Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds answers your questions from the @PewterReport X account this week in the Bucs Mailbag. Submit your question to SR each week via X using the hashtag #PRMailbag. Here are the Bucs questions we chose to answer for this week’s edition.

QUESTION: Who is your favorite draft pick besides Rueben Bain Jr. in this draft class? Also which undrafted free agent has a chance to compete for a roster spot/practice squad?

ANSWER: It’s hard to not have Miami edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr. as my favorite pick. I love defensive line play and I love pass rushers. I still can’t believe he was there at No. 15. I was fine accepting that the pick was going to be Bain’s teammate, Akheem Mesidor, whom I also really liked as a dynamic pass rusher. But Mesidor is already 25 and is four years older than Bain. Plus, I think Bain plays with a more nasty edge besides being a higher-rated edge rusher.

But if I can’t say Bain then my favorite pick might be Georgia State wide receiver Ted Hurst. I love big, tall wide receivers that can go up and win contested catches and also pluck the ball out of the sky on fade passes in the end zone for touchdowns. With the departure of 6-foot-5 receiver Mike Evans I feel like Tampa Bay needed to get another receiver with some height, as Jalen McMillan, Emeka Egbuka and Chris Godwin are all 6-foot-1.

Bucs WR Ted Hurst – Photo by: IMAGN Images

At 6-foot-4, 207 pounds, Hurst isn’t as big as Evans, but with a 36.5-inch vertical he has the ability to go up and get the ball, plus 4.42 speed to really stretch the field vertically. He’s a big X receiver who scored 25 touchdowns in his four year college career. It might take him a little time to adjust his game to the NFL coming from Georgia State, but also showed that he could play with the big boys with a great week at the Senior Bowl.

As for the undrafted free agent that really has a chance to come in and compete for a roster spot I would say Nebraska linebacker Javin Wright. He’s the most intriguing to me, and admittedly I don’t know a lot about many of these undrafted free agents. But Wright is a former safety who grew into a 6-foot-4, 232-pound linebacker. He’s coming off a senior season in which he had 86 tackles, nine tackles for loss, three sacks, four pass breakups and an interception.

While he needs to get stronger at the NFL level, evidenced by just 12 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press, Wright does have 4.6 speed and moves like a defensive back. Plus I like his range in coverage and he could be a fit at Mo ‘backer on the weakside learning behind Alex Anzalone. Tampa Bay only drafted one inside linebacker this year, so Wright has a chance to come in and compete for a reserve role on the depth chart or the practice squad.

I know the Bucs are really excited about Georgia Tech wide receiver Eric Rivers, LSU edge rusher Jack Pyburn, Arizona cornerback Ayden Garnes and UCF offensive tackle Paul Rubelt, who is 6-foot-10, 310 pounds among others.

QUESTION: Why did the Bucs reach at No. 46? Why didn’t they take Elijah Sarratt instead of Ted Hurst? He had a better and consistent grade. Looking at O-linemen, there were better graded players there. What stood out about the guard pick? 

ANSWER: In the Bucs’ minds, Missouri inside linebacker Josiah Trotter wasn’t a reach at No. 46. He had a very similar grade to Texas Tech’s Jacob Rodriguez, who was taken three spots earlier by Miami – although the two linebackers are very different players. The Bucs wanted a bigger, physical linebacker in the middle than they’ve had in past years, and at 240 pounds, Trotter fits that description.

Trotter and Georgia’s CJ Allen were both first-team All-SEC linebackers last year, and obviously the Bucs had him rated higher than either Allen, Cincinnati’s Jake Golday or Texas’ Anthony Hill Jr., who all went later in the second round. Tampa Bay’s draft board is vastly different than the media consensus draft board because they are looking at very specific fits for their systems on offense and defense.

There were two first-round picks – Florida defensive tackle Caleb Banks, who went to Minnesota at No. 18 and Auburn edge rusher Keldric Faulk, who went to Tennessee at No. 31 – that the team didn’t have first-round grades on. In fact, I don’t think the Bucs even had Day 2 grades on them. And I didn’t either player, so I can see why they didn’t, too.

