PFF names top five grade Buccaneers vs. Panthers

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CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – SEPTEMBER 12: Anthony Nelson #98 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers celebrates after a fumble recovery in the third quarter during their game against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on September 12, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images) /

5. OLB Anthony Nelson

The fifth highest player is the only rookie to make this list, and in his debut as a Buccaneer nonetheless. While he only tallied one tackle, the massive outside linebacker Anthony Nelson was all over the field making plays for the pewter and red defense against the Panthers and was given a score of 71.4 by PFF.

Most notably, Nelson forced a fumble for the Buccaneers, and his best play of the night came on a third and long screen attempt by the Panthers to get the ball to star running back Christian McCaffrey in space. As Newton went to dump the ball off to McCaffrey with a lane and blockers in front of him, Nelson displayed his massive wingspan and knocked the ball right out of the air as the Panthers would be forced to punt.

The Buccaneers took Nelson in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft with the hopes of making him a solid force off the edge who can set the edge and get after opposing quarterbacks. After missing the first game of the season recovering from a knee injury that sidelined him for most of training camp and the preseason, Nelson proved he was worthy of a day three investment for the Buccaneers.

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