Drafting Buccaneers: 5 Players to Watch Monday at the Combine
Budda Baker – Safety, Washington
Recently, on the “Locked on NFL Draft” podcast, Luke Easterling of the Draft Wire mock-drafted safety Budda Baker to the Bucs at 19th overall.
At the time, I was a bit behind on my podcast playlist and working on my own pre-combine round-one mock draft where I mocked the same young man to the Bucs at number 19.
So, it’s obvious Baker is gaining steam as we get closer to draft time, and this Monday at the combine is just one more shot for him to drop coal into his hype-engine.
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Tampa’s secondary took an impressive upswing at the end of last season with Keith Tandy leading the way towards giving the team a fighting chance at the end to secure a playoff spot.
We all know how it ended though, and despite the impressive ending, this team needs help at safety.
The former Huskie may not be the best on the board, but man is he impressive. Think of anything you want an NFL safety to do, and if he can’t do it well now, he has the traits necessary to develop the ability quickly.
Pairing this safety up with a cornerback like last year’s top pick Vernon Hargreaves III will give the Bucs a young nucleus of VHIII, Baker and Kwon Alexander to go with veteran presences like Lavonte David and Gerald McCoy.
That group would get fans excited, and a strong combine performance all but locks him in as a day one selection.