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

QUESTION: With the albeit small risk that Devin White may be traded this offseason, do you see ILB as a high priority for the team in the draft?

ANSWER: I do think the Bucs need to address inside linebacker in this draft. As I’ve written before, Tampa Bay is a holdout (Devin White) and an injury (Lavonte David) away from starting KJ Britt and JJ Russell at inside linebacker. We got a chance to see that underwhelming duo in action in the second half of the Week 18 loss at Atlanta and the results weren’t good. The Falcons outscored the Bucs, 20-0, in the second half and neither one proved to have starting-caliber potential.

Iowa LB Jack Campbell – Photo by: USA Today

Whether or not inside linebacker will be a high priority remains to be seen. The Bucs will want to draft the right inside linebacker. They’ll draft the player – not the position. I think there are some real options – early and late. Iowa’s Jack Campbell has to be on the team’s radar, and he’s an option on Day 2. Auburn’s Owen Pappoe or Indiana’s Cam Jones might be candidates on Day 3.

If the Bucs don’t come away with another inside linebacker in the draft, there is always free agency to find one and next year’s draft. I think White ends up playing in Tampa Bay this season on his fifth-year option because he has no leverage. But the Bucs do need an heir apparent to potentially replace David next year when he turns 34.

QUESTION: I hate Jason Licht’s first-round picks until a few months later when I realize he knows much more about football than I ever will. Except OJ Howard. I loved that pick but grew to hate it. Did Howard fall to us because the other teams knew something Licht didn’t?

ANSWER: Tight end is more of a luxury position in the first round than a position of need, such as offensive and defensive linemen, quarterbacks and cornerbacks. I think there were only a few teams that had a high need for a tight end, such as Jacksonville, Baltimore and Tennessee, and their first-round picks came and went. O.J. Howard was highly regarded as a Top 10-12 prospect, but he slid to No. 19 where the Bucs were happy to stop his slide.

When Howard was on the board at No. 18 when the Titans were on the clock, the Bucs were either going to take the Alabama tight end or USC defensive back Adoree’ Jackson. Tennessee took Jackson and that left Howard for the Bucs. I remember doing the Pewter Report LIVE Draft Show back in 2017 and we didn’t think Howard was going to be in play for Tampa Bay.

But once he got past Baltimore and it was down to Tennessee and Tampa Bay, I jumped off the live broadcast and did a quick story on the Bucs drafting him at No. 19. I actually hit publish and the story went live on PewterReport.com prior to the Bucs actually making the pick. I just knew Howard was going to be a Buccaneer. In the end, he didn’t live up to lofty expectations as his production didn’t match his athletic potential. His Achilles tendon injury in 2020 didn’t help matters, either.

QUESTION: Scott Reynolds killed the Trey Lance rumors right away. I guess my question is why? Jason Licht should be calling John Lynch, a former Bucs legend in Tampa, to see what it would take to get Lance. The more the merrier at QB until you find one.

ANSWER: It’s true. I did find out – and reported – that a Saturday Internet report that the Bucs were interested in potentially trading for San Francisco quarterback Trey Lance was not true. The Bucs have not inquired about Lance, and the 49ers don’t seem inclined to trade him, at least right now while Brock Purdy rehabs his elbow after surgery.

I don’t think San Francisco is ready to give up on Lance, especially with Purdy’s recovery timetable unknown. The 49ers invested a first-round pick in him and he’s 2-2 as a starter while appearing in eight games over two years. Purdy went 5-0 as a starter in the regular season and 2-1 in the playoffs. Neither has played an entire NFL season and it would be too soon for the 49ers to ship Lance off without seeing more of what he can do. And the 49ers haven’t seen how Purdy can throw the ball yet after surgery.

As I stated on Saturday, this report just wasn’t true. The Bucs didn’t inquire about Lance, nor did the 49ers seek to trade him.

QUESTION: Doesn’t it make sense to trade down in the first round to get younger guys we can afford to pay since the Bucs are strapped for cash? Is running back Chase Brown from Illinois on the radar at all? He played well in the Big Ten.

ANSWER: Yes, trading down in the first round makes sense for two reasons. First, the Bucs have a lot of holes to fill on their roster. They only have 60 players under contract and need 30 more to fill out their training camp roster. Expect a lot of undrafted free agents to help in that endeavor immediately after the draft.

Second, trading down to acquire more picks gives general manager Jason Licht more draft ammo to produce hits. Licht will have a better chance to hit on five really good players in the draft with 12 picks rather than nine. And yes, the more rookies the Bucs have on their roster, the less stress it puts on the salary cap. Remember, Tampa Bay has about $75 million in dead cap money this year, with $35 million of it coming from Tom Brady’s contract.

