Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 7-round mock draft before the Combine

5.7 Jalen Jelks EDGE Oregon

Last season, the Buccaneers ranked in the bottom half of the league in sacks, and while Jason Pierre-Paul reached double digit sacks, no other defensive player reached seven. Adding another pass rusher to this defense should not be overlooked for Tampa Bay. However, there are much more pressing needs, so in the fifth round of the draft, Jalen Jelks comes off of the board for the Bucs.

During his Junior campaign in 2017, Jelks recorded seven sacks and 15.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage and displayed a tendancy to play in the opponent’s backfield, and coming into his Senior season, many expected him to play much better. Taking a step back in 2018, the 6’6 and 245 pass rusher only recorded 3.5 sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss.

While his stock dropped throughout the season, Jelks has the frame that could allow him to test off of the charts athletically and see his stock receive a bit of a boost. He will have to answer questions about his production and show that he has some strength behind his slender 245 pound frame in order to get into the good graces of teams. In this mock prior to the Combine, however, he slips to the beginning of the fifth round.