Recent mock draft has Tampa Bay Buccaneers taking linebacker

With the 2019 NFL Draft about a month away, mock drafts are in full swing and one published this morning has the Tampa Bay Buccaneers taking Devin White.

In a mock draft by NFL Spin Zone’s Cory Kinnan, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers take linebacker Devin White out of Louisiana State. This is becoming a common theme among mock drafts as the 2019 NFL Draft inches closer.

While the Buccaneers are likely to trade out of the fifth slot with a quarterback needy team, Kinnan writes:

"“This pick makes way too much sense not to happen. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have potentially lost two linebackers this offseason as Kwon Alexander signed a healthy four-year deal with the 49ers, and third-year linebacker Kendell Beckwith may never be healthy enough to set foot on the gridiron again after injuring his ankle in a car accident…” (via Kinnan at NFL Spin Zone"

The Buccaneers could realistically take White at five and it would not be a shock to anyone because of such a need in the middle of their defense, but with Devin Bush available at potentially between 10-15, they could also go that route.

In this mock draft, the Bucs are able to snag potentially the third or fourth best linebacker in Minnesota’s Blake Cashman in the fourth round while taking Josh Allen at five. The Bucs would love the versatility to take a linebacker in the middle rounds while adding a defensive pass rusher in such a deep class as this one.

White would definitely be an enticing option at five, and the Buccaneers could not go wrong taking him with the fifth pick, but in such a deep class of defensive talent and a large amount of holes to fill defensively, Tampa Bay would be better off trading back and adding more draft asset.

With about a month to go until the main event of the draft itself, only time will tell when will be on the stage holding up the pewter and red. While White is the pick in Kinnan’s mock draft, five seems a bit too high.