Tampa Bay Buccaneers: One defensive line target in every round
By Cory Kinnan
Round 5: Isaiah Buggs, Alabama
The second Alabama defensive lineman to appear on this list is Isaiah Buggs, who is ready to burst out of the shadow cast by Williams. Buggs played out of the spotlight that shone brightly on Williams, and as a result has gone fairly unnoticed in this pre-draft process.
In 2018, Buggs managed to tally nine and a half sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss opposite Williams, and recorded 52 total tackles. For his career, Buggs added an additional four tackles behind the line of scrimmage and a sack and a half to his totals.
He is however stuck in a quandary as he is not quite big enough to play nose tackle in the NFL, but not athletic enough to play as a three-technique defensive lineman. At the combine, he measured at 6’3 and 306 pounds, but managed to run only a 5.15 40 yard dash and showed minimal explosion and agility, hitting only 20 reps on the bench press, a 24.5 inch vertical jump, an 8 foot broad jump, and a slow 8.01 3-cone drill.
At the next level, Buggs will more than likely be forced to play nose tackle, but he will need to beef up in order to effectively play the position. If the Buccaneers take him midway through the third day of the draft, he will factor in as a rotational piece to give Vea a breather.