The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been heavily linked to Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez throughout the draft process, and he's become a draft darling among Bucs fans.
The Bucs badly need a linebacker, especially after Lavonte David’s decision to retire, and Rodriguez checks all the boxes for a potential successor.
But Tampa Bay is far from the only team interested in Rodriguez as his stock continues to rise.
Bengals could ruin Buccaneers’ draft dream for the second straight year
The Cincinnati Bengals just hosted Rodriguez for a Top-30 visit according to NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero, indicating they have serious interest in drafting him.
Last year, the Buccaneers were heavily linked to South Carolina linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr. on Day 2. Tampa Bay had a significant need at the position and brought Knight in for a pre-draft visit, but Cincinnati selected Knight with the 49th overall pick, just a few selections ahead of Tampa Bay, who held the 53rd pick.
Now, an almost identical situation could be unfolding a year later. The Bengals hold the No. 41 pick, just a handful of selections ahead of the Buccaneers at pick No. 46.
If Rodriguez is still on the board, the Bengals would love to add a player of his caliber to help upgrade a struggling defensive unit that ranked 31st in the NFL last season.
This puts the Buccaneers in a compromising position. If they want Rodriguez, and are unwilling to draft him in the first round, they’ll likely have to trade up in the second round to have a chance at drafting him. Rodriguez almost certainly isn’t going to fall to No. 46.
The problem is, the Buccaneers have an abundance of needs to address, and only seven picks to do it with. The ideal scenario is to trade down and acquire more picks, not give away more picks to move up the board.
It will ultimately come down to how much the Buccaneers value Rodriguez, or whether they feel they can find another quality linebacker to fill one of their most pressing needs. As perfect of a fit as he’d be in Tampa Bay, it’s starting to feel unlikely that they’ll be able to land him with the interest he’s garnering around the league.