Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Grade, reaction for Devin White pick

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers utilized their fifth overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft on Louisiana State linebacker Devin White; here is our grade and reaction.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers used the fifth pick in the 2019 NFL Draft on Louisiana State linebacker Devin White. The team filled a need in the middle of their defense, and gave Lavonte David a running mate in new defensive coordinator Todd Bowles’ 3-4 defensive scheme.

While White is a great player and a great prospect, there is some cynicism to follow this pick. With the likes of Kentucky’s Josh Allen and Houston’s Ed Oliver still on the board, Tampa Bay instead added a player to a layer of their defense with two starting caliber players already on the roster.

Again, nothing against White as a prospect, but the Buccaneers passed up on elite talent along the defensive line and off the edge, positions at a much higher premium than linebacker. Now, most of the talent along the defensive line and EDGE are off the board, leaving scraps for the Buccaneers to choose from on day-two of the draft.

The only two players ranked in the top-50 of this writer’s big board at either the defensive tackle or pass rushing positions still on the board are Michigan’s EDGE Chase Winovich and Florida’s EDGE Jachai Polite. The Buccaneers may be forced to carry the burden of Gerald McCoy’s $13 million contract for another year as there is not another day-one starting caliber interior defensive lineman on the board.

At the time, the pick of White looked good, but in hindsight with how the board fell, the Buccaneers are left pretending like the interior of their defensive line is fine and they do not need to worry about getting any pass rushing help. White could turn out to be a hall of fame talent, but the Buccaneers now find themselves in a predicament of picking from scraps at positions of a much higher premium.

Grade: B-