Buccaneers vs. Dolphins: 5 standout performers in week two matchup
By Cory Kinnan
CB Jamel Dean
After missing the first preseason game last week with an injury, rookie cornerback Jamel Dean did not disappoint last night against Miami. He finished with an interception in the endzone as the Dolphins were threatening to score, and he dropped another pick after putting himself in great position.
Dean was one of two cornerbacks selected by the Buccaneers on day-two of the NFL Draft last April, and quite frankly, he has outplayed Sean Murphy-Bunting thus far through the preseason. With massive size for a cornerback, if he wins the job as the third cornerback, it can be expected that Vernon Hargreaves would slide into the nickel and Dean would be a bully outside the numbers.
At the combine, Dean ran a blazing 4.3 second 40 yard dash with an astounding 41 inch vertical jump and nearly 11 foot broad jump. He is coming off of a couple knee injuries while in college, but has been healthy for a year now and looks to be holding his 6-1 and 206 pound frame well.
In addition to the interception, Dean tallied two additional pass breakups and two solo tackles. The rookie out of Auburn is absolutely an athletic freak and physical specimen; if he can fine tune his skills in Tampa Bay, he has all of the makings of a lockdown cornerback.