Where Does Cornerback Fit in with the Buccaneers Needs This Offseason?
The Buccaneers have invested a lot of early draft picks in the secondary over the past several seasons, with varying levels of success. Taking a player like Vernon Hargreaves III in the first round looked good on paper, but he was relegated to a nickel corner role by his third year with the team, and putting a second round pick into a player like M.J. Stewart, who worked between corner and safety with little success, hasn't aged well.
With that being said, Carlton Davis III has emerged as a real No. 1 cornerback this season, finally capitalizing on his length and ball skills to be a lock-down option in coverage, and Antoine Winfield Jr. is in the running for Defensive Rookie of the Year at safety, so the back end isn't without its fair share of highlights.
Sean-Murphy Bunting was probably the best part of the secondary on this team last season, but he has looked lost in coverage this year and continues to be a liability in the red zone: Take the touchdown that Atlanta wide receiver Calvin Ridley scored in the first half last week for example. It might be too early to give up on a former top-40 pick who showed promise early in his career, but if the Buccaneers want to have long-term security in coverage, he can't be getting caught with his head turned the wrong direction as often as he has this year.
Jamel Dean has panned out nicely for a former third round pick, but teams have started to scheme against him down the stretch this season with double moves and vertical routes due to his eyes being trained on the quarterback and his hip fluidity not being as quick as some other players in coverage.
With that being said, although it might not be a popular pick, could the Bucs look at a cornerback in round one in the upcoming draft? If so, who?
The Buccaneers have probably played themselves out of position for a player like Alabama's Patrick Surtain II or Virginia Tech's Caleb Farley, but they can look toward a player like Georgia's Eric Stokes or South Carolina's Jaycee Horn where they will be picking near the end of the first round for someone who can be a plug and play option.
Stokes is someone who has stood out a ton to me in watching a lot of SEC play this year, especially when it comes to his ability to set a tone for the play at the line of scrimmage in press coverage and working leverage along the sideline when needed. His ability to mirror receivers on in-breaking routes is something that stands out as well, and if you were concerned about his lack of playing on the ball the previous two years, he has four interceptions on the season.
Horn has a lot of similar traits, as he can win with his physicality against bigger receivers and possesses some of the best ball skills in the class, closing windows quickly after baiting quarterbacks and winning at the catch point.
At any rate, the Buccaneers will have plenty of options early if they choose to address the need in this year’s draft, and two options from the SEC make a lot of sense for their deficiencies in coverage.
