© Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Land Carlton Davis Replacement in Pair of April Mock Drafts
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers acknowledged having a bit of a hole at cornerback and may just address that in the first round of the NFL Draft.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made a bold (but perhaps necessary) move in sending cornerback Carlton Davis III to the Detroit Lions in a trade that brought back a third-round pick in this year's NFL Draft.
With that pick, the Buccaneers could certainly look to add to the cornerback room that now features Jamel Dean and Zyon McCollum as the two starting outside pass defenders, but they could also use it to go elsewhere and bring in another cornerback later or even earlier in the weekend's selection process.
Earlier is what 33rd Team writer Ian Valentino is predicting in his first mock draft of April and has Tampa Bay bringing in a new starting cornerback in the first round.
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Carlton Davis III (24).
Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports
"The Carlton Davis trade opened a clear need for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a team with talent on both sides of the ball," Valentino says. "This is the right range for the next crop of corners to be selected, and Cooper DeJean is the best of the bunch. DeJean is a fantastic athlete and ballhawk. Plus, his versatility gives extraordinary value to a creative defensive mind such as Todd Bowles."
It would be hard to imagine the Bucs drafting DeJean here and not inserting him as a starter at the beginning of training camp and it would push McCollum back down the depth chart or into a different position altogether. It's also a pick that is supported by more than just one draft analyst.
"After trading Carlton Davis, the Buccaneers have a huge hole at outside cornerback," wrote Pro Football Focus' Arjun Menon in their own mock. "Which DeJean would be able to fill from day one."
Fans of the team might feel a little sideways about the move considering UCLA edge rusher Laiatu Latu was still available in Valentino's mock, and in fact comes off the board just two picks later to the Buffalo Bills.
Latu is a top-evaluated player in his position group but his injury history — including a brief retirement from football — may spook some who feel they need to nail their first-round pick in this year's draft. In the PFF mock draft, Latu comes off the board 12th to the Denver Broncos.
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For the Buccaneers, rolling with a cornerback over an edge defender to help replace outside linebacker Shaquil Barrett who is now with the Miami Dolphins would be a tad risky itself given that McCollum has shown more promise in his duties than outside linebacker Joe Tryon-Shoyinka up to this point.
But it's not a clear-cut decision either way, and really, how the team feels about McCollum and Tryon-Shoyinka potentially playing big roles will decide which direction they go in the first round of this year's NFL Draft.
Stick with BucsGameday for more coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the offseason.
