NFL Draft 2017: Buccaneers Select Stevie Tu’ikolovatu in Round Seven

The Buccaneers select Stevie Tu’ikolovatu in the seventh round of the NFL draft.

The Buccaneers are always thinking. Jason Licht puts his team in the best chance to get a top player every time he works those phones. Today, he made a trade with the Dolphins to move up in the seventh round. With the pick, he selected Stevie Tu’ikolovatu out of USC for depth on the defensive line.

At 6’1″, 331 pounds, he has potential to take up multiple bodies in the middle. The bigger guys don’t always make a big play, but they can occupy multiple linemen, to allow players like Gerald McCoy, Noah Spence, and others to make the more flashy plays. They don’t show up in the stats as much, but these types of players win games in the trenches, where football is often won.

His stats reflect a guy that can bring down ball carriers as well as get to the passer. When you can get pressure on the quarterback from the inside, it gets them unnerved. They don’t like pressure in their faces. If this guy can show that potential in camp, he might find a way onto this team.

If nothing else, depth is important. We always talk about closing games in the fourth quarter. A guy like this can give the top line players key points of rest late in a game, so McCoy and company can get to the passer when it counts.

Give this guy a chance, he might be able to show us something.

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