FAB 3. Bucs’ Draft Targets And Backup Plans

After finishing the last two years with 5-11 records, the Bucs do have some holes to fill heading into the 2019 NFL Draft. And whether it’s staying at No. 5 at picking one of the best players in the draft, or trading down inside the Top 15 and acquiring more picks, Tampa Bay general manager Jason Licht has a slew of players he could select that could come in and fill an immediate need.

Bucs GM Jason Licht – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

To help identify these needs and the players that the Bucs could target to fill those needs, I’m going to list the top-rated player on Tampa Bay’s draft board at each position as well as the backup plan at that position if the top pick at that position is gone when the Bucs are on the clock.

I only see three positions that aren’t a need that we can rule out the Bucs drafting in the first round – quarterback, wide receiver and tight end – and I’m not going to include them in this exercise. Although I can’t see Tampa Bay drafting a running back in the first round, nor do I see a running back that carries a first-round grade, I’m going to leave running back on this list because it’s a need.

Bucs’ Primary Needs

5-Tech Defensive End

Bucs’ Current Starter: Will Gholston
Gholston has underwhelmed over the last two years after signing a big contract extension in the 2017 offseason. His $3.5 million base salary is tolerable, but Gholston’s limited pass rush ability makes him replaceable.

Top Pick: Michigan DE Rashan Gary
At 6-foot-4, 277 pounds, Gary ran a blistering 4.58 in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine and showed elite athleticism. Some teams have a concern that Gary is more of an athlete than an instinctive football player given his modest sack production with 10.5 sacks in three years. He has versatility playing a five-tech defensive end and a three-tech defensive tackle for the Wolverines. Gary is a legitimate Top 15 pick and the Bucs are interested enough to bring him in for a pre-draft visit.

Backup Plan: Boston College DE Zach Allen
The 6-foot-4, 283-pound Allen has the size and strength to play the five-tech and has seen his pass rush skills improve due to his fluidity. The Bucs love Allen and had a formal interview with him at the Combine. If he’s there at the top of the second round the Bucs might pounce on him as he’s an ideal fit in their 3-4 scheme.

3-Tech Defensive Tackle

Bucs’ Current Starter: Gerald McCoy
McCoy turned 31 in February, is set to make $13 million this year and didn’t get a ringing endorsement by head coach Bruce Arians at the NFL Annual Meeting in Arizona this past week. The Bucs would love to get younger and cheaper at McCoy’s position and he could be cut or traded before the start of the 2019 season.

Top Pick: Alabama DT Quinnen Williams
I’ve written plenty about Williams in this edition of SR’s Fab 5. He’s a rare talent with great movement ability and a huge upside. The 21-year old Outland Trophy winner would be an ideal three-tech defensive tackle next to Vita Vea for the next decade. He’s a top 5 player.

Clemson DT Christian Wilkins – Photo by: Getty Images

Backup Plan: Clemson DT Christian Wilkins
Wilkins gets the slight nod ahead of Houston’s smallish defensive tackle Ed Oliver and Notre Dame’s Jerry Tillery, whom the Bucs like in the second round. Wilkins has the scheme versatility that defensive coordinator Todd Bowles loves. At 6-foot-4, 315 pounds, Wilkins played all four defensive line spots and showed off his athleticism on offense, scoring three touchdowns in his Tigers career. Wilkins, who is a Top 20 pick, was the leader of Clemson’s defense as a team captain and won back-to-back national titles.

Inside Linebacker

Bucs’ Current Starters: Kevin Minter and Deone Bucannon
Minter will get the nod lining up next to Lavonte David when the Bucs are in their 3-4 base defense, which will be about 30-40 percent of the time, while Bucannon will replace Minter in sub packages in nickel situations due to his range and coverage ability. The Bucs would love to have a three-down inside linebacker to replace Kwon Alexander, who departed in free agency.

Top Pick: LSU LB Devin White
White has been linked to the Buccaneers ever since PewterReport.com had him in its first 2019 Bucs’ Mock Draft in mid-January. White is an alpha leader in addition to being one of the fastest and most athletic linebackers to come out of college football. He blazed a 4.42 time in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine and has drawn comparisons to Ray Lewis and Patrick Willis. White is a Top 10 talent, and could go in the Top 5.

