Buccaneers: Mock Draft Monday had Veterans Day off

The Buccaneers have quite a rotation forming off of the edge on defense this season: Jason Pierre-Paul, Shaquil Barrett, Carl Nassib. There is just one problem with this rotation: they are all free agents after this season for the Buccaneers and all are looking to get a healthy little payday.

It is a reasonable expectation to assume the Bucs will re-sign at least one and hopefully two of them, but all three is more than likely a stretch. Barrett is staring a massive payday in the face, Nassib is a team captain performing at a high level, and Pierre-Paul has come back with full force after breaking his next as well.

While they still have last year’s fourth round pick Anthony Nelson on the roster, the Bucs should consider adding another pass rusher as a depth piece for the defensive side of the ball. A small school product to keep an eye on his Charlotte’s Alex Highsmith; he is looking to become just the third person in school history to get drafted after Larry Ogunjobi of the Cleveland Browns and Nate Davis of the Tennessee Titans.

At 6-4 and 242 pounds, Highsmith 15.5 tackles for loss and nine and a half sacks in his senior season at Charlotte. With their last pick in this mock draft, the Bucs bring Highsmith to Tampa in hopes of landing a gem on day-three.