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The NFL Draft is an exercise in hope. Fans flock to the draft every year, believing that the players their teams select hold the tickets to the next Super Bowl. The prospects waiting for their names to be called represent pure potential, their futures unclouded by the reality awaiting them in the fall.
The Buccaneers’ dreams lie in a deep postseason run. Tampa Bay has failed to get past the divisional round since their 2020 Super Bowl run, thanks in large part to their inability to rush the passer and cover receivers over the middle of the field.
The Bucs hope that a defensive star can be found midway through the first round. In a dream scenario, the top prospects pinball their way down the draft board to pick 19. Though the flippers of reality are sure to catch these fantasies before landing in Tampa Bay, it can be nice to dream every so often.
These are the dream draft prospects for the Bucs at pick 19 in this year’s draft:
Landing this draft class’s most promising pass rusher would instantly make the Bucs a Super Bowl contender. Joining a rotation with Haason Reddick and Yaya Diaby, Carter would instantly make Tampa Bay’s pass rush the most potent and credible it has been since 2020. Unfortunately, Carter is not likely to make it past the top three picks, so this is pure fantasy for Tampa Bay’s defensive front.
Speaking of pure fantasy, Colorado’s two-way superstar would make the Bucs one of the scariest teams in the league. As a cornerback, Hunter would be an ideal fit for Todd Bowles’ off-zone coverage scheme and would bring ball skills to a secondary that has not had a player record more than three interceptions in over a decade. As a receiver, Hunter could play just a quarter of the offense’s passing snaps and still make the Bucs’ receiving room far and away the most talented in the NFL. Alas, like Carter, Hunter is not escaping the opening trio of picks, so Tampa Bay will just have to imagine him in red and pewter.
The Alabama linebacker is a slightly more realistic if still fanciful target for the Bucs. After Devin White’s career crashed and burned at the end of his tenure in Tampa Bay, the Bucs were left without a succession plan for the legendary Lavonte David. Campbell is a more well-rounded prospect than White, showing ability to blitz, cover and most especially tackle.
Campbell could fall to Tampa Bay. However, the lack of other top-end linebackers in this year’s class will make him a coveted prospect for similar linebacker-needy teams ahead of Tampa Bay in the draft order, such as Dallas, Indianapolis and Atlanta.
Tight end is not a major need for Tampa Bay, but Penn State TE Tyler Warren is the kind of prospect that overcomes the notion of need at a certain point. Warren is the prototype for the ideal Y tight end: he is an excellent blocker who also happens to have some of the best hands in the entire draft class. Adding Warren to Tampa Bay’s already stacked offense would make them all but impossible to defend. Unfortunately, the Bucs have too many needs on defense to honestly consider drafting Warren, who is unlikely to make it past Indianapolis at the latest.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Who are dream targets for the Bucs if they stay at 19 overall?
Continue reading...
The Buccaneers’ dreams lie in a deep postseason run. Tampa Bay has failed to get past the divisional round since their 2020 Super Bowl run, thanks in large part to their inability to rush the passer and cover receivers over the middle of the field.
The Bucs hope that a defensive star can be found midway through the first round. In a dream scenario, the top prospects pinball their way down the draft board to pick 19. Though the flippers of reality are sure to catch these fantasies before landing in Tampa Bay, it can be nice to dream every so often.
These are the dream draft prospects for the Bucs at pick 19 in this year’s draft:
Abdul Carter
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Landing this draft class’s most promising pass rusher would instantly make the Bucs a Super Bowl contender. Joining a rotation with Haason Reddick and Yaya Diaby, Carter would instantly make Tampa Bay’s pass rush the most potent and credible it has been since 2020. Unfortunately, Carter is not likely to make it past the top three picks, so this is pure fantasy for Tampa Bay’s defensive front.
Travis Hunter
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Speaking of pure fantasy, Colorado’s two-way superstar would make the Bucs one of the scariest teams in the league. As a cornerback, Hunter would be an ideal fit for Todd Bowles’ off-zone coverage scheme and would bring ball skills to a secondary that has not had a player record more than three interceptions in over a decade. As a receiver, Hunter could play just a quarter of the offense’s passing snaps and still make the Bucs’ receiving room far and away the most talented in the NFL. Alas, like Carter, Hunter is not escaping the opening trio of picks, so Tampa Bay will just have to imagine him in red and pewter.
Jihaad Campbell
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The Alabama linebacker is a slightly more realistic if still fanciful target for the Bucs. After Devin White’s career crashed and burned at the end of his tenure in Tampa Bay, the Bucs were left without a succession plan for the legendary Lavonte David. Campbell is a more well-rounded prospect than White, showing ability to blitz, cover and most especially tackle.
Campbell could fall to Tampa Bay. However, the lack of other top-end linebackers in this year’s class will make him a coveted prospect for similar linebacker-needy teams ahead of Tampa Bay in the draft order, such as Dallas, Indianapolis and Atlanta.
Tyler Warren
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Tight end is not a major need for Tampa Bay, but Penn State TE Tyler Warren is the kind of prospect that overcomes the notion of need at a certain point. Warren is the prototype for the ideal Y tight end: he is an excellent blocker who also happens to have some of the best hands in the entire draft class. Adding Warren to Tampa Bay’s already stacked offense would make them all but impossible to defend. Unfortunately, the Bucs have too many needs on defense to honestly consider drafting Warren, who is unlikely to make it past Indianapolis at the latest.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Who are dream targets for the Bucs if they stay at 19 overall?
Continue reading...
