NFL Draft and Buccaneers Future Starts at Reese's Senior Bowl
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have some clear needs as NFL Draft season shifts into high gear with the Reese's Senior Bowl practices beginning on Tuesday.
And here are three players we will be watching who could find their way onto the Bucs' roster at the end of draft weekend this April.
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American Team Left Tackle, Matthew Bergeron (Syracuse)
No reason to beat around the bush here.
A lot of people are unhappy with Tampa Bay left tackle Donovan Smith.
Of course, we don't know if that anger extends into the organization and coaching staff, which makes it harder to predict whether or not the Buccaneers could look to another first-round tackle to pair with Tristan Wirfs.
Even if the Bucs don't go left tackle in the first round, it would make a lot of sense to go there on Day 2, if even just for depth and to push Smith's performance up a notch.
With a solid Senior Bowl, Bergeron could be the guy general manager Jason Licht and his staff target for just such a job.
National Team Linebacker, DeMarvion Overshown (Texas)
Unfortunately, linebacker Lavonte David may not be on the roster much longer.
Quarterback Tom Brady could probably help by coming back and sparing Tampa Bay quite a bit of valuable cap space, but that's a different conversation.
This one is about the linebacker group, and life after David, even if it isn't this year.
Devin White has plenty of room to grow still, and even if he's there after David departs at some point, the depth behind him isn't strong.
We like K.J. Britt more than some but wouldn't go as far as to say that he's ready to be a constant running mate beside White.
Of course, Overshown has his own flaws, and those bring questions as to his viability as an NFL linebacker.
He can start to answer some of those this week.
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American Team Cornerback, Kyu Blu Kelly (Stanford)
Kelly is the son of former Buccaneers cornerback and Super Bowl Champion, Brian Kelly.
He plays a strong brand of man coverage and boasts the athleticism you'd expect to see from an NFL lineage.
Still, he has limitations that mostly stand out in zone and off coverages, and those are the areas we'll be keeping an eye on in Mobile as he goes up against fellow future NFL talent.
While he should shine in the one-on-ones, making plays that will grab some Twitter audiences, his real chance to prove something to the scouts in attendance will be in team drills where he gets to show how he runs as part of a unit, and in space.
These are just three of the players we'll be keeping an eye on, and there are plenty of others worth discussing.
We'll do that here with daily notebooks during the week's practices, as we keep an eye on the future of the Bucs, and which of these prospects might join their ranks.
Find David Harrison on Twitter @DHarrison82
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