The Pewter Plank
FanSided

Tampa Bay Buccaneers host another small school offensive lineman

By Cory Kinnan

ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - JANUARY 19: Olisaemeka Udoh #57 from Elon playing on the East Team runs off the field after warm-up before kickoff against the West Team at the 2019 East-West Shrine Game at Tropicana Field on January 19, 2019 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - JANUARY 19: Olisaemeka Udoh #57 from Elon playing on the East Team runs off the field after warm-up before kickoff against the West Team at the 2019 East-West Shrine Game at Tropicana Field on January 19, 2019 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

The countdown until the 2019 NFL Draft is now under two weeks, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers remain busy meeting with prospects; this time with Oli Udoh.

After already hosting one small school offensive tackle in Tytus Howard from Alabama State, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have met with Elon’s Oli Udoh as well. While many would expect that interior offensive linemen would be the position that the Buccaneers would seek to add during the draft, only tackles have visited with the Buccaneers during the pre-draft process.

Although Udoh played at Elon, a small school in North Carolina, he put himself on the map after his week in Mobile, Alabama during the Senior Bowl. He carried the momentum that he gathered at the Senior Bowl into an invitation to the NFL Scouting Combine, where he proceeded to test off the charts. In a matter of a few months, Udoh went from unknown to a potential mid-round pick.

At the combine, Udoh measured in at 6’5 and 323 pounds with over 35 inch arms and 10 inch hands; this ranks him above average of the size of the class. He then proceeded to run a 5.05 40 yard dash, with explosive 10 and 20 yard splits for an offensive tackle, hit 26 reps on the bench press, 28.5 inches on his vertical jump, and over eight feet on his broad jump. Overall Udoh tested as an elite athlete during his time in Indianapolis.

The Buccaneers seem to be prepping for the departure of veteran right tackle Demar Dotson after the 2019 season with much more urgency than addressing the right guard position; Alex Cappa has a firm grasp on the guard job at this point. Udoh is a prospect that would need a year or two to groom and mold into a NFL caliber starter as he is very raw with his technique, however his size and athleticism are enticing traits that teams have fallen in love with.

Next. Buccaneers: Worst-case scenario for first three rounds. dark

If the Buccaneers want to land the services of Udoh, they will need to utilize a day-three pick in the draft, most likely a fourth or fifth rounder. With Dotson on the last year of his contract and entering his tenth season in the league, the Buccaneers are committed to finding his heir apparent in the 2019 draft; Udoh just may be the guy for the job.

Home/Bucs Draft