FAB 2. ADAMS WOULD LOOK GREAT IN TAMPA BAY’S SECONDARY
The secret has been out for a while – the safety position is the weakest link in Tampa Bay’s defense.

You know it.

I know it.

Tampa Bay’s opponents know it.

That’s such a shame considering John Lynch, the best safety in Buccaneers history, was just inducted into the Bucs’ Ring of Honor at halftime of the Thursday Night Football game against NFC South division rival Atlanta.

Bucs Ss Chris Conte and Bradley McDougald – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Even the front office knows that the team’s safeties are suspect, evidenced by the fact that starters Chris Conte and Bradley McDougald were only signed to one-year deals in the offseason. Conte was an unrestricted free agent and McDougald was a restricted free agent, but what the Bucs front office couldn’t figure out from last year when Lovie Smith was the play-caller was whether Conte and McDougald were better players than what they showed in his scheme.

Eight games into the season it’s becoming clear that Conte and McDougald aren’t top-flight safeties. In fact, they give up as many plays as they make – if not more – which means they are average at best. Tampa Bay’s secondary has surrendered eight touchdown passes and around 900 passing yards in the last two weeks as a result.

The other worst kept secret is that Tampa Bay will likely replace both of them with new safeties in 2016 unless their play makes a significant turnaround in the second half of the season. And the Bucs will likely do it with a premium draft pick, especially this year as the safety position figures to be well-stocked after a bit of a down year this past April.

Interestingly enough, the Bucs just played the first safety drafted this year in Oakland’s Karl Joseph, who was the14th overall pick, and faced the other first-round safety on Thursday night in Atlanta’s Keanu Neal, who was the 17th overall pick.

Neal had a preseason knee injury and missed the season opener against Tampa Bay, but has made up for lost time by racking up 49 tackles, three forced fumbles and two pass breakups in the six games he’s played in during his rookie season. Neal had eight tackles and a forced fumble in Atlanta’s 33-32 come-from-behind win against Green Bay on Sunday. Joseph has 43 tackles, five passes defensed and one interception after cracking into the starting lineup in Week 3, and had seven tackles in Oakland’s 30-24 overtime win.

So who is the next Joseph or Neal?

Raiders S Karl Joseph – Photo by: Mark Lomoglio/PR

The top safety in the 2017 NFL Draft figures to be Michigan’s uber athlete Jabrill Peppers, a redshirt sophomore who is factoring into the Heisman Trophy race. He’ll be a top 10 pick, and likely out of Tampa Bay’s reach unless the Bucs start a serious slide to end the season.

LSU junior Jamal Adams is considered to be the second-best safety prospect and should go in the middle of the draft where Joseph and Neal were selected. He’s a prospect worth getting to know.

At 5-foot-11, 211 pounds, Adams has the ideal size for the modern day safety, who is asked to come down in the box and support the run on one play and cover a wide receiver in the slot on the next play. Joseph is 5-foot-10, 207 pounds and has similar size, as does Neal, who is 6-foot, 211.

Both Joseph and Neal have 4.54 speed identical to that of Adams, who has been a three-year starter for the Tigers and has drawn comparisons to former LSU safety Tyrann Mathieu, who made his first Pro Bowl and All-Pro team in 2015. Mathieu, who is much smaller at 5-foot-9, 186 pounds, was drafted in the third round by Arizona and was scouted by Bucs general manager Jason Licht when he was with the Cardinals in 2013.

It wouldn’t be surprising if Licht went back to LSU to pluck another star safety, and recent history suggests that’s a good place to find one.

“Eric Reid, Tyrann Mathieu, Corey Webster, Patrick Peterson, Morris Claiborne, and Tre’Davious White and Jamal Adams now – the list goes on,” said Bucs receiver and LSU alumnus Russell Shepard. “People call it ‘DB U,’ and great, talented guys want to come play there. The talent comes there and the standard has already been set by the culture. The competitive nature of LSU practices is special. Whether it’s Odell Beckham going against Tyrann Mathieu in coverage, or Jeremy Hill running and getting tackled by Eric Reid – every day there is a high, competitive spirit in practice. LSU just produces good DBs.”

Shepard is a big fan of Adams and would love to see him make his way to Tampa Bay next spring.

