Daniel Jeremiah projects defensive help for Buccaneers in first mock

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have the 19th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, and NFL.com has some insight on what the Buccaneers could do when they’re on the clock.

Since the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are watching NFL football from home after being eliminated, it’s officially #MockDraftSzn. Fortunately, the Buccaneers are far from alone here. As such, Daniel Jeremiah, the grand poobah of mock drafts for NFL.com, has released his first official mock draft, and the Bucs are traveling a pretty interesting route.

Jeremiah projects the Buccaneers selected cornerback Emmanuel Forbes out of Mississippi State with the nineteenth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Forbes is a guy who had three pick-sixes this season playing SEC ball, and his 6-feet, 180-pound frame is good size for an NFL corner. Jeremiah compares Forbes to former Tennessee Titans cornerback Samari Rolle. For you kids who may not know, that is pretty high praise.

The playmaking and pick-six ability is also comparable to current Bucs safety Mike Edwards, and Forbes would fit right into this secondary, if the Bucs pay the bucks to bring the free agent to-be Edwards of course.

Speaking of which, the impending free agents the Buccaneers have to deal with is why this pick does make sense. Aside from Edwards (who should be brought back) cornerbacks Sean Murphy-Bunting and Jemel Dean are set to hit the open market if they aren’t brought back, and it wouldn’t be a shock if neither are. Or course, one might be (probably Dean), which means secondary help would be needed on the outside. That’s where Forbes can fit in.

Naturally, when there is no football being played for any fans’ team, mock drafts will always be overreacted to. With that being the case, it must be reiterated that they need to be taken with a grain of salt. Of course, some mocks will be held to higher esteem than others, and Daniel Jeremiah fits that bill. For the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, quite a lot is sure to change from now until draft time. This could be a step in the right direction when that time comes though.