Pro Football Focus releases updated two-round mock draft
Pro Football Focus has released their most recent two-round mock draft. With the offseason signings that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have made, their draft needs have changed from a month ago.
READ MORE: Antonio Brown talks chances of reuniting with Tom Brady in Tampa Bay
The draft is just a few short weeks away, and this is the time we start to get a true feeling of where players will go in the draft.
PFF has an interesting pick for the Bucs in round 1 as they project former Georgia defensive lineman Jordan Davis to slip to Tampa Bay at pick 27. Here is the snippet on Davis
"Taking Jordan Davis to slot in alongside Vita Vea would take Tampa’s run defense to another level. It’s no secret that the 6-foot-6, 341-pounder is a freaky athlete, and he projects as a high-level run-stuffer at the next level.
Davis earned an 89.2 run-defense grade while collecting 47 run stops and 17 tackles for loss or no gain over the last three years. He missed just four of his 75 tackle attempts against the run over that span.
The problem is that Davis is far from a refined pass-rusher and not an every-down player. He played just over a third of the team’s snaps this past season and turned in a lackluster 69.0 pass-rush grade for the season.
Run-stuffing interior defensive linemen are valuable pieces in the NFL, but Davis' ceiling will only be so high if this playstyle remains. For that reason, Davis comes off the board late in Round 1 for me."
While there is some talk of re-signing Ndamukong Suh, getting the ultra-athletic lineman would be the long-term play for Jason Licht and Todd Bowles. The 6’6”, 341 pound tackle is an elite run stuffer that has average ability as a pass rusher. PFF has Davis at an 89.2 run grade with 17 tackles for loss over the past three seasons. Rounding out his game and becoming an every down player will dictate Jordan’s NFL success.
READ MORE: Shannon Sharpe '99.9%' sure Tom Brady had role in Bruce Arians Retirement
The second-round projection for Tampa Bay is another former Georgia Bulldog in linebacker Channing Tindall. There’s a need to improve the pass rush for the Bucs and Tindall could be a great choice at pick 60.
Tindall was dynamite in 2021 with a pass rush grade of 81.5. He uses his tools well and moves very well in space for a 6’2”, 230 pound linebacker. His performance at the combine caught the attention of scouts across the league, but he never started a game at Georgia. Todd Bowles likes to get after the quarterback, and as PFF says, this could be a great match for both sides. Check out the snippet on Tindall below.
Tindall never started a game in his collegiate career and didn’t break the linebacker rotation until his fourth year on campus in 2021. Despite that, he was an instrumental piece to Georgia’s historic defense.
The 6-foot-2, 230-pound off-ball linebacker earned an 85.4 PFF grade across 474 snaps in 2021. He plays violently with picture-perfect blitzing technique, and his physical tools are off the charts. Tindall finished with 26 pressures on 105 such reps and an 81.5 pass-rush grade for the season. He’s like a heat-seeking missile tacking down ball carriers in space.
Tindall rose up some boards after a stellar combine performance that featured a 4.47-second 40, a 1.55-second 10-yard split, a 42-inch vertical, a 10-foot-9 broad and 4.18-second pro agility, but he’s still firmly in the Day 2 conversation with inexperience and still learning the position being the big reason why.
There’s no denying his long-term potential, though. Landing with a blitz-heavy scheme like Tampa Bay could help Tindall outplay his draft status sooner rather than later.
Stay tuned to BucsGameday for more coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the offseason.
READ MORE: Rams' head coach Sean McVay isn't a fan of Tom Brady's return