Backup Plan: Michigan LB Devin Bush
As much as the Bucs love White – and they do love him – they also are quite fond of the “other Devin,” as in Wolverines leader Devin Bush. An inch shorter and a few pounds lighter than White, the 5-foot-11, 234-pound Bush is a downhill linebacker that has sideline-to-sideline speed and enough range to be a three-down linebacker. There isn’t much that separates White from Bush, who is a Top 20 pick.

Weakside Linebacker

Bucs’ Current Starter: Jason Pierre-Paul
Pierre-Paul just turned 30 but doesn’t show any signs of slowing down coming off a 12.5-sack season last year in his first season in Tampa Bay. Still, the Bucs could use another young edge rusher to groom behind Pierre-Paul, as Noah Spence is unproven and could be a bust.

Kentucky OLB Josh Allen – Photo by: Getty Images

Top Pick: Kentucky OLB Josh Allen
Allen, who slides to Tampa Bay at the No. 5 spot in PewterReport.com’s latest Bucs Mock Draft, added size during his senior season and is up to 262 pounds on his 6-foot-5 frame. That added strength allowed him to record 17 sacks and five forced fumbles last year and boost his draft stock into the Top 5. Allen is one of this draft’s most gifted edge rushers, evidenced by his 31 career sacks and 41 tackles for loss. Allen would be an ideal heir apparent to Pierre-Paul.

Backup Plan: Mississippi State OLB Montez Sweat
The 6-foot-6, 260-pound Sweat ran a ridiculous 4.41 in the 40-yard dash at the Combine and has seen his stock soar since he dominated at the Senior Bowl. Sweat is coming off back-to-back 11-sack seasons at Mississippi State and gets the edge here over Florida State edge rusher Brian Burns due to Sweat’s ability to convert speed to power, unlike Burns who has more finesse than power. Sweat is a Top 15 pick as long as his heart condition checks out, and could go in the Top 10.

Right Tackle

Bucs’ Current Starter: Demar Dotson
Dotson turns 34 this year and is in the final year of his contract. The team believes that he has at least one more good year left in him as a starter, but needs to find a successor in this draft, and doesn’t believe that’s necessarily Caleb Benenoch, who bombed as the team’s starting right guard last year.

Top Pick: Florida OT Jawaan Taylor
The Bucs have Taylor – not Alabama’s Jonah Williams – ranked as the top offensive tackle in this draft class. Williams is a 6-foot-5, 312-pound mauler in the run game and is imposing enough to be a force in pass protection with his 35-inch arms and quick feet. If drafted, Taylor immediately contends for the starting right tackle job. He’s a Top 10 talent who will likely go to Jacksonville at No. 7 if not drafted by the Bucs at No. 5.

K-State RT Dalton Risner – Photo courtesy of KSU

Backup Plan: Kansas State OT Dalton Risner
The Bucs like the charismatic Risner because he has a ton of work ethic and toughness and just enough athleticism to be a dual right tackle that can effectively pass protect and run block. It doesn’t always look pretty, but Risner gets the job done and is considered to be a late first-rounder. If he falls to the top of the second round the Bucs wouldn’t hesitate to draft him as they love the fact that he could also slide inside and start at guard next to Dotson in 2019.

Cornerback

Bucs’ Current Starters: Vernon Hargreaves III and Carlton Davis
Tampa Bay seems content heading into the draft with Hargreaves and Davis as the starting cornerbacks outside despite the fact that Hargreaves has seen his last two seasons end on injured reserve and the young duo has one career interception between them. The Bucs will need to select a cornerback with starting potential somewhere in this draft.

Top Pick: Washington CB Byron Murphy
Murphy plays bigger than his 5-foot-11, 190-pound frame suggests and plays faster than his 4.55 speed in the 40-yard dash would indicate. He packs quite a punch as a tackler and is a stud in coverage. Murphy is considered to be a late- to mid-first-rounder that has the ability to play outside and potentially move Hargreaves inside to slot. The Huskies star might have enough short area quickness and instincts to get a look inside as well.

