There were a number of reasons why the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were unable to compete at the highest level of the NFL last season, collapsing in the second half of the campaign to completely undoe their Super Bowl hopes by not even qualifying for the postseason at all.
But the chief concern that held back the Buccaneers as a team last season was their defense, specifically their front seven. The Bucs were weak and thin at pretty much every key position up front, and opposing quarterbacks largely had their way with a secondary that could only hold up in coverage for so long due to how inept the Bucs pass rush was.
Tampa Bay are going to have to address the pass rushing situation aggressively this spring, because they only have one or two worthwhile pass rushing threats and no top stars within their ranks. Free agency does not yield any guarantees, though there are intriguing players available, and even if the Bucs target a pass rusher in the first round, they should still strongly consider pursuing available options on the scond and third days of the draft.
The Bucs need pass rushing help
An intriguing candidate on the second day of the draft is Illinois star Gabe Jacas, who generated some positive buzz for himself and earned interviews from plenty of quality NFL franchises, including the rival Carolina Panthers.
A projected third round pick, Jacas is a hard working edge rusher who averaged more than sack every other game at the collegiate level in the Big Ten. Jacas pretty much exclusively focused on getting after the quarterback in college, even getting taken off the field frequently by Illinois in obvious rushing situations.
That will not bother the Buccaneers. They are looking for edge rushers first and foremost, and they may have to find value in the third round or later on draft day. Jacas may not last until the Bucs pick in the third, but his pure power off the snap has to intrigue them and make him one of their top targets after the first round.
The best pass rushers are the athletes who explode around the edge off the line of scrimmage and can bully offensive tackles with strength. Jacas does exactly that, and he got so many sacks in college because his strength allowed him to beat tackles quickly enough so that he had ample time to actually finish plays. Tampa Bay needs that element in their pocket.