Tampa Bay Buccaneers: What they really got in this draft class

Fourth Round (117): Jordan Whitehead, Safety

In the fourth round the Buccaneers used the pick that they got from the Patriots when they traded up in the second round to again address an area of weakness in the secondary as a whole and with seventeen pick in the fourth round selected safety Jordan Whitehead.

Playing in 31 games while starting 30 of them during his college career at the University of Pittsburgh he collected 235 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, twelve pass breakups, and three interceptions. As a freshman he was named the ACC conference rookie of the year, a freshman all American, and ACSMA defensive rookie of the year while playing safety and some running back. At the NFL Combine he measured in at 5’10” 198 pounds and chose to do only the field drills with 21 bench reps, but at Pitts pro day he ran a 4.48 forty.

Whitehead shows that he is not afraid to come to the line and crush the running back as an in the box thumper. His 4.48 speed shows that he can cover a pass catching tight end of a slot receiver, and with his versatility at safety he can play in any style of defense. His speed also gives him the ability to chase down the ball carrier if he is beaten on the play. Showing versatility as well on offense as he played running back occasionally with 43 carries for 362 yards and two touchdowns.

In Whitehead, the Buccaneers are getting a physical and aggressive safety who can cover a tight ends or a slot but also play either safety spot even corner if asked, and he is not afraid to rush to the box to thump the ball carrier. Most likely he will compete with Chris Conte for the other safety spot next to Justin Evans, and with his physicality aggression and versatility he just might be playing next to Evans early in the season.