Buccaneers: Texas A&M Aggies 2018 NFL Draft prospects to watch

Next up in our “40 Teams in 40 Days” draft series are the Texas A&M Aggies draft prospects Buccaneers fans should keep an eye on.

The Texas A&M Aggies finished the 2017 season 7-6, wrapping up with a 55-52 loss in the Belk Bowl against Wake Forest. Although they didn’t have a standout season, that doesn’t mean there aren’t draft prospects for the upcoming NFL Draft – especially for the Buccaneers. And with Jimbo Fisher taking over as head coach, the Aggies are likely going to become one of the top contenders in the SEC for the foreseeable future.

Here is the list of draft eligible players;

Seniors:

Cornerback – Nick Harvey

Wide Receiver – Damion Ratley

Safety – Donovan Wilson

Running Back – Keith Ford

Defensive End – Qualen Cunningham

Quarterback – Jake Hubanek

Quarterback – Tyler Bruggman

Safety – Armani Watts

Conerback – Priest Willis

Defensive End – Jarrett Johnson

Offensive Tackle – Christian Daimler

Tight End – Tanner Schorp

Tight End – Kalvine Cline

Defensive Tackle – Zaycoven Henderson

Underclassmen:

Wide Receiver – Christian Kirk

Senior To Watch: Safety – Armani Watts

With the Buccaneers currently having only Justin Evans and Chris Conte under contract, they will be in the market for safety help via the draft and/or free agency. If the Bucs view it as one of the later round type positions, Armani Watts may just be the guy. Watts finished his Aggie career with 324 tackles – 24 for loss – 1.5 sacks, ten interceptions, seventeen passes defensed, seven forced fumbles, and five fumble recoveries.

Luke Easterling of The Draft Wire ranks Watts as his 71st overall prospect and his sixth overall safety. Should the offensive and defensive lines and running back rule the Bucs’ first two days in the draft, Watts is the kind of steal they can find on day three like they did with Kwon Alexander. He may not be a day one starter, but then again neither was Evans. He’s an impact player that can develop into a full time starter by the end of his rookie season.

 Underclassman To Watch: Wide Receiver – Christian Kirk

Unlikely to be on the radar for the Buccaneers given his rank, but receiver Christian Kirk is someone that could make a big impact on whatever team is fortunate enough to draft him. Slotted as Easterling’s seventh ranked receiver in this class and the 56th overall prospect, Kirk is all but guaranteed to be a day two pick.

Kirk finished his A&M career with 234 receptions for 2,856 yards and 26 touchdowns. At 5’11” and projected to run a 4.43 40-yard dash, Kirk is the type of receiver that can make plays with his legs as soon as someone gets the ball in his hands. Hampered by poor quarterback play, Kirk’s draft stock may suffer a little, but not to the point that he falls to a point the Bucs could consider taking him. That said, receiver is certainly not a position of need nor are the Buccaneers in a position where they could even take him as a luxury. Should he end up on one of the other NFC South teams, however, we will become real familiar with him real fast.

Next: Monken As Full Time OC Puzzling

Although many of the A&M prospects are day three picks, there are some diamonds in the rough the Bucs could find themselves keying in on come draft weekend. And as we get deeper into the Jimbo Fisher era, the prospects will increase in number and talent level.

Listen below as we were joined by Trevor Sikkema on the Locked On Bucs Podcast to discuss Todd Monken as well as Trevor’s takeaways from the East/West Shrine Game and Senior Bowl.