Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Final 7-round mock draft the day of

Round 5, Pick 145: Germaine Pratt, LB, North Carolina State

With both Lavonte David and Deone Bucannon already on the roster at the linebacker position, the Buccaneers can afford to wait until later in the draft to select a linebacker. Here in the fifth round, they bring North Carolina State linebacker Germaine Pratt to Tampa Bay with the 145th overall pick.

Another four year player in college, Pratt burst onto the scene during his senior year, totalling over 100 tackles, 10 of which came behind the line of scrimmage, and six sacks from the second level of the Wolfpack defense. Pratt finished his career with four interceptions, nine passes defended, and three forced fumbles as well.

Pratt is one of the larger linebackers in this year’s class at 6’2½ and 240 pounds. His size, however, did not keep him from posting elite numbers at the combine, where he ran a sub-4.6 40 yard dash and hit 24 reps on the bench press. Pratt’s jumps left much to be improved upon, however, with a vertical of just 32.5 inches and a broad of 9’8 feet.

If the Buccaneers want to free up Bucannon to roam sideline-to-sideline, a role his was built to fill, then adding another linebacker to play in certain defensive packages as a rookie would be a wise decision for general manager Jason Licht. Here in the fifth round, the Buccaneers add another four-year player who could have the potential to demand playing time from day-one.