Tampa Bay Buccaneers draft profile: Safety Derwin James

The first prospect in our draft profile series is a potential target for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at number seven: Florida State safety Derwin James.

The draft is coming up in just a few short weeks and it’s time to start diving in to the list of prospects that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers may have their eye on – and will be in a position to draft. We won’t be looking at many, if any, quarterbacks, receivers, linebackers, centers in these features. These are positions that are extremely unlikely for the Bucs to take. We are focusing on the positions the Buccaneers need to address come April 26, 27, and 28.

First on that list is a player that is starting to generate a lot of interest among Bucs fans since they added Jason Pierre-Paul and aren’t nearly as desperate to draft defensive line at seven overall. Instead, they can look to address the secondary, running back, or guard. In this instance, we’re focusing on the secondary.

Derwin James is a standout player from Florida State that is a sure fire first round pick – potentially even top ten. His athleticism and decision making on the field is impressive, especially for a 21 year old.

James’ College Career

At 6’2″, James would match Chris Conte as the tallest player in the secondary, but no one would match him in terms of raw, athletic talent. James is an “athletic freak” that turned plenty of heads at the combine. James ran a 4.47 40-yard dash, had a 40-inch vertical, and an eleven foot broad jump. Those are some impressive numbers.

As far as his years at Florida State, James finished his collegiate career with 186 tackles, fifteen tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, three interceptions, two fumble recoveries,two forced fumbles, one touchdown, and fifteen passes defensed.

Pros

James showed some incredible instincts when in coverage. His closing speed and reaction time pops off of the screen. He can read the quarterback and make a solid jump on the ball to either take it away or break up the pass. Doesn’t matter the size or speed of the receiver, James doesn’t seem to have much of a hard time with any of them that he matches up with.

As far as his “in the box” alignments, James can get to the quarterback pretty well. He’s not great, but consistent enough to make it worth sending him. With only 5.5 career sacks, he doesn’t get to the quarterback often, however, he gets solid pressure and disrupts the quarterback’s passing lanes.

As far as a hybrid player is concerned, James is light-years ahead of where Jabrill Peppers was last year. Peppers did a lot of things pretty well, but nothing great. James is great in coverage, while only being pretty good at getting to the quarterback and being an “in box” safety.

Cons

There’s no perfect prospect. Everyone has a weakness somewhere. What I noticed from watching James’ games from last season is that he’s not a great tackler. If a running back gets a head of steam and gets into the secondary, James can’t seem to wrap and take him down. He just bounces off. He doesn’t have that problem, it seems, when it comes to receivers. It’s a coachable problem and can certainly be fixed.

The other tendency I noticed was that James doesn’t always finish plays. For example, against Syracuse, quarterback Eric Dungey was scrambling. Dungey was slowed up by a Seminole defender and James slowed down assuming the play was over. Dungey broke the tackle attempt and gained nearly twenty extra yards. Had James finished the play, that second burst never happens.

Again, it’s a fixable issue but for someone of James’ talent, he shouldn’t be assuming any play is over before the whistle blows. He’s out there to be a play maker – he has to make plays.

I didn’t notice any flaws in his game that are worth doubting him as an NFL player. Simple, fixable problems that the coaching staff can have changed by time training camp is over. Much like we noticed Justin Evans‘ issues with tackling or always going for the “big hit” rather than wrapping and finishing the tackle when looking at his college games. In his rookie season, we didn’t see that problem at all.

Why The Buccaneers Need Derwin James

There’s no question the Tampa Bay Buccaneers still need help in the secondary. That includes both safety and corner. Having a safety with the kind of cover skills that James possesses would create an immediate impact on the defense. Chris Conte is a solid depth guy and although he played well last year – despite what the Conte haters want you to believe – Conte is neither the long term answer or a true game changer. James absolutely is.

Evans can fill the role of that “in the box” safety. If you draft James with the number seven pick, you’re drafting him for his coverage skills. That doesn’t mean that can’t use him occasionally to blitz, but there is absolutely no need to do it to extent Florida State did. James would be a pick that Bucs fans should be excited for if he is indeed the guy.

Will It Happen?

Signs are starting to point the likelihood it does. Now, if Bradley Chubb or Quenton Nelson fall to seven, they are the no brainer picks. After those two, it gets a little murky. My personal preference is to trade down, accumulate more picks, and hopefully draft someone that will help in the secondary – whether that be James, Denzel Ward, or Minkah Fitzpatrick. Yes, I’m as tired as many of you are of Florida State fans pounding the table year after year after year about how the Buccaneers have to draft player x or player y from Florida State, but you can’t deny talent. If James is the pick, it’s a good one.

Next: Buccaneers May Still Be In The Safety Market

Keep it locked here for a different draft profile every day up until day one of the NFL draft as we dive into whether or not these players should, would, or could be the next member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.