BUCS’ BEST BET AT RB (EARLY 1-3)
RB Marlon Mack – USF – Junior – 5-11, 213 – 4.50
Tampa Bay is expected to take a running back early in the draft, but it probably won’t be the first round as LSU’s Leonard Fournette, Florida State’s Dalvin Cook and Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey could all very well be off the board by the time the Bucs are on the clock at No. 19. Mack, who hails from Sarasota, Fla. and played college ball in Tampa, is one of a couple of running backs the Bucs have really been honing in on. USF’s all-time leading rusher ran for 3,609 yards and 32 touchdowns in his Bulls career, including three straight 1,000-yard seasons. Mack ran for 1,187 yards and 15 touchdowns while posting a 6.8 avg. last year as a junior. One of the faster running backs in the draft with 4.5 speed, Mack is a homerun hitter that has 15 runs of 40 yards or more, including six carries of 60 yards or longer. Mack can also be a factor in the passing game with 65 career catches for 498 yards (7.7 avg.) and one touchdown. Mack, who recently visited One Buccaneer Place, has the ability to be a three-down player for Bucs head coach Dirk Koetter as a second- or third-round pick.

Toledo RB Kareem Hunt – Photo by: Getty Images

BUCS’ BEST BET AT RB (LATE 4-7)
RB Kareem Hunt – Toledo – Senior – 5-10, 216 – 4.57
The Bucs have invested a lot of time into Hunt, meeting with him extensively at the Senior Bowl where he was the Outstanding Offensive Player of the Game rushing for 118 yards on 15 carries. Tampa Bay also sent running backs coach Tim Spencer to privately work him out at Toledo where he rushed for 4,945 yards and 44 touchdowns while he used his outstanding balance and lower body power to average 6.3 yards per carry. Hunt also had 73 catches for 555 yards and one touchdown, including 41 receptions for 403 yards and his lone score. Catching the ball is important in Dirk Koetter’s offense, as is ball security and Hunt never lost a fumble in 855 touches where he only fumbled once. The only issue with Hunt is the lack of breakaway speed, and that could cause this third-round rusher to drop to the fourth round in a deep draft. He ran a 4.6 at the NFL Scouting Combine and ran a 4.57 at his pro day. His speed is on par with that of Doug Martin, who was timed at 4.55 coming out of Boise State. If Mack and Hunt are gone earlier than the Bucs expect, look for Tampa Bay to target Texas running back D’Onta Foreman or Wyoming running back Brian Hill in the fourth round.