LSU S Jamal Adams – Photo by: Getty Images

“He’s a physical talent,” Shepard said. “I played with Eric Reid throughout my time there and I’ve seen a few good safeties come through there. Jamal definitely has got the range. He’s got great ball skills and he’s a playmaker. The NFL is a pass-happy league, but the running back position is coming back around, so you need guys that can cover and fill holes. Jamal is a guy that can do both. I think he’s one of the best safeties we’ve had, and that includes guys like Eric Reed and LaRon Landry. He’s a rangy guy that can make plays. I hope we get him, but I’m biased.”

Bucs middle linebacker Kwon Alexander played with Adams at LSU but is concerned he won’t be around when Tampa Bay picks in the first round.

“He’s going to be a great one,” Alexander said. “I can’t wait until he gets into the league. He’s a dog. He’s very physical and he can tackle. He’s a great athlete. He’s becoming a leader and he’s making big plays for the defense. He’s stepping up and energizing everybody. He’s a legit first-round pick – top 10 I think.”

The Bucs could use some big plays from the safety position. In three seasons in Tampa Bay, McDougald, an undrafted free agent out of Kansas, has 185 tackles, 18 pass breakups and just four interceptions, including one two weeks ago at San Francisco. He has yet to force a fumble or recover one in the NFL.

Conte has spent the last two years in Tampa Bay after playing for Smith in Chicago, and has 123 tackles, eight pass breakups, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery as a Buccaneer, but no takeaways through eight games this season.

Adams had four interceptions for LSU last year to go along with three pass breakups and 39 tackles a year after posting 56 tackles, four pass breakups and a sack as a freshman. This year, Adams has 50 tackles, three pass breakups and a forced fumble through seven games, including a career-high 13 stops in an 18-13 loss to Auburn.

“Hey, it’s DB U, man,” Alexander said. “I wish I would have played DB. Growing up and following LSU that’s all you hear – it’s DB U. They get turnovers and score on defense and make big plays. That’s what Jamal does.”

Adams is very well regarded outside of One Buccaneer Place, too. Here’s what NFL.com’s draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah had to say about him.

“Adams reminds me a lot of Eric Berry,” Jeremiah said. “I don’t think he’s quite as fast as Berry was coming out of college, but he plays the game the same way. His combination of physicality, instincts and energy is very enticing. I love his aggression and passion for the game. He is one of the top defensive players in the country, and he will be a household name by the end of the upcoming season.”

Check out Adams’ LSU highlights (Warning: contains profanity):

The Bucs have tried and failed to find safeties in the draft over the past decade. Here’s a look at Tampa Bay’s efforts:

2016 4th Round – FS Ryan Smith
2012 1st Round – SS Mark Barron
2011 5th Round – FS Ahmad Black
2007 2nd Round – SS Sabby Piscitelli
2007 4th Round – FS Tanard Jackson

By virtue of being a top 10 pick, Barron was obviously the biggest flop, playing just over two years for the Bucs before he was traded to the Rams where he has been converted to linebacker. Safety won’t be the only need that will have to be addressed on draft day, but it could be the first.

Here are some other first-round safety candidates to become familiar with:

Michigan DB-LB Jabrill Peppers – Photo by: Getty Images

Michigan SS/OLB Jabrill Peppers – Junior – 6-1, 208 – 4.48
He has 48 tackles, 3.5 sacks and a forced fumble on the year playing linebacker, along with a defensive extra on a failed extra point. He also plays offense and has five rushing touchdowns in his career as well as returns punts and kicks and has a 54-yard punt return for a score this season. Peppers is a great athlete that has played linebacker, safety and cornerback for the Wolverines, but while he has 10 career pass breakups, which came in 2015, he has yet to record an interception in three seasons.

Ohio State FS Malik Hooker – Redshirt Sophomore – 6-2, 205 – 4.52
After recording 10 tackles as a redshirt freshman last year, Hooker has stepped up in a big way in his second year for the Buckeyes. In his first full season as a starter, Hooker has 50 tackles, four interceptions, including a pick-six, three pass breakups and half a sack. The athletic Hooker has an intriguing mix of size and speed and could be a first-round pick in the 2017 draft if he declares early and times well in the 40-yard dash.

Utah FS Marcus Williams – 6-0, 195 – 4.56 – Junior
Allen is a ballhawk with 32 tackles and three interceptions on the season, in addition to two fumble recoveries, a forced fumble. Last year he posted 66 tackles, five interceptions and recovered a fumble, and started his Utes career with 59 tackles, two forced fumbles and one interception. Add it all up and you get nine picks, four forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries.