While free agency is under two weeks away, the attention of the football world is currently on the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. While coaches and general managers spoke with the media earlier this week, prospects will be talking all week.

Friday marked the second day of testing and drills inside Lucas Oil Stadium. It was the defensive backs who took center stage, though the defensive linemen, edge rushers and linebackers who tested on Thursday hit the bench press to wrap up their respective showcases. Below are some of the standouts from Day 2 of the NFL Combine who may be potential Bucs targets.

NFL Combine Standouts Of Interest To The Bucs – DBs

Kansas State CB Julius Brents – Photo by: USA TODAY Sports

Kansas State CB Julius Brents

Brents’ draft stock will soar even higher after his workout on Friday, especially after being measured at 6-foot-2 with 34-inch arms (99th percentile). His wingspan is the longest of any cornerback in NFL Combine history. He weighed in at 198 pounds before dominating the drills with an 11-foot-6-inch broad jump (first among all cornerbacks), a 41.5-inch vertical (tied for second), a 4.05-second 20-yard shuttle (best among cornerbacks) and a 6.63-second three-cone drill (best among corners by far). He also ran a solid 4.53-second 40-yard dash.

Brents had an informal meeting with the Bucs in Indianapolis. Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds had him as a third-round pick in his “Todd Bowles’ Ideal Bucs Draft” piece last week, noting that the former Kansas State star would have a chance to jump right in and replace Jamel Dean as Tampa Bay’s CB2 should Dean depart in free agency.

“Brents is a tough-nosed tackler and physical in coverage, so he would fit in quite nicely in Tampa Bay’s secondary,” Reynolds wrote. “The Bucs like to draft cornerbacks on Day 2, and Brents has a chance to replace Jamel Dean as a starter should he leave via free agency. The fact that Sean Murphy-Bunting is also a free agent makes cornerback a big need, although Murphy-Bunting might return on a cheaper, one-year prove-it deal, as he may be less sought after in March.”

Maryland CB Jakorian Bennett

Bennett had an incredibly impressive day on Friday, coming in with a 40-yard dash time of 4.30 seconds (second-best among cornerbacks). His 10-yard split of 1.48 seconds tied for second-best, while he ranked in the top five in the vertical (40.5 inches, tied for third) and broad jump (11-foot-1-inch, tied for fourth).

The Maryland cornerback had an informal meeting with the Bucs in Indianapolis this week. PFF’s 98th-ranked prospect, he could be a potential Day 2 pick as Tampa Bay searches for some help in the defensive backfield. With Jamel Dean and Sean Murphy-Bunting’s impending free agency, the team is thin at corner with Carlton Davis locked in as CB1 and the CB2 spot up for grabs. Zyon McCollum, a 2022 draft pick, is heading into his second year and was lauded by general manager Jason Licht on Tuesday as someone who can develop into a starting cornerback in the NFL.

Even still, the Bucs will be looking for help in the secondary and an NFL Combine standout like Bennett could be in play.

Oregon CB Christian Gonzalez

Oregon CB & Draft Prospect, Christian Gonzalez – Photo By: USA Today

As one of the cornerbacks who had a formal meeting with the Bucs at the NFL Combine and someone who has been mocked to Tampa Bay with the 19th overall pick, Gonzalez is a player worth keeping an eye on throughout the pre-draft process.

The Oregon standout showed out on Friday, running a 4.38-second 40-yard dash. That ranked fifth among cornerbacks, and his 41.5-inch vertical tied Julius Brents for second-best among corners. His 11-foot-1-inch broad jump tied him for fourth in his position group.

Gonzalez is a player who has received plenty of buzz in Indianapolis. It’s questionable whether he’ll even fall to all the way to where the Bucs are picking in the first round, as he may be the best cornerback in the draft. There are some draft-eligible wide receivers at the NFL Combine who have praised his game. Count Stanford’s Michael Wilson as one of them. He said Gonzalez was the best corner he faced during his career while playing in the Pac-12.

