8 seniors get 1st-round grades: Tampa Bay Buccaneers must take notice

The National Football Scouting committee gave eight college seniors first round grades; it turns out they align with the needs of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Every year prior to the start of the new football season, the National Football Scouting meeting was held, and at the meeting, eight college seniors were awarded preliminary first round grades. Luckily for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, all but two players graded are at potential areas of need for them as they look ahead to the 2020 NFL Draft.

The offensive players given first round grades were Oregon quarterback Justing Herbert, who is my number one rated quarterback entering the 2019 season as well and mocked to the Buccaneers here, Washington offensive tackle Trey Adams, and Vanderbilt tight end Jared Pinkney. While Pinkney is off the table considering the young and explosive O.J. Howard is wearing the pewter and red, the other two should firmly be on the Buccaneers’ radar.

Quarterback Jameis Winston has one more opportunity to prove he is not a bust, and if he cannot do so, then it is a foregone conclusion that the Buccaneers will use their 2020 first rounder on a quarterback; Herbert fits the bill. In one report, Herbert was named as the highest graded senior ever, so he is likely to be a top-five pick next April.

The Buccaneers will be also looking to replace a tackle as Demar Dotson is looking at his last year in Tampa Bay, so keeping tabs on Adams would be wise of the front office as well. It is a deep offensive lineman class as well, with underclassmen like Stanford’s Walker Little (mocked to the Buccaneers here), Iowa’s Tristen Wirfs, and Georgia’s Andrew Thomas as well, so while Adams is not a home run top rated offensive tackle, he is worth keeping an eye on.

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The defensive players given first round grades at this meeting were Louisiana State cornerback Kristian Fulton, Auburn defensive tackle Derrick Brown (who was mocked to the Buccaneers here), Alabama defensive lineman Raekwon Davis, South Carolina defensive line Javon Kinlaw, and Notre Dame defensive end Julian Okwara. While a cornerback can never be ruled out for Tampa Bay, Fulton seems like an unlikely target, however the rest are fair game.

The Buccaneers have limited depth along their defensive front, and four of their key contributors are on expiring deals. Of their five man front, defensive tackles and outside linebacker, Noah Spence, Carl Nassib, Ndamukong Suh, and Shaquil Barrett are all only under contract through 2019 with the Buccaneers.

With the depth already limited in the defensive trenches in Tampa Bay it is bound to be even slimmer next year, so keeping an eye on talented collegiate athletes now will be of the utmost importance. Their offensive line could also be in shambles next offseason too, if they cannot manage to get a run game going, potentially replacing three guys up front and their quarterback, so the performance of Adams and Herbert must be monitored closely.