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NFL Mock Draft: Buccaneers select Georgia’s Deandre Baker

By Ryan Doyle

ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 08: Deandre Baker #18 of the Georgia Bulldogs celebrates a play during the second quarter against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the CFP National Championship presented by AT&T at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 8, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 08: Deandre Baker #18 of the Georgia Bulldogs celebrates a play during the second quarter against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the CFP National Championship presented by AT&T at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 8, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /
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In a recent 2019 NFL Mock Draft, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers invested another top pick into their young secondary.

In FanSided’s latest Mock Draft, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected talented Georgia cornerback Deandre Baker with the 12th overall pick.

Here is FanSided’s Brad Weiss’ take on the selection:

"Baker is a guy who can be an elite cover corner in the league, and he has tremendous hands for a defensive back. The Bucs need to keep adding young talent on the defensive side of the ball, and if they can get a player of Baker’s caliber here towards the middle of the first round, they instantly get better at the third level of the defense."

Simply put, taking a cornerback in the first round makes plenty of sense for Tampa Bay. Opposing quarterbacks shredded the Bucs defense for 274.4 passing yards per game, the fifth-worst mark in the NFL.

Although the Bucs invested two second-round picks at cornerback last season, there is still a massive hole at outside corner. Carlton Davis can play on the outside, but M.J. Stewart projects to be a slot corner down the line.

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Tampa doesn’t have another legitimate lockdown corner that will be under contract in 2019. Vernon Hargreaves should be back, but he is a slot corner as well. Ryan Smith also has one year left on his deal, but he is a special teams player.

Plus, veteran corner Brent Grimes will be 36 years old next season, and the Bucs probably won’t keep him around.

As Weiss explained, Baker could be an actual number one corner in the right situation. The only other player on the roster that can develop into a lockdown guy is Davis. Adding Baker could create a young, athletic secondary ready to take the ball away.

Without a reliable option on the outside, the Bucs will need to invest a ton of money in one during free agency or at the top of the draft. With limited cap space, the Draft could be the route general manager Jason Licht takes.

LSU’s Greedy Williams has also been mocked to Tampa Bay on multiple occasions. At this point, Bucs fans should begin to get acquainted with the top college corners.

The Bucs selected highly-touted Alabama offensive tackle Jonah Williams in The Pewter Plank’s first 2019 seven-round mock draft. Opting to address the holes on the offense, rather than the defense.

Next. Buccaneers 2019 seven round NFL mock draft. dark

Either way, Tampa Bay can go in many directions at the top of the draft. The Bucs have an offense only a few pieces away from creating an unstoppable unit, while the defense needs work at every level.

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