Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 3 takeaways from 2019 NFL Draft class
1. Attempting to fix their secondary by quantity, speed and length
When you have one of the worst passing defenses in NFL history, investing draft capital into your secondary would be smart to do, and the Bucs did exactly that. Tampa selected Sean Bunting (No. 39), Jamel Dean (No. 94) and Mike Edwards (No. 94). This comes a year after the Bucs drafted MJ Stewart, Carlton Davis and Jordan Whitehead in the 2018 NFL Draft.
The two corners the Bucs selected this season are both tall and with great athletic profiles. Bunting is a self-described physical ballhawk, Dean ran a 4.30 40-yard dash and jumped a 41-inch vertical, but has inconsistent tape and Edwards played all over the field for Kentucky. It’s easy to see Bunting getting on the field quicker between him and Dean, with Edwards versatility to play in the box, slide to the nickel and play center field, something the Bucs have lacked in recent years, getting him on the field immediately.
Todd Bowles now has a lot to work with now in terms of depth and different skill sets. He deploys many defensive backs in his scheme, and most of them (aside from Hargreaves) are long and athletic. If he can coach them up along with White and David manning the middle of the field, this defense could have a quick turnaround.
It’s not like Tampa needs to develop into a top-five defense to improve their record. They boast one of the strongest passing offenses in the NFL and have Bruce Arians at the helm now (although not drafting a running back raises questions while giving Ronald Jones a vote of confidence).
Next. Biggest 2019 NFL Draft Steal For Each Team. dark
Becoming a competent pass defense starts with a pass rush, but blanketing receivers gives a pass rush more time to get to the quarterback and create explosive plays. The Bucs investing six draft picks in two seasons on defensive backs means they are counting on quantity and length to fix their major weakness on a historically bad defense.