Buccaneers Select Cornerback in Latest Daniel Jeremiah Mock Draft

Daniel Jeremiah makes an unexpected choice for the Buccaneers in his latest mock draft.

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We have made it through the first wave of free agency. The big moves have, for the most part, been completed. That means, although they have cap space, the Buccaneers along with the rest of the league begin to return their focus to the upcoming draft.

Pro days have already begun, and scouts have made their way to various parts of the country to do more research on the future stars of the NFL. Players have also begun to have visits to NFL facilities. To put it simply, it’s time for teams to do whatever it takes to figure out their best fits when the draft rolls around in about six weeks.

For us as writers, it is mock draft season. What do we do as writers, really as football fans, better than speculate? We all take this time to talk about, and predict what is about to happen. Today, we are going to look at one of those predictions and evaluate it.

Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com has released the third version of his mock draft, and in a move we haven’t seen much of so far, he went with a cornerback. His selection for the Bucs was Chidobe Awuzie from Colorado. Check out Jeremiah’s thoughts:

"I’m a big fan of Awuzie’s game; he is another player with the versatility to play cornerback or safety."

Take a look at the entire mock by clicking here.

Is it me, or does that not exactly sound like a ringing endorsement? Nevertheless, that was his pick so let’s take a look at it.

Here are his stats (per Sports Reference):

Defense & Fumbles

Defense & Fumbles Table
		Tackles	Def Int	Fumbles
Year	School	Conf	Class	Pos	G	Solo	Ast	Tot	Loss	Sk	Int	Yds	Avg	TD	PD	FR	Yds	TD	FF
2013	Colorado	Pac-12	FR	DB	12	35	18	53	5.0	1.0	0	0		0	3	1			2
2014	Colorado	Pac-12	SO	DB	9	54	8	62	2.0	0.0	0	0		0	4	1			0
2015	Colorado	Pac-12	JR	DB	13	70	15	85	12.0	4.0	2	26	13.0	0	7	0			2
2016	Colorado	Pac-12	SR	DB	14	53	12	65	6.0	4.0	1	14	14.0	0	11	1			2
Career	Colorado					212	53	265	25.0	9.0	3	40	13.3	0	25	3			6

He doesn’t seem to make a lot of plays on the ball, but he can get to the passer. That would make him an asset in certain packages.

At the Combine, he ran the forty in an impressive 4.43 seconds, and led the position with a broad jump of 132 inches (per NFL.com).

Here are some excerpts from his draft profile:

"Strengths Fluid, controlled steps with easy change of direction allows for extended mirroring from press. Decent jam to disrupt. Carries smooth backpedal downfield with excellent mirror-and-match footwork in man coverage. Digests route combinations from zone and makes wise choicesWeaknesses Short strider who is quicker than fast. Appears to lack long, recovery speed if beaten over top. Feels smaller than his listed size. Can be handsy down the field with pulls and tugs that turn into flags as a pro. Managed just three interceptions in college."

Awuzie is imperfect, but clearly he can play. He uses his hands for “press” coverage, which is something we don’t see a lot of in college. He doesn’t seem to get fooled and he can catch a ball carrier.

He’s not the right guy at this spot for this team. If they were going to make him a safety as Jeremiah mentioned, I want a guy that is going to make plays on the ball more often. Secondly, Dalvin Cook is available in this mock at number 19. That clearly addresses a bigger need. The Bucs have more time with Brent Grimes, and Vernon Hargreaves is only going to get better.

I’ll pass on this one.

Next: Bucs Remaining Free Agency Needs

What say you, Bucs fans? Like this pick? Let me here you in the comments.

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