Bucs WR Ted Hurst – Photo courtesy of Georgia State Athletics

As for Tampa Bay taking Georgia State’s Ted Hurst over Indiana’s Elijah Sarratt, I think the Bucs were looking for a bigger, more dynamic X wide receiver. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler had Sarratt rated as his 12th receiver on the board and Hurst at No. 13. So Hurst wasn’t a reach in the third round at all. Plus he’s two inches taller and also faster (4.42 vs. 4.53) and more explosive.

With Notre Dame guard Billy Schrauth, the team liked his toughness, attitude, physicality and leadership ability. At 6-foot-4, 310 pounds, Schrauth has enough size to play at the NFL level. He would have had a higher grade if not for a knee injury last year.

QUESTION: Did Jason Licht find a way to merge RAS scores and get guys with actual production?

ANSWER: It certainly looks like it. I’ve pointed out in the past that Tampa Bay has maybe emphasized athleticism too much and sacrificed toughness, physicality and production. Guys like outside linebackers Joe Tryon-Shoyinka and Chris Braswell and defensive tackle Logan Hall come to mind.

But for the four players that did enough athletic testing to qualify for RAS (Relative Athletic Score) scores, they were all elite testers. Clemson defensive tackle DeMonte Capehart, who was the team’s fifth-round pick, had a 9.96 RAS score due to his 4.85 time in the 40-yard dash at 313 pounds. While Capehart underachieved in terms of stats production for the Tigers, he is physical and tough, and I think his best football is ahead of him.

Georgia State wide receiver Ted Hurst, who was a 1,000-yard receiver last year and produced 25 touchdowns in four seasons, had a 9.90 RAS score and was Tampa Bay’s third-round pick. Miami defensive back Keionte Scott ran a blazing fast 4.33 and hits like a linebacker. Tampa Bay’s fourth-round pick had a 9.71 RAS score and is coming off a very productive season with five sacks, two pick-sixes, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

LSU’s Bauer Sharp had one of the best tight end workouts at the NFL Scouting Combine. Aside from acing the position drills, Sharp ran a 4.63 and had a 35-inch vertical.

Even though he didn’t test at the Combine or his pro day, first-round pick Rueben Bain Jr. is an incredible athlete. And I think Missouri linebacker Josiah Trotter has enough athleticism to become an impact linebacker in Tampa Bay in time.

QUESTION: Do you think the Bucs should’ve done what the Colts and Dolphins did and draft back-to-back stud linebackers?

ANSWER: I was a bit surprised that the Bucs didn’t double up at the inside linebacker position this year. With 31-year old Alex Anzalone only signed for two seasons and 29-year old Christian Rozeboom signed for just 2026, drafting another inside linebacker would have been a wise move for the future. Especially with SirVocea Dennis entering a contract year.

The Bucs drafted Josiah Trotter, a Pewter Report Bucs Best Bet, in the second round and let’s hope he can develop in coverage, but right now that’s a weakness in his game. Yet he’s only 21 and has only played two years of college football, so there is upside there.

The Dolphins drafted Texas Tech inside linebacker Jacob Rodriguez in the second round at No. 43 and the Colts selected Georgia’s CJ Allen at No. 53. Then Miami drafted another inside linebacker in the fourth round in Pittsburgh’s Kyle Louis, who is very undersized at 6-foot-1, 220 pounds. The Bucs viewed Louis more of as a safety or a big nickel than a linebacker due to his lack of ideal size.

Clemson ILB Wade Woodaz – Photo by: IMAGN Images

Indianapolis drafted Oregon’s Bryce Boettcher in the fourth round and it turned out that there was a serious run at the position in the fourth round. In addition to Louis and Boettcher, Michigan’s Jimmy Rolder, Clemson’s Wade Woodaz and Oklahoma’s Kendal Daniels were all drafted in the fourth round, too. The Bucs liked Rolder, Woodaz and Daniels and they might have been targets in the fifth round had they been there.

It’s hard to argue the Bucs selecting Miami defensive back Keionte Scott in the fourth round as many had a third-round grade on him. But after Rolder, Woodaz and Daniels were selected Tampa Bay didn’t have many linebackers left on its board with draftable grades. As it turned out, Clemson’s DeMonte Capehart, one of Pewter Report’s three Bucs Best Bets that hit, was a great selection in the fifth round.