – Photo by: USA Today

Tate Ratledge is another older, and more experienced prospect. A three-year starter at Georgia, he has a national championship under his belt. Ratledge has the size the Bucs covet in their offensive linemen, as we originally pointed out when we included him in Pewter Report’s 2025 7-Round Bucs Mock Draft 1.0. But beyond that I am a big fan of his base, anchor and hand-fighting. These have made him a high-level pass protector for a major SEC program. Ratledge has only surrendered two sacks and 18 pressures across almost 1,200 snaps.

Beyond the pass protection skills, I am a fan of how Ratledge moves in space. Especially for his size. He is a plus run blocker who can weaponize his strength and mass to move defenders both solo and with plus timing on double teams. And get him to the second level and watch out.

The more I watch Tate Ratledge (RG – # 69) the more I like. Good base, DT timing, hand fighting, leverage. And watch him get out into space and destroy a DB. pic.twitter.com/CpC2XsZvZb

— Joshua Queipo (@josh_queipo) February 21, 2025

If any of these players ended up on the Bucs during the 2025 NFL Draft consider me a happy camper.