Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Weekly 7-round mock draft (Vol. 2)

2.7 Jeffery Simmons DL Mississippi State

Last week, first round and top-20 projected pick Jeffery Simmons announced that he tore his ACL in preparation for his pro day. A devastating blow to a prospect who already has been banned from participating in the Combine due to an incident when he was in high school. However, to the pleasure of the Buccaneers, he is likely to fall completely out of the first round due to his injury and could fall into their laps here in the second.

The interior lineman out of Mississippi State terrorized opposing quarterbacks all season and displayed an immense potential to camp out in opponent’s backfields. In 2018, Simmons tallied monstrous 18 tackles for loss, and finished is career with seven total sacks in two full seasons from his defensive tackle spot. He also knocked down seven passes at the line of scrimmage throughout his time with the Bulldogs, showing the awareness to get his hands up when he knows that he won’t get home.

With Vinny Curry already cut and Gerald McCoy and Beau Allen potentially on their way out the door as well, the Bucs find themselves in desperate need of adding some talent to the interior of their defensive line. Last year they selected Vita Vea with their first round pick, who struggled to stay healthy, and even with that selection, the team currently lacks depth. If Simmons falls into the second, the Bucs should select him despite having to redshirt him for the 2019 season.