2016 NFL Mock Draft: Buccaneers Get Their Pass Rusher

Reggie Ragland. 8. player. 59. <p>Adding Ndamukong Suh to the Dolphins front line was supposed to give them one of the most feared run defenses in the league.  Add Suh’s presence to the expected pass rushing skills of Olivier Vernon and Cameron Wake, and the Dolphins defensive front was set to wreak havoc on the entire NFL.  Instead, Wake went down to injury, Suh didn’t live up to the hype, and all three struggled due to the lack of any real threat from the linebacker level.</p> <p>Reggie Ragland is the best linebacker prospect simply due to the fact he’s healthy and played in 2015.  No scrub by himself, Ragland’s draft stock has enjoyed some lift due to injuries suffered by Myles Jack  of UCLA and Jaylon Smith of Notre Dame, but he’s an upgrade over the current stock of Miami linebackers anyway.</p> <p>Adding a solid tackling, aggressive, and physically imposing linebacker like Ragland will bolster the defense, and help them achieve the status they hoped to reach last season.</p> <p>There are other areas of need as well, but Ragland is an immediate difference maker, and his capabilities as a blitzer mean d-linemen like Wake and Suh will face fewer double teams as teams look to protect against the blitz.  Ragland also showed some versatility as a down lineman, and could contribute on the edge in the absence of Vernon who is expected to depart via free agency.</p>. LB. Alabama