NFL Draft: Day 1 Scouting Combine Winners Include Buccaneers Targets

As position drills began at the NFL Scouting Combine, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers likely had their eyes on three guys who did well for themselves on Day 1.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense led by head coach Todd Bowles had some really solid games and some not-so-great ones. 

Granted, there was more good than bad, but the bottom line is the unit needs to perform better in 2023.

Especially if the Bucs are truly committed to moving forward with Kyle Trask as their quarterback. 

And some of the biggest question marks in the unit reside on the defensive line and in the linebacker room. 

Making Day 1 of position work at this year's NFL Scouting Combine all the more important, with some clear winners coming out of these two groups.

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Clemson Tigers DT Bryan Bresee

Bresee's talent is known. What isn't is his health, and how much teams are willing to gamble on his staying available for play when he struggled to do so in college.

In his Scouting Combine workout, Bresee performed like you'd expect a fringe Day 1 talent to, and that's encouraging. 

No word yet as to how his medical evaluations went, and that information likely won't leak until closer to draft weekend. 

How clean his physical was will be the true barometer for whether or not Bresee won at the Scouting Combine, but if his on-field work is any indicator, it went well.

Pittsburgh Panthers DT Calijah Kancey

Kancey is another prospect who has question marks, but these aren't about health but about his size and length. 

The bottom line is, Kancey is missing it. 

What he does have are motor and athleticism, and that's something he showed off in Indianapolis on the first day of position drills. 

Bowles is known for figuring out how to best use his players, so if there's a coach out there Kancey could reach his full potential with it's the one running Tampa Bay's squad today.

Tennessee Volunteers DE Byron Young

Young wowed everyone with an NFL-official 4.43 40-yard dash and he didn't look all that labored in doing it.

The athleticism is there, that's not in question. But Young will need some more development as a pro once he lands on a squad. 

So the real question here is whether or not the Bucs can get enough out of him early while continuing to work on teaching him how to best use his skills. 

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Free agency will close down the view on just how big a need the Buccaneers have at several positions, and while we didn't list any here, linebackers like Iowa's Jack Campbell certainly figure to be in the mix for consideration as well. 

It's rare to find a rookie beyond the first batch of picks who doesn't carry with them some inherent risk. 

The trick for teams is figuring out which risks they're comfortable taking, and then working to maximize the investment. 

And these three players gave NFL evaluators plenty of reason to consider taking a risk on them at the Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.