Backup Plan: Delaware CB Nasir Adderley
Adderley played free safety at Delaware last year under Bucs safeties coach Nick Rapone and showed great instincts and ball skills, but he started his career as a cornerback. He’s got great size at 6-foot, 206 pounds to play press man coverage in Todd Bowles’ scheme and the versatility to play safety if necessary, too. Adderley could get drafted in the late part of the first round, but if he’s available at the top of the second round he might be targeted by the Bucs.

Bucs’ Secondary Needs

Guard

Bucs’ Current Starter: Earl Watford
Watford takes over for Benenoch and will battle Alex Cappa for the chance to start at right guard. Cappa was the team’s third-round pick last season and struggled making the transition from Humboldt State to the NFL and from left tackle to right guard. Cappa will also compete at right tackle, which means the Bucs could use another guard to throw in the mix to develop as a long-term starter next to center Ryan Jensen.

Top Pick: Alabama G Jonah Williams
If the Bucs trade down near the middle of the first round Williams could be a potential target. Although he was an All-American left tackle at Alabama, the Bucs view him as right guard candidate or perhaps a right tackle. But the fact that Williams has experience playing at left tackle gives him tremendous versatility and that broadens his appeal to Tampa Bay.

Boston College G Chris Lindstrom – Photo by: BC

Backup Plan: Boston College G Chris Lindstrom
Lindstrom is the best pure guard prospect in this draft and his play reminds some of Tampa Bay’s left guard Ali Marpet. The All-American guard was one of the best linemen at the Senior Bowl and the Bucs showed heavy interest in him there and at the NFL Scouting Combine. If he’s there at the top of the second round he may be too good to pass up as he could solidify the right guard position for years to come.

Strong Safety

Bucs’ Current Starter: Jordan Whitehead
Justin Evans is slated to start at free safety and play centerfield as he has for the past two years, but Evans won’t be playing 20 yards off the ball like he was in Mike Smith’s scheme, which was ridiculous. The team needs a strong safety to play in the box and compete with Whitehead, who is a serviceable guy, but doesn’t look like a special player.

Top Pick: Washington SS Taylor Rapp
Rapp is a versatile player capable of playing in the box in run support or as a blitzer, covering tight ends or receivers in the slot or even playing deep as a free safety. Rapp has a good football I.Q. and solid instincts. As a three-year starter since his freshman year, Rapp has demonstrated great leadership ability and has earned a reputation for being a big hitter with good coverage ability. He’s a late-first-round pick and a candidate to become a Buccaneer if the team trades down.

Backup Plan: Maryland SS Darnell Savage
Savage slightly edges Mississippi State’s Johnathan Abram, whom the Bucs also like, for this distinction. The Maryland star is one of the fastest defensive backs in the 2019 NFL Draft, running a 4.36 time in the 40-yard dash at 200 pounds. Savage has good striking ability and the ability to play man coverage in the middle of the field. He’s fast enough to cover most receivers and big enough to battle tight ends down the seam. Savage’s stock is rising and he’ll be a second-rounder in April.

Running Back

Bucs’ Current Starter: Peyton Barber
New Bucs head coach Bruce Arians can’t speak highly enough of Barber despite the fact that he averaged just 3.7 yards per carry in his first year as a full-time starter. Barber does have the versatility to be a three-down back, but isn’t explosive and must pick up yardage in chunks from breaking tackles rather than from his speed. Tampa Bay could use a faster, pass-catching back that could make more big plays.

Top Pick: Penn State RB Miles Sanders
The Bucs like Sanders, who was Saquon Barkley’s successor at Penn State. Sanders enters the NFL with low mileage and does a good job of slipping tackles and catching the ball out of the backfield. I’m not as big a fan of Sanders as Tampa Bay is, but he does have talent and is a second-round talent. The 5-foot-11, 211-pound back has good size and 4.49 speed in the 40-yard dash and could tempt the Bucs to draft him in the second round.

Memphis RB Darrell Henderson – Photo by: Memphis athletics

Backup Plan: Memphis RB Darrell Henderson
Tampa Bay really likes Henderson, who is one of the most explosive running backs in this draft class. He’s a gifted runner and receiver and also has kick return ability. The only thing that is keeping Henderson out of the first or second round is the fact that he’s 5-foot-8. Henderson has starting potential and could be a steal for the Bucs at the top of the third round if he’s there.