6.175 Tuf Borland, LB, Ohio State
With their sixth round flier, the Buccaneer take linebacker Tuf Borland out of Ohio State as the 175th overall pick in the draft. Borland came to Columbus as a four star recruit in 2016, but suffered an Achilles injury that slowed him down a year ago.
Now fully recovered, while he has still lost some pop in his legs, Borland is back to his relative old self in a much improved Buckeyes defense. Given the right system, which the Bucs have under Bowles, this Buck could pay huge dividends for the Bucs.
Through the first five games of his redshirt junior year, Borland has tallied five solo tackles and an interception. Last season Borland managed to record 34 solo tackles, nine tackles for loss, and three sacks after coming back from his severe injury. While the production is not there for Borland teams can get away with a low risk, high reward prospects, and the talent for Borland is hidden behind a severe injury.
It will be key to see if Borland can continue to progress this season, if he does not, then he could very well return for his senior year at Ohio State. An interesting prospect at this point for the Buccaneers to keep tabs on to build some depth behind the rookie Devin White and veteran Lavonte David.