The Tampa Bay Buccaneers used all of their day-two picks in the 2019 NFL Draft on defensive backs, and it is paying early dividends.
In an article posted by ESPN’s NFL Nation, they identified a surprise standout for each team, and for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, all three rookie defensive backs made the list. Sean Murphy-Bunting, Jamel Dean, and Mike Edwards are on the fast track to overhauling the secondary, and apparently are catching on quickly.
It appeared that the Buccaneers may have over-prioritized the defensive secondary in the draft, taking three on day-two of the draft with Carlton Davis, Justin Evans, and Vernon Hargreaves already on the roster. However new defensive coordinator Todd Bowles has been known to use a variety of defensive backs in a variety of packages, and now has the personnel to do so.
"“These three are handling the transition from college to the pros very well… The team actually feels that cornerback is now a position of depth, which it has not been in a very long time” (NFL Nation via ESPN)."
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Given the accelerated development of these three players, they could be seeing the field sooner than anticipated, especially Dean and Edwards. While Dean, due to his size, is exclusively an outside cornerback, Edwards can play at the third level of the defense or in the slot in the nickel. Murphy-Bunting has been getting reps as both a nickel corner and outside the numbers.
"“I don’t give a s— if they’re rookies, these guys can play. They’re getting their hands on a lot of balls. They’re doing things veterans do, because they listen and their smart” (Arians via ESPN)."
As the summer progresses, it will be interesting to see if Edwards can beat out Kentrell Brice and Jordan Whitehead for the second safety spot, and to see how Murphy-Bunting and Dean are deployed by Bowles. Can Murphy-Bunting and/or Dean beat out Hargreaves and Davis?
This writer was extremely skeptical of the over-drafting of defensive backs in April, but these three rookies are halfway to proving me wrong; Murphy-Bunting was my third ranked cornerback, but Dean and Edwards continue to surprise. Look out for the youngsters flashing the pewter and red in 2019.