Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Early April mid-week mock draft featuring a trade!

Round 3, Pick 70: Drue Tranquill, LB, Notre Dame

In the third round, the Buccaneers look to replace the departing Alexander by selecting their second player from Notre Dame in this class in linebacker Drue Tranquill. Tampa Bay is not only going to miss Alexander in 2019, but could also be without Kendell Beckwith.

Beckwith broke his ankle in a car accident prior to the 2018 season, missed all of last year, and may not be able to play in 2019 either; his career is very much in jeopardy. However, switching to a 3-4 scheme helps the Buccaneers, as they only need to field two true linebackers while the outside backers are predominantly pass rushers.

Lavonte David is still a force to be reckoned with, and the Buccaneers signed Deone Bucannon to a one-year deal. However, Bucannon spends a lot of time roaming the field in a hybrid role, so finding one more true linebacker would benefit Tampa Bay greatly.

Tranquill has a fantastic combination of size, speed, and strength that can only benefit him at the next level. At 6’2 and 234 pounds, the Notre Dame product ran a 4.57 second 40 yard dash, while also hitting 31 reps on the bench press. He also hit 37½ inches on the vertical jump and 122 inches on the broad jump.

In 2018, Tranquill tallied 86 tackles, nine tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks. With the 70th overall pick, the Buccaneers could get another mid-round steal at the linebacker position in Tranquill.