Round 4 – James Madison CB Jimmy Moreland
5-10, 175 – Senior

The Buccaneers have drafted three cornerbacks over the last four years in Vernon Hargreaves III as the first-round pick in 2016 and M.J. Stewart and Carlton Davis as second-rounders last year, but the team still may not know what it has at the position. Hargreaves has battled confidence problems and injuries that have limited him to just 10 games over the last two seasons. Davis looked like a competent starter last year as a rookie, but failed to pick off a pass, while Stewart was miscast as a nickel cornerback. He’s more of a strong safety prospect due to his lack of elite speed.

James Madison CB Jimmy Moreland – Photo by: Mary Holt/PR

So don’t be surprised to see the Bucs draft yet another cornerback in 2019. If Tampa Bay doesn’t do it in the first round with a player like LSU’s Greedy Williams or Washington’s Byron Murphy, the Bucs may wait until the middle rounds to address the position, and might want to take a shot on James Madison’s ballhawk, Jimmy Moreland.

Moreland set the school’s career interception mark with 18 interceptions to go along with 208 tackles, 63 pass breakups, 12 tackles for loss, six fumble recoveries, six blocked kicks, 1.5 sacks and one forced fumble. Moreland returned six of those 18 interceptions for touchdowns, which also set a Dukes record.

Moreland was named the Colonial Athletics Association Defensive Player of the Year in 2018 after recording 56 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, 15 pass breakups, a team-high five interceptions, including three pick-sixes in three consecutive games. Moreland plays with tremendous anticipation and has great closing speed, which allows him to break on the ball to either pick it off or break up the pass.

James Madison Career Defensive Stats
2014: 47 tackles, 2 TFLs, 15 PBUs, 3 INTs, 2 TDs, 2 FRs, 5 blocks
2016: 37 tackles, 11 PBUs, 2 INTs, 1 FR
2017: 68 tackles, 2.5 TFLs, 0.5 sacks, 22 PBUs, 8 INTs, 2 FRs, 1 TD
2018: 56 tackles, 7.5 TFLs, 1.5 sacks, 15 PBUs, 5 INTs, 3 TDs, 1 FF, 1 FR, 1 block

At 5-foot-10, 175 pounds, Moreland is undersized and may be limited to playing inside at the slot position in nickel defense, but his nose for the football and knack for creating takeaways. He was invited to the East-West Shrine Game where he displayed a fearless attitude, an aggressive playing style and made several interceptions during the week while showing he could play against bigger receivers and a bigger level of competition.

Moreland, a Royal Palm Beach, Fla. native, had a tremendous freshman season for the Dukes but was kicked off the team for petty larceny before his sophomore season began. After sitting out the 2015 season, Moreland turned his life around and was given a second chance in 2016 by new JMU coach Mike Houston and made the most of it.

“He’s grown up a lot as a person,” Houston told Richmond.com. “He’s become a leader in our locker room.”

New Bucs head coach Bruce Arians is not afraid of drafting smallish players, and selected 5-foot-10, 175-pound safety Tyrann Mathieu in the third round of his first draft in Arizona in 2013. Not only could the Bucs use Moreland’s penchant for creating takeaways on defense, he also could help on special teams where he recorded six blocked kicks for James Madison, including five as a freshman.

Click below to view Tampa Bay’s fifth-round pick in 2019.