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About the Author: Scott Reynolds
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The Bucs have had a busy offseason bringing in draft prospects for Top 30 pre-draft meetings, including several defensive players. Among them has been Georgia defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt, Houston defensive lineman Logan Hall, Oklahoma defensive tackle Perrion Winfrey and Auburn cornerback Roger McCreary. The list now includes one of the top safeties in this year’s draft class – Georgia’s Lewis Cine.
According to ESPN’s Jenna Laine, the Bucs met with Cine on a Top 30 visit.
The Bucs hosted Georgia safety and 2022 national championship defensive MVP Lewis Cine for a top-30 visit, per source. I asked GM Jason Licht if signing Logan Ryan and Keanu Neal precluded them from drafting a safety and he said, "No."
— JennaLaineESPN (@JennaLaineESPN) April 20, 2022
Cine’s stock is on the rise after he was the MVP of the National Championship Game. He had seven tackles, a tackle for loss and a pass breakup in the win over Alabama. He blazed a 4.37 at the NFL Scouting Combine, which put him in contention for first-round consideration. The 6-foot-2, 199-pound Cine is the second-ranked in the 2022 NFL Draft behind Notre Dame’s Kyle Hamilton.
Cine lead the Bulldogs defense with 73 tackles last year and finished his three years at Georgia with 144 stops, 14 pass breakups and two interceptions. With defensive coordinator Todd Bowles, a former NFL safety, taking over as head coach, Cine is a viable option at No. 27.
The Bucs have an open spot on their depth chart at safety. Starting strong safety Jordan Whitehead left in free agency. Andrew Adams won’t return. Veteran Keanu Neal signed to a one-year deal and is penciled in as Whitehead’s replacement. If the Bucs drafted Cine he wouldn’t be under pressure to come in and start right away. He could rotate with Neal as a rookie unless he beat him for the starting job.
