Buccaneers: 8 Senior Bowl players to watch for in the draft
By Rob Leeds
The fits for the Buccaneers after the Senior Bowl have become much more apparent.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are still in Super Bowl mode and need to make that their primary focus for the next week. Still, the conclusion of the Senior Bowl has helped shed some light on several additional prospects for the Buccaneers to pursue in the draft.
Quarterbacks for the Buccaneers
1. Kellen Mond, QB, Texas A&M
Kellen Mond had a decent career at Texan A&M that culminated with a close run at the playoffs this season. Mond and A&M finished one spot out of contention, but this helped shed some light on a project quarterback outside of the main suspects.
The Buccaneers need a quarterback to follow up Tom Brady, but this draft likely puts that prospect out of reach. Kyle Trask could still be available when the Bucs are on the clock, but his ceiling is far lower than most people would suspect. Kellen Mond makes more sense based on capital and potential.
Mond is far more athletic than Trask and has an arm that lends itself well to the NFL. The Bucs aren’t drafting Mond to be a starter in year one, but his potential as a development option based on an impressive Senior Bowl with big plays puts the Buccaneers in a much better spot down the road. The Dak Prescott similarities are starting to make themselves known in Mond’s game, and we’ve all seen how that worked out for Dallas.
2. Jamie Newman, QB, Wake Forest/Georgia
Newman, who probably has more upside than Mond, didn’t have the best Senior Bowl, but flashes of talent show a player that could be a great developmental option on a team that doesn’t have many needs.
The Bucs could give Newman the time he requires to work on accuracy to add to his already more than competent ability to run and throw deep.
Newman’s draft stock should stay somewhere on day three of the draft after his showing this past week, which should be perfect for the Buccaneers to maximize their return on the investment.