Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Vernon Hargreaves to make rookie impact

In 2015, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers received an immediate boost from rookies scattered across the roster. Whether it was franchise quarterback Jameis Winston, guard upgrade Ali Marpet, or future defensive playmaker Kwon Alexander, the Buccaneers saw their infusion of young talent pay off early.

Depending on that kind of first-year success from players isn’t a strategy NFL teams employ, so the Tampa Bay Buccaneers know that Robert Aguayo is the only player they should expect immediate success from. I mean, he is a kicker, and they did trade up in the second round to take him off the board.

The non-kicker with the best chance of helping the Buccaneers as a rookie is cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III. An argument can be made for Noah Spence’s rookie season being more important, but it’s hard to sell a rookie pass rusher’s success. Not everyone is Khalil Mack or Jevon Kearse, so Spence might only be “encouraging” as a rookie (a la Vic Beasley for the Atlanta Falcons in 2015).

Rookie cornerbacks don’t have it easy either, but we’ve seen more recent examples of immediate excellence at this position. For starters, Ronald Darby and Marcus Peters both played at an elite level in 2015.

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The former of the two CBs looked like a true shutdown player, racking up passes defended in the process and even outshining fellow star corner Stephon Gilmore. Peters is one of the league’s best playmakers at any position, and the former first-round ball hawk has top-five potential at the position.

Now, Hargreaves most likely won’t pick off eight passes with 26 passes defended (Peters’s 2015 numbers), but he could be the Buccaneers best corner this season. That title has some competition with veteran Brent Grimes angling for a bounce-back season and the talented Johnthan Banks hoping for a positive season under a new coaching staff. Oh, and who can forget about Alterraun Verner, who was regarded as one of the top players at the position before signing with Lovie Smith’s Bucs?

Apr 28, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Vernon Hargreaves III (Florida) is selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the number eleven overall pick in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft at Auditorium Theatre. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports /

However, Hargreaves just might be the favorite for that designation. The 11th overall pick, Hargreaves blanketed wide receivers, facing steep competition in the SEC. Battled tested after three seasons as a starter, the 2015 consensus All-American isn’t afraid to mix it up in the running game either.

The Buccaneers pass defense held this team back in a big way last season, as they allowed 26.1 points per game (26th in the league) despite surrendering just 3.4 yards per carry. This defense was torched repeatedly, snaring just 11 interceptions in comparison to a whopping 31 touchdown passes allowed.

Those numbers will improve as a result of an upgraded pass rush, because even if Spence isn’t ready to shine as a rookie, free agent signing Robert Ayers is one of the most consistent players at the position.

In Hargreaves, the Buccaneers have a player who can boost their interception count, because they didn’t have a single cornerback with multiple picks last year. Their team leaders in passes defended, with 13 and 9 respectively, were linebackers Lavonte David and Kwon Alexander.

With four interceptions last season, Hargreaves was no Mackensie Alexander. That said, his ability to shut down receivers and avoid giving up big plays is a similarity he and Alexander share that will help Tampa Bay the most. Generating more big plays in the passing game is important for a defense, but preventing big plays is the No. 1 goal.

The Buccaneers lack of talent in the secondary was notorious last season, so Hargreaves doesn’t have to be an early star like Darby or Peters to make an immediate impact. In fact, the Bucs were so thin at corner last season that they were dead last in Football Outsiders’s DVOA against non-WR1s.

Even if Banks and Verner don’t improve, Grimes and Hargreaves alone should help turn this stat around.

With a 39-inch vertical and 130-inch broad jump, Hargreaves was among the impressive athletes at the cornerback position in this class. But unlike several of those players, he proved himself against the best college athletes in the country for multiple seasons, and it’s hard to see him failing to translate. Hargreaves has been touted ever since he was a high school athlete, and it’s hard to see a great athlete with such a natural feel for the position failing to impress. It’s only the offseason, but he’s already doing just that.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Vernon Hargreaves III will make the immediate impact

By Kevin Parvizi | Jul 4, 2016

In 2015, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers received an immediate boost from rookies scattered across the roster. Whether it was franchise quarterback Jameis Winston, guard upgrade Ali Marpet, or future defensive playmaker Kwon Alexander, the Buccaneers saw their infusion of young talent pay off early.