“He’s long, he’s tall, he’s fast,” Wilson said. “He’s got the technique and the competitiveness to him. I said earlier in this interview, he’s just one of those guys that, it’s hard to spot a weakness or a chink in his armor just because he’s got every single tool and asset that you would want in a prototypical NFL corner.”

Illinois S Quan Martin

Martin was one of the biggest winners of the day at the safety position. His 44-inch vertical was the best of any player at the NFL Combine thus far. His 4.46-second 40-yard dash was third-best among safeties, while his 10-yard split of 1.47 seconds was the best at his position group. The former Illinois standout also led all safeties in the broad jump, posting a mark of 11 feet, 1 inch.

Martin told Pewter Report on Thursday that he has a formal interview scheduled with the Bucs at the NFL Combine. Given his experience working in the slot at Illinois – playing 493 snaps at nickel in 2022 and 431 at the position in 2021 – he could very well be a fit for Tampa Bay. The team has three safeties set to hit free agency in Mike Edwards, Logan Ryan and Keanu Neal, plus the nickel position is a need for Todd Bowles’ defense, especially after the head coach said he would prefer to keep Antoine Winfield Jr. at one position (as much as he can) in 2023.

Illinois S Sydney Brown

Illinois S Sydney Brown – Photo by: USA Today

Brown, a teammate of Martin’s at Illinois, is another safety of particular interest to the Bucs. He had both a formal and informal meeting with Tampa Bay in Indianapolis, and the 5-foot-10, 211-pound prospect could be a potential fit on Day 2 of the draft. The 58th-ranked player in the 2023 class according to PFF had himself a strong day on Friday.

Brown’s 10-foot-10-inch broad jump was the second-best mark among players at his position, while his 40.5-inch vertical was tied for third-best. He also ran a 4.47-second 40-yard dash (fourth among safeties) and his 10-yard split of 1.51 seconds was third-best in the position group.

“Brown had a breakout year in his fifth season at Illinois with 60 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, seven passes defensed, six interceptions, including a pick-six, a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery for a touchdown,” Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds wrote in his list of Bucs 2023 Senior Bowl targets. “The instinctive DB finished his Illini career with 16 pass breakups and 10 INTs. Brown is a thick, physical safety with a nose for the ball – and the end zone – and figures to be a Day 2 selection.”

Pitt S Brandon Hill

Hill is another safety with significant experience at nickel. A later-round option, the former Pitt standout played 208 snaps in the slot in 2022 after spending 193 snaps there in 2021. He met informally with Tampa Bay this week in Indianapolis before putting together a dazzling performance inside Lucas Oil Stadium on Friday.

The 5-foot-10, 193-pound Hill led all safeties with a 4.43-second 40-yard dash while posting the second-best 10-yard split of any player at the position (1.50 seconds). His broad jump and vertical numbers weren’t as impressive, but he still ranked inside the top 10 among safeties (10-foot-3-inch broad jump was seventh-best and his 35.5-inch vertical tied him for seventh).

Revisiting NFL Combine Standouts From Day 1

Auburn linebacker Owen Pappoe – Photo by: USA Today

We wrote about the NFL Combine Day 1 standouts on Thursday night, highlighting the top-performing defensive linemen, edge rushers and linebackers of interest to the Bucs. Those position groups were back at it on Friday, giving us some bench press numbers to dive into.

Auburn linebacker Owen Pappoe, who met informally with the Bucs in Indianapolis and was among the top linebackers during Thursday’s drills, once again found himself leading the way for his position. His 29 reps on the bench were the most by any linebacker, two more than the second-best mark (Oregon’s Noah Sewell at 27).

Northwestern defensive lineman Adetomiwa Adebawore put the finishing touches on his impressive week in Indianapolis, putting up 27 reps, the fifth-most out of the defensive ends.