Buccaneers Round Table: Mid-Season Tampa Bay Draft Decision

Zain Ahmed

As of right now the Bucs are 2-5, meaning that if the season ended today, they would be picking in fifth overall.

The Buccaneers have three obvious needs to address in my opinion. The Bucs first pick has to be defensive, whether it be a cornerback or defensive end; it MUST be a defensive player.
Personally, I was on the fence between two players. The two being N.C. State defensive end Bradley Chubb, and Alabama defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick, but I read something on Fitzpatrick that completely changed my mind.

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Fitzpatrick is not only supremely talented, but his attitude may even be better. He despises being beaten, as every coverage player should of course, but he takes it to another level. His attitude is something that would be a welcome sight to a secondary that appears to lack leadership and talent at that. Fitzpatrick has drawn comparisons to Tyrann Mathieu, who we all know is an exceptional player, except that Fitzpatrick is bigger at 6’1″ which is a plus because the Bucs lack height in the secondary as well.

If you’re looking for any flaws in Fitzpatrick, you’d be hard pressedwith his combination of size speed and coverage abilities. He has the potential to be a shutdown corner and we all know that’s what the Bucs need.

Off the field, Fitzpatrick is a devout Christian, a focused student, and rarely ever parties. There are no red flags to be seen with this kid.
Don’t get me wrong, I would not be upset if the Buccaneers take Bradley Chubb instead, because he is also a great talent, but my preference is just Minkah Fitzpatrick.
The Bucs would be best served adding a veteran corner(or two) in free agency, then selecting Fitzpatrick because he would bring a whole new dynamic to the Bucs defense.