3 Things We'll Be Watching For at Buccaneers Rookie Minicamp

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are just about set to enter their first phase of the offseason. Rookie minicamp starts on Friday for the Bucs, and we'll finally get a first look at Tampa Bay's newest draft picks and undrafted free agents in a Buccaneers uniform.

While there won't be pads and contact will be light, rookie minicamp is still a great first opportunity for many rookies — and for others, the only opportunity — to show the team that picked them what they're made of. Here are three things we'll be looking for when rookie minicamp kicks off:

What will Rueben Bain Jr. look like?

Miami Hurricanes defensive lineman Rueben Bain Jr. (4) against the Indiana Hoosiers during the College Football Playoff National | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Tampa Bay's draft war room was ecstatic when edge rusher Rueben Bain fell to them at the No. 15 pick, and they selected him to be a dominant No. 1 pass rusher. Bain's short arms are likely the reason he fell in the draft, but his production with the Miami Hurricanes last season was excellent and his combination of strength and speed could make him a lethal rusher at the next level.

It's hard to evaluate players on either side of the line due to the lack of contact, and any "sacks" Bain gets during this period will be tough to count. But his explosiveness could be apparent right away, and it will be interesting to see what types of things Bowles has Bain do, even with what should be a limited playbook.

Which of Tampa Bay's newest quarterbacks will look better?

Kansas Jayhawks quarterback Jalon Daniels (6) against the Arizona Wildcats at Arizona Stadium. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers picked up two UDFA quarterbacks in Kansas' Jalon Daniels and Virginia's Chandler Morris. Both quarterbacks could compete with the incumbent Connor Bazelak to serve as Tampa Bay's practice squad and emergency quarterback.

Daniels is a highly athletic quarterback who had a strong peak in 2022 but wasn't able to put it together after that. Morris has played for four different college football teams, but he's shown some poise and strong decision-making at the next level that could be intriguing. Both quarterbacks will be throwing to new Bucs wideout Ted Hurst, whom the team picked in the third round out of Georgia State, and seeing which quarterback ends up performing better will be one of the storylines of rookie minicamp.

Will Keionte Scott show off early like Jacob Parrish did?

Miami Hurricanes defensive back Keionte Scott (0) runs onto the field at the start of the CFP Fiesta Bowl | Lauren Witte/Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made a strong draft pick last year by selecting Kansas State's Jacob Parrish, who ended up taking the nickel corner job after Tykee Smith moved to safety. It was immediately apparent in camp that Parrish was playing great football, and now, he's set to move outside — and the nickel job will be taken by Miami Hurricanes cornerback Keionte Scott.

Scott played very well in the nickel last year for Miami, netting 13 tackles for loss. Unlike the trenches, the secondary is a bit easier to evaluate without pads on, so Scott can start making plays right away. The Bucs would be pretty happy if he were able to show out in a similar way that Parrish did early on in the offseason.

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