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

QUESTION: Who are your top five prospects for the Bucs at No. 27? Are there any potential surprise prospects no one is talking about for the Bucs? Such as trading up for someone, a potential reach or someone shooting up the board?

ANSWER: Top five prospects for Tampa Bay’s first-round? Hmmm. Good question. Based on the results of the NFL Scouting Combine I’ll throw out some names of some Bucs fits that might actually be there at No. 27. I’d love to see Arkansas wide receiver Treylon Burks in Tampa Bay, but I think he’ll be gone before No. 27 despite a pedestrian 4.55 time in the 40. He plays faster than he timed.

Boston College G Zion Johnson – Photo by: USA Today

But I think a wide receiver could be Tampa Bay’s first-round pick. North Dakota State’s Christian Watson could be a real option at No. 27. He might fit the surprise prospect and the “shooting up the board” prospect you’re asking about, too. Watson ran a 4.36 at 6-foot-4, 208 pounds and is one of the most elite receiver prospects as far as athletic testing goes. He also averaged 20.5 yards per catch, which should catch Bruce Arians’ eye.

Either Boston College’s Zion Johnson or Texas A&M’s Kenyon Green could be an option if the Bucs are looking for a starting-caliber guard. If defensive tackle is a need, then Georgia’s Devonte Wyatt or UConn’s Travis Jones could be options. Wyatt might be drafted before No. 27 as there are only really three good defensive tackles in this weak draft class. If Tampa Bay wants one, Jones won’t be there when team picks in the second round at No. 61. The Bucs might have to draft Jones at the end of the first round if they can’t trade down a few spots.

QUESTION: If the draft happened before free agency, what would the list of priorities look like with the Bucs first-round pick?

ANSWER: Tough question because there are so many holes that can and will be filled in free agency first. In terms of positional value defensive tackle, guard and wide receiver seem to stick out to me. I’m not sure if Ndamukong Suh is going to return to Tampa Bay. Steve McLendon is just a backup, but he might not be back, either. The Bucs need some star power next to Vita Vea in the starting lineup.

The guess is that Will Gholston returns to Tampa Bay, but the team will need some more defensive tackles. The fact that the draft is very thin at defensive tackle could force the Bucs to use their first-round pick to get one before they’re gone.

Tampa Bay could have two big holes at guard if Alex Cappa isn’t re-signed. Or top reserve Aaron Stinnie for that matter. Pro Bowler Ali Marpet retired, so even if Cappa and Stinnie are re-signed, don’t rule out the Bucs drafting a guard. Especially if Stinnie is signed to a one-year, prove-it deal. As I mentioned previously, Boston College’s Zion Johnson and Texas A&M’s Kenyon Green are first-round caliber guards.

I’m assuming Chris Godwin returns – either with a long-term deal or the franchise tag again. But the Bucs will still have to replace Antonio Brown. They don’t have a No. 3 receiver capable of starting opposite Godwin and Mike Evans. The draft is flush with great wide receiver talent and the Bucs could snag one at No. 27.

Arkansas’ Treylon Burks and North Dakota State’s Christian Watson are two big receiver options. Burks might be gone by No. 27. Ohio State’s Chris Olave would be a decent fit if he’s still on the board, and Penn State’s Jahan Dotson might be a fall-back option.

QUESTION: Are the Bucs really looking to tag Chris Godwin again? Seems like a poor allocation of resources based on receiver contracts the last couple of years. Does this indicate a likely Carlton Davis III extension?

ANSWER: There was an ESPN report on Sunday that indicated that the Bucs were about 90 percent sure to use the franchise tag on receiver Chris Godwin again. The Bucs can’t afford to lose Godwin, but he played on the tag last year. It’s kind of ridiculous that the team and Godwin’s agents have yet to come to an agreement on a multi-year deal with a full year to negotiate it.

Bucs WR Chris Godwin – Photo by: USA Today

Using the franchise tag on Godwin is a poor allocation of resources as his franchise tag number this year would be $19,179,600. That’s too high as Godwin’s market value is believed to be around $16 million. It’s doubtful that Godwin would play on the franchise tag this year as the team and his agent will eventually come to terms on a long-term deal.

As of Monday morning, the Bucs were not close to a long-term deal with either Godwin or cornerback Carlton Davis III. The team would probably prefer to use the franchise tag on Davis because they know they want to re-sign Godwin to a long-term deal. With Davis, what is his market value? It’s less than the $17.287 million franchise tag amount for him. But the Bucs would love to have him on a one-year deal to truly gauge his value.

Davis has missed at least two games due to injury in each of his four seasons in Tampa Bay. He missed seven games last year with a quad injury. And he had a pair of one-interception years sandwiched around a four-interception season in 2020. Having one more season to really evaluate Davis’ ability to stay healthy and make plays would be beneficial to the Bucs. The franchise tag deadline is Tuesday, March 8 at 4:00 p.m. ET. We’ll see which player Tampa Bay will use it on.

QUESTION: If Chris Godwin gets tagged, what are the chances that he actually plays the year on the franchise tag?

ANSWER: If the Bucs use the franchise tag on Chris Godwin again this year they will only do it to buy more time to negotiate a long-term deal. Tampa Bay really can’t afford to carry Godwin at $19,179,600 throughout the year. He’ll simply eat up too much precious cap space.

The Bucs will want to reach a long-term deal long before the summer deadline to negotiate extensions with franchise players. Last year’s deadline was July 15. The sooner the Bucs can come to terms with Godwin, the better for their cap.

Tampa Bay’s vice president of football administration Mike Greenberg, the team’s capologist, could still pay Godwin an average of over $16 million. But he could greatly lower Godwin’s 2022 cap hit in the process, which would help the Bucs sign or re-sign other players.

QUESTION: In regards to cornerbacks in the draft, do the Bucs have a size/length threshold? Or is that just a coincidence? All three cornerbacks – Carlton Davis III, Sean Murphy-Bunting, and Jamel Dean – are over 6-foot with over 31-inch arms. Is it a hard threshold or more of a preference?

ANSWER: It’s certainly a preference for the Bucs, who like tall cornerbacks with long arms. But it’s almost become a threshold for the team. Nearly every cornerback met those marks last year with just two close exceptions.

UTSA CB Tariq Woolen – Photo by: USA Today

Ross Cockrell is 6-foot and has 29.875-inch arms. One could say Tampa Bay essentially rounded up to its 30-inch arm preference. It’s the same thing with Dee Delaney. He’s 5-11 1/2, so he’s close to 6-foot. But Delaney has 30.5-inch arms, so he fits their mold in that capacity.

The Bucs changed their mindset about the cornerback position after drafting Vernon Hargreaves III in the first round in 2016. Hargreaves is 5-foot-10 and was constantly “big-boyed” by taller receivers. Since 2020, the Bucs have only been interested in taller cornerbacks with long arms.

Some cornerbacks to keep an eye on in this year’s draft include Florida’s Kair Elam (6-1.5, 30.875), UTSA’s Tariq Woolen (6-4, 33.6-inch arms), Sam Houston State’s Zyon McCollum (6-2, 30.75) and Florida A&M’s Markquese Bell (6-2, 32.375). Those are prospects that will likely be available to Tampa Bay in the second round. Unless the Bucs somehow lose Carlton Davis III in free agency, they likely won’t address cornerback in the first round.