CB Jamel Dean
Jamel Dean made his Buccaneers debut a week ago against the Dolphins, and he looks to build off that strong performance tonight against the Browns. While it is unlikely that the likes of Odell Beckham Jr. or Jarvis Landry take the field, he will still have an opportunity to man up against breakout player Rashard Higgins and newly signed Braxton Miller.
With an interception and another dropped pick a week ago, the big bodied cornerback has the potential and build to be a prototypical lockdown cornerback in the NFL. At 6-1 and 205 pounds, Dean has all the potential to beat up wide receivers at the line of scrimmage, and has the speed to hang with them deep as well.
The reason Dean got drafted as highly as he did, even after a knee injury, was his performance at the combine. Running a 4.3 second 40 yard dash, while leaping to the tune of a 41 inch vertical jump and 10-10 broad jump, Dean has the athletic ability to compete with anyone in the league.
Thus far in the preseason Dean has outplayed second rounder Sean Murphy-Bunting in the Buccaneers’ secondary. If Dean continues to shine, he could win the third cornerback job over Murphy-Bunting and move Vernon Hargreaves into the slot on nickel formations defensively.