And yes, the Bucs do like running back Chase Brown and had him (and his twin brother Sydney, a safety at Illinois) in for a Top 30 visit. You can read his draft profile right here and he could be an early Day 3 pick for the Bucs, who need to add another quality running back to the mix.

QUESTION: How do you feel about tight end Sam LaPorta and cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly, and will they be options for the Bucs’ mid-round picks?

ANSWER: The Bucs do like Iowa tight end Sam LaPorta, and I do too. He’s a great receiving tight end with enough size (6-3, 245) and want-to to be an effective blocker at the next level. LaPorta, who has 4.59 speed and back-to-back seasons with over 50 catches for 650 yards, is one of about half a dozen tight ends Tampa Bay really likes in this year’s draft. So, if they don’t grab him on Day 2, there will be plenty of other options in later rounds to consider.

Iowa TE Sam LaPorta – Photo by: USA Today

Here is the write-up from our Bucs Draft Preview on LaPorta, who is one of our Bucs’ Best Bets.

For his size, LaPorta is a good blocker and a high-character leader and team captain. He plays with toughness with the ball in his hands or at the point of attack while blocking. LaPorta would bring more speed and athleticism to the team that Cade Otton possesses and has the ability to develop into a starting-caliber tight end right away. Iowa has produced some stud NFL tight ends, including George Kittle, TJ Hockenson and Noah Fant. LaPorta is the next Hawkeyes tight end that should excel at the next level and could be the Bucs’ second- or third-round pick.

As for Kyu Blu Kelly, I’m not as high on him as Pewter Report’s Josh Queipo is. I think Kelly is a decent Day 3 prospect. The son of former Bucs cornerback Brian Kelly, the Stanford product is solid, but not spectacular as a cornerback prospect. I wouldn’t be opposed to the Bucs drafting him, but I wouldn’t stand on the table for him, either.

QUESTION: What players from the #XFL could help the Bucs? I’m looking at WRs Hakeem Butler and Lucky Jackson, RB Max Borghi, and edge rushers Travis Feeney, Trent Harris, Delontae Scott, and Davin Bellamy, and defensive linemen Kevin Atkins and LaRon Stokes.

ANSWER: I’m not familiar with every one of those players as I haven’t tuned in to the XFL this season. But I do know some of those players from college football and my NFL Draft prep. I was a fan of wide receiver Hakeem Butler out of Iowa State and Max Borghi out of Washington State. Butler is a big, 6-foot-5, 225-pound receiver who has 73 catches for 599 yards (11.7 avg.) and eight touchdowns this season. Lucky Jackson is another big receiver at 6-foot, 225 pounds and his 15.9 average (36 catches for 573 yards, five touchdowns) leads the league. I think either one could help Tampa Bay.

Borghi was one of my favorite Day 3 running backs in the draft, and he has 78 carries for 310 yards (4.0 avg.) with six touchdowns. But I like Brian Hill more, and liked him coming out of Wyoming as a mid-round pick. The former Atlanta Falcon has a 4.7 average (88 carries for 417 yards) with one touchdown, in addition to catching 24 passes for 204 yards (8.5 avg.) and a TD.

I know Trent Harris leads the XFL with 9.5 sacks as a blitzing linebacker, while Delontae Scott has 7.5 sacks coming off the edge with Davin Bellamy, a former Georgia Bulldog, posting 5.5 sacks. But I haven’t watched much XFL tape on these guys or the defensive linemen. But Bucs director of pro personnel Rob McCartney and his staff are all over the XFL, USFL and CFL and won’t hesitate to sign a player if they feel it can upgrade Tampa Bay’s roster.

QUESTION: Everyone is saying an offensive tackle or edge rusher in Round 1. Give the pewter people a couple names that might be possible yet would be a WOW moment.

Texas RB Bijan Robinson – Photo by: USA Today

ANSWER: Well, if Tampa Bay drafted Texas running back Bijan Robinson at No. 19, that would be a wow moment. Drafting a running back in the first round typically isn’t good value unless it’s a generational talent. But Robinson does possess that kind of talent and is considered to be a Top 5-10 player in this year’s draft regardless of position.

I don’t think that’s going to happen. I think Robinson, who did visit Tampa Bay on a Top 30 visit, gets drafted before the Bucs pick – perhaps by the Cowboys, who might trade up to get him. I also think Tampa Bay likes Rachaad White enough to make him the featured back this year and address more pressing needs in the first round, such as offensive tackle or edge rusher.

But you wanted some different possibilities in the first round, so the other names I would throw out there would be drafting Alabama safety Brian Branch in the first round, Northwestern defensive tackle Adetomiwa Adebawore or Maryland cornerback Deonte Banks. Adebawore and Banks came in for pre-draft Top 30 visits.