The third day of the NFL Draft is always about lottery tickets, and which team can land the right one. Last year, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hit the jackpot by taking Bucky Irving in the fourth round, which put a little extra attention on the team's first pick of Day 3.
Skill position players didn't appear to be on the menu this year, but Jason Licht is the head chef in Tampa and had other plans. Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka was the team's first-round pick, which created some pressure for the Bucs to address defensive flaws we all thought the draft would help alleviate.
Leave it to Licht to knock things out of the park. His gamble paid off when the Bucs landed Benjamin Morrison and Jacob Parrish on Day 2, doubling up on cornerback help that was sorely needed.
Pass rush and linebacker were two other positions everyone assumed the Bucs would address early, but it wasn't until Saturday that we saw the team finally do that. Central Arkansas standout David Walker was the pick, one that helps find some more defensive help while also staying true to Licht's love for smaller school players.
What's interesting is that Walker was announced as a linebacker but is listed as an edge rusher, which means Todd Bowles is perhaps looking at making him into a hybrid player.
Buccaneers' Day 3 draft pick is already being compared to Shaq Barrett
He had 30 sacks in his career and knows how to get after the quarterback. Charles Davis compared him to Shaq Barrett when talking about him on the NFL Network broadcast, which is surely going to grab some attention in Tampa.
"It's interesting because with [Walker's] dimensions, they had a pass rusher there who was pretty good for them by the name of Shaq Barrett," Davis said while breaking down the pick. "Very similar dimensions to David Walker."
That's a pretty great comp, and one that at least sets the stage for the Bucs to have landed another sleeper to add on defense. We've seen the team draft guys like Zyon McCollum, Yaya Diaby and Tykee Smith in years past only to watch them pay off and this has all the makings of joining that group.
Last year the Bucs ranked 11th in pass rush, but it's the nuance of that stat which proved the most frustrating. Tampa Bay situationally failed to close out games late thanks in large part to an inability to get hands on the quarterback. The Bucs were 2-5 in one-score games and not having pressure likely held them back from being able to clip that stat.
Linebacker is less of a pain point and more of a loose end. Lavonte David is likely playing his final season and the Bucs don't have a clear succession plan in place. That's why so many thought Jihaad Campbell would be the pick at No. 19, and why it was tough to see the team pass on linebackers on Day 2.
Waiting is the hardest part, and while it took longer than anyone expected for the Bucs to address a key need it seems the might have landed exactly the right